India doesn't yet deserve an Angkor Wat temple
There is something deeply disturbing about wanting to build such a large temple in what is arguably India's poorest state, a state that like many other states of India, particularly in north India, is crying for more schools, more hospitals and primary health centres, and, dare I say it, more toilets for everyone, says Amberish K Diwanji Is Mumbai about to get back its nightlife?
Aditya Thackeray may want Mumbai's shops and restaurants to remain open 24x7 but the Maharashtra government won't be okaying it in a hurry, says Neeta Kolhatkar. Why we need to watch out for Al Qaeda's threat
'We have leaders who would rather that we cohabit with the Indian Mujahedeen than fight terror, as long as the payoffs are there in the next polls... Obviously, we are not headed down the best route to keep terror at bay,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd). Sonia asked Rahul to oppose ordinance, says Advani in blog
The 'nonsense' slur hurled at the Cabinet approved ordinance cannot apply only to the PM and his ministers. Soniaji must also share responsibility, says Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch L K Advani in his blog. Why we should not trust party spokespersons on television
These chat show performers contribute to the noise, not clarity, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. Why India will not be Hitler's Germany
'In this country of 1.2 billion, there may be a few Indians who might dislike Muslims and wish them ill. But the vast majority of Indians remain secular, no matter how grave Hindu-Muslim tensions,' says Amberish Kathewad Diwanji. Dire warning over warming: Did it cause Kedarnath disaster?
The IPCC has blamed man-made emissions for warming of the globe and long term climate change. Limiting climate change, therefore, will require substantial and sustained reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This is the message to politicians and policy makers of the world, says Dinesh C Sharma Could Nawaz Sharif deliver Dawood Ibrahim?
Just for a moment, says Kamaraj Gopalan, consider the possibility: Dawood Ibrahim captured a few days before the next general election. It would be Dr Singh and the Congress's Osama moment. What answer could Narendra Modi possibly have to that? Why Lalu's conviction is a defining moment in politics
The only objective of the government's ordinance was to protect it's loyal ally, says BJP's Arun Jaitley Rahul's utter nonsense and why the PM must quit
There is no doubt: Manmohan Singh must resign. Not merely because he has been humiliated, but because the persona of the PM has been sullied beyond measure, says Amberish K Diwanji View: Dr Singh WON'T resign
Rahul's rage was not directed against the prime minister, but at his mother';s advisors who continue to thwart the Baba Army, feels Kamaraj Gopalan. Can mindless people please shut up?
The government's leaks to the media and General Singh's very vocal comments on the charges against him have played right into the hands of separatists and their cross-border sponsors, says Nitin Pai Narendra Modi: Right to Reject is a great step for democracy
It is natural for many of you to ask -- do things like Right to Reject and Compulsory voting violate our Right to Expression? No, I would say it is adding completeness in the opportunity for expression Go Man, get energy from the US!
The prime minister's visit to Washington should focus more on shopping for energy security and stopping the US from snooping on us, reigning in its popular and innocuously operated instruments to gather intelligence like Google, says Tarun Vijay. The Congress's prime ministerial candidate: A mystery
Rajeev Srinivasan on whom the Congress might put forth as its leader in 2014. Human life is obviously cheaper in India than in the US
How on earth did Dr Manmohan Singh and his ministers conclude that the casualties of a disaster in a nuclear plant would be fewer than the deaths and injuries caused by the Bhopal gas tragedy? And that the compensation could, therefore, be capped at a smaller amount, asks T V R Shenoy. VIEW: Sonia's weakness as leader is destroying India
What the ordinance overturning the Supreme Court order debarring jailed MPs and MLAs from contesting elections reveals is that Sonia Gandhi is not a leader; rather, she is being led, says Amberish K Diwanji. Army payoff: UPA government has abandoned statecraft
The United Progressive Alliance government has abandoned its statecraft. It does not mind if the country is hurt as long as the UPA can score points when faced with a certain electoral defeat, says Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley Why the carnage of minorities continues unabated in Pakistan
A lot of the terrorism that is affecting Pakistan is really a blowback of the Pakistani state's policy of using jihadist groups as instruments of state policy. And unlike some other countries with similar policies, Pakistan doesn't have the benefit of the political and social space for pulling back from the disastrous course, says Sushant Sareen. Why Girgaum has turned 'pure veg'
Girgaum, once a thriving neighbourhood of Maharashtrians in south Mumbai, who loved their seafood and meat, has slowly been taken over by vegetarians, forcing eateries serving non-vegetarian food to shut down, says Neeta Kolhatkar Pakistan and Kenya terror attacks: Is there a link?
Within 24 hours over the weekend, two major terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists occurred in different parts of the world. In Kenya, military forces are still fighting terrorists holed up in a shopping mall in Nairobi, where nearly 60 civilians already have been killed. In Pakistan, over 80 were killed in a dual suicide bomb attack following a Sunday morning church service in the northwest city of Peshawar. Swami's 100-day fast highlights battle to save Ganga
The Ganga agitation and the question of preserving the Himalayan ecology has become a deadly cocktail of politics and religion. Behind the scene, of course, at play are powerful business interests. What is needed is an independent scientific assessment of the problem and preparation of a blueprint for preservation of the Himalayan rivers and associated ecology, says Dinesh C Sharma. What Modi and the BJP can learn from America
'You can fight to win leadership of a party, yet join party rivals to win a general election in the US. The fact that dissent is not rebellion is not really appreciated in India, where we are used to the 'High Command' culture,' says T V R Shenoy. Diluting nuclear supplier's liability
If a public sector company willfully enters into an agreement with a foreign vendor and abdicates its right to recourse which otherwise provides for its benefit, it would not only be violating the provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act but also section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, notes Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley Dear Indians, can we get rid of the superiority complex?
We have let a woman of Italian origin rule us through a clever divide of administrative power centres, but far too many of us have not accepted her Indianness. We have every right to reject her politics and her corrupt government, but shouldn't her living most of her life here make her Indian enough? How India's heritage of pluralism is being undone
The main culprit in vitiating the inter community/caste/class relations has been the so called 'targeted' approach. This is nothing but discrimination on the basis of faith/caste/class. When an equally poor and deprived child is denied scholarship, despite equal merit, resentment begins to brew, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale. The Bhatkal case: How public disclosures led to intelligence losses
Yasin Bhatkal is a prized catch, no doubt. What he tells is going to shape the understanding of how the Indian Mujahideen operated, and how far and well its network was spread. But, perhaps the cat was let out of the bag too soon, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. Would dusky beauty Nina Davuluri ever be crowned Miss India?
Nina Davuluri's choice as Miss America shows how hollow Indians' concept of beauty is and how our beauty pageants don't reflect the country's diversity, says Amberish K Diwanji The danger signal from the Muzafarnagar riots
It is rare for communal riots to spread to rural areas. The UP riot is the first time after the September 1969 Gujarat riots that a rural area have been affected. Electoral politics which divide society in majority/minority, going on since the early 1990s, is a major contributing factor to this heightened tension between communities, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale in the first of a two part series. How Indo-China media cooperation can help relations
Despite vast differences in the way the media operates in the two countries, an India-China media forum will go a long way in improving understanding between the two countries, says Srikanth Kondapalli. How Russia helped US with an exit strategy in Syria
President Obama had no intention of risking a global conflagration on account of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, especially at a time when he was struggling to wind up the wars his predecessor had started, says T P Sreenivasan Tamil Nadu: Congress' weakest link
Congress' chances of survival in the state do not look promising, says Aditi Phadnis 'People think Modi will create a Dubai or Singapore'
Lunch with BS: Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister, Punjab Amid a billion people, Modi's rise may be BJP's strongest message
In Narendra Modi, every BJP worker sees what he might have been or what he can become, says Amberish K Diwanji View: Why Modi still faces a tough road ahead
The beleaguered UPA government may provide Narendra Modi all the ammunition he wants. Still, without the politics of persuasion, the BJP's crowned prince has a daunting task before him, argues Akash Bisht. Pawar and Pawar versus Prithviraj Chavan
There is quiet a bit of history behind NCP chief Sharad Pawar's recent outburst about the Maharashtra chief minister, says Neeta Kolhatkar The rise of non-saffron Modi in Indian politics
India's secular democracy remains mortgaged to rabid communal politics. Quite clearly, the bloodshed by the religious communities is absolutely political. Even non-BJP political formations have their own Narendra Modis, says Mohammad Sajjad. View: Only murderers deserve to be hanged, not gang rapists
Let not our current anger against gang rapes undermine centuries of wisdom. Because, in doing so, we may just be putting our women at greater risk, says Amberish K Diwanji US-Syria: Unilateralism and morality of convenience
The past record of attacks by the Americans has been such that it would take a monumental task for them to get the rest of the world to believe in at attack on Syria. As such, in history books, this would seem another attempt by the US to emboss its unilateralism over the world and nothing else beyond it, says Sriram Balasubramanian. Can 'first food' challenge fast food?
How can 'first food' meet the challenge posed by factory-made 'fast foods' which are backed by marketing money and often come with 'traditional taste' tags attached to them? The first step would be to preserve knowledge about first foods, says Dinesh C Sharma. Delhi gang rape verdict: Will it make a difference?
I cannot agree with the sentiment that hanging rapists will make sexual harassment and assault, and other forms of violence against women, magically disappear. Misogyny has stained our culture for far too long for merely judicial recourse to be able to wash it away, says Paloma Sharma. Why the Uttar Pradesh violence escalated
The UP government, if it manages to remain in power now, must take immediate steps to ensure that no violence takes place as the country gears up for the elections. Action has to be taken to prevent this, not just through the law and order machinery, but through a secular campaign in which all non-communal political parties participate, says Seema Mustafa. Why Tamil deserves national status
BJP's Member of Parliament Tarun Vijay on why he chose to demand national status for Tamil Why Sharad Pawar may spring a surprise
The veteran politician's desire to quit politics may just be a new entry into the long list of occasions where he has gone back on his word, notes Neeta Kolhatkar. Why we must support the Food Security Bill
Only three percent of Indians pay income tax; our tax-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. This must change. Our elites must realise that India's poverty has damaging consequences for them, and that they can help decrease it. The food security bill, with all its limitations, will hopefully contribute to generating such awareness, says Praful Bidwai. Music amidst the jackboots
Music amidst conflict may sound like a great catch-line, and ageing conductors need such props, but it is not doing the people of Jammu and Kashmir any good, says Sherna Gandhy India's silence on Syria will antagonise its friends
A very delayed and subdued reaction, at a time when the non-aligned world had expected a big country like India to come out in support of rights and justice. It was yet another example of the mealy mouthed approach that has come to define Indian foreign policy, says Seema Mustafa. Why Indian prime ministers should not get a second term
Amberish K Diwanji on Indian prime ministers and the seven-year itch. Making way for the god of all things, Mumbai style
Mahesh Vijapurkar on how the celebrations for Mumbai favourite deity is now a combination of crass commerce and politics. Why Hindus need a Narendra Dabholkar
The rationalist has proved to be a greater voice of reason in death than he was during his lifetime. Opposing superstition is right tribute to Dabholkar
Reason must triumph over blind faith, says Praful Bidwai in this tribute to murdered rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. But when was Mumbai safe?
We have failed to acknowledge the volatile events that have changed Mumbai. Why is India silent on US military strike against Syria?
Has New Delhi internalised the truth that it does not matter, asks Saeed Naqvi. Such deafening silence from the government, principal opposition, even the pundits! The Arab Spring withers into winter
Its promise has fallen short before the onslaught of the votaries of the old order and ruthless extremist forces, notes Talmiz Ahmad. How India's economic crisis affects the common man
This columnist cannot pretend to be an economic expert but can certainly point out that the statistics being reeled out on a daily basis now, have added to the economic burden of the people, says Seema Mustafa. Sadly, rape is not seen as the utterly heinous act it is
'I have yet to hear a public debate in which someone has not blamed women being out late for the unwelcome attention they get,' says Sherna Gandhy. 'Unfortunately, rape is not seen as the utterly heinous act it is. Not by large numbers of the public who think it is an occupational hazard of being a woman -- nor by the law enforcement agencies.' The Congress needs to hang its head in shame!
The Congress has ruled India for 54 of the last 67 years; that it took the party over six decades to come up with bills that provide citizens their basic needs is a shame, not a moment of triumph, says Amberish K Diwanji. Sonia Gandhi is back in the driver's seat
In early 2004, when the Congress had been routed in north Indian states, and even Congressmen were prophesying a two-digit tally for the party in the general elections, Sonia determinedly hit the road and stitched up alliances. Now, once again, she is displaying a similar resoluteness in circumstances that are even more trying, as evidenced by her piloting of the Food Security Bill, says Neerja Chowdhury Legal regime should define what sustainable sand mining is
More than legal and illegal mining of sand, the issue which stares us in the face is sustainable sand mining, says Gopal Krishna How ignorance fuels superstition and black magic
A nation that aspires to be a superpower and wants to join the ranks of global leaders in knowledge, science and technology should declare an all out war on ills like superstition and black magic at all levels, says Dinesh C Sharma. RIP, the bindaas Mumbai girl!
I'm fearless in Mumbai, am I? Gauri Ghadi wonders 'Media is reflection of the entire society at large'
Here is the complete text of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's address at the inauguration of the national media centre in New Delhi on Saturday. Being a woman in India is damn tough
ndia is today in the grip of conservatism. This shows up in the way we treat our women, or murder those who question our beliefs. Or in the way women are getting raped with little fear of the law or society, says Amberish K Diwanji. It could have been my daughter!
What is going on?! How can an amazing country like India face such highs and lows? Where do these brutes come from? Who are these people who are hijacking the goodness of this country? Who create them? Did we? Can someone please tell me what went wrong with India. Why not treat rape as an offence like terrorism?
If rape is categorised as a heinous offence to be treated on par with terrorism, this would lead to changes in the way we react and deal with it, the late internal security expert B Raman wrote on Rediff.com in December 2012 in the wake of the horrific Delhi rape case. We reproduce the column for in the wake of the gang rape of a photojournalist in Mumbai. Rape is about power. Learn to wield it to fight rape
The empathy that the vocal, opinion-making class now feels for the 23-year-old student in Delhi, bravely fighting for her life, has kindled something. But is it enough, asks Sonali Ranade. If politicians knew how idiotic they appear on TV, they would never step into another studio!
Television news. Anarchists. Special Status for UP! And that man-who-wants-to-be-Pradhan Mantri so baaad. Sherna Gandhy takes them on. Gujarat is holding Modi back
It is Gujarat that is preventing Modi from becoming a pan-India leader. Gujarat wants Modi to be an all-India leader only on its term: As a strong votary of Hindutva. But that very position is a recipe for disaster on the national stage, feels Amberish K Diwanji. Our railway ministers pass the buck on safety and how!
To Indian Railways, safety is not necessarily a systemic issue but something it attends to only on a case-by-case basis. If accidents were not to happen, the thought of safety would not arise, says Mahesh Vijapurkar To an American girl, an apology from India
'I wish I could tell you that what you had to experience is limited to a few people and a few places in my beautiful country; it is not.' A Mango Indian on the stark ugliness that coexists with immense beauty in India The Junk Food Conundrum
Should junk food be sold in Indian schools? Loss of personnel in Sindhurakshak mishap is anguishing
There are some larger policy issues related to the submarine as a platform and the modernisation programme of the navy that merit brief recall and review, says C Uday Bhaskar The Communists need to rethink or perish!
'The Left's decline is now a reality, both nationally and in West Bengal.'Behind it lie: Ideological rigidity and confusion, outdated party programmes... a socially conservative upper-caste leadership,' says Praful Bidwai. The speech Narendra Modi should have given
Amberish Kathewad Diwanji tweaks Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech. The speech the PM should have given
Amberish Kathewad Diwanji tweaks the prime minister's Red Fort speech. Let us restore faith in the idea of a truly democratic India
Tragic as it is, the submarine accident is more tactical in nature and it is the deeper strategic malaise across the board -- political, economic, security, judiciary, bureaucracy and even the media -- that has led to this dark mood of gloom and despondency, says Commodore (retd) C Uday Bhaskar. Delay is procurement taking a toll on India's defence
The conservative bureaucracy that influences the political masters is clearly not concerned with the vision documents prepared by defence chiefs to bring India's military into a state of preparedness, says Seema Mustafa Kishtwar is the face of anti-national 'secularism'
Kishtwar is the face of secularism that Srinagar wears. The secularism which the Indian government follows is self defeating, feels BJP MP Tarun Vijay. Why India needs more well-managed and viable states
India's fear of small states derives from memories of Partition and the paranoid view that it will break up under 'too many' states. It's time to shed such fears and bite the 'states' reorganisation' bullet. India won't crumble under a few more Telanganas, Vidarbhas or Gorkhalands, says Praful Bidwai. LoC attack: India must retaliate but not stop talks with Pak
Beating of war drums, would further accord primacy to the army in Pakistan. A better approach would be to continue the talks for normalisation of trade relations, while giving the Indian forces autonomy to strike at militant camps across the LoC, says Alok Bansal Provocation on the LoC merits a befitting response
The Indian Army must be given a free hand to retaliate punitively at one or more places of its choosing on the LoC. The aim should be to cause maximum damage to the forward posts of the Pakistan army, particularly those through which recent attacks have been launched, thereby raising the cost for the army, says Gurmeet Kanwal. Food Security Bill: Flawed, flagrant and frivolous
The Manmohan Singh government's rush to pass the Food Security Bill reflects extreme paucity of logic and action, says Neeta Kolhatkar INS Arihant: The story of India's incredible hard work
With the launch of the first indigenous aircraft today, India will join a club of nations like the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France that possess nuclear-powered submarines Mamata's reformation in Mumbai: The broader message
Banerjee along with other regional leaders are likely to play an important role in any future government in New Delhi, so it is in India's interest that regional leaders like herself realise the importance of progressive economics and good governance, says Tridivesh Singh Maini. Why a knee-jerk reaction to LoC attack won't help
India must not succumb to the argument that by moving ahead to normalise relations between India and Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif's hands would be strengthened in dealing with those who don't want peace. This is not to suggest, like the BJP, that our Pakistan policy must be an all or nothing approach, implying that talks with Pakistan must straight away be shelved. The need is for a calibrated approach, says K C Singh. Why the SP's efforts to consolidate minority vote is callous
We have in UP today the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party representing the two extremes in a bid to capture power in this huge state that returns 80 members to Parliament, says Seema Mustafa. Whatever its status, Hyderabad has changed irreversibly
The old Hyderabadi-ness would not resurface. Nor can be recreated. For like in other cities, others too have a right to live and prosper and regardless of what states it gets, the city will not be what it was. Only people, romantic fools at that, look back. Cities don't; they look to the future, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. Do the poor need psychiatric help? Or does Rahul Gandhi?
Even in this season of political-peeing-on-lampposts, Rahul Gandhi's statement takes the cake (with due apologies to another astute observer of poverty, the much late Mary Antoinette). Why the creation of Telangana is beneficial
One can expect that the formation of Telangana will have more positives than negatives. The 'Telangana effect' has already prompted demands for a separate Vidarbha and break up of Uttar Pradesh. This needs to be considered seriously as this can only lead to deepening governance, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale. This is Akhilesh Yadav's way of running UP
Is perpetuating corruption and communalising politics, the Akhilesh Way, asks Mohammad Sajjad. India's foreign policy paralysis
Delhi's inability to open up a new canvas with Pakistan and Sharif is symptomatic of its sluggish thinking. Jyoti Malhotra analyses Mumbai vs Maharashtra, fact vs fiction
The underlying tone of a call for separate Mumbai city is always seen as a class war and a linguistic war, says Neeta Kolhatkar Telangana formation is cleared, but what comes next?
After many years of struggle and strife, Telangana has come to pass. Many lives have been lost and property destroyed because various governments at the Centre have had no defined policies for creating new states. There has to be a better way of "delivering" a state -- not by fasts, by threats or by violence unleashed by a "rent-a-crowd" but by a logical, democratic way of meeting the will of the people. Not the will of an egotistical leader who wants to establish one more political dynasty -- or one who equates state with caste. Do voters like Narendra Modi?
Nitish Kumar expected to benefit handsomely after taking a hardline position against Narendra Modi. Opinion polls tell a different story, with the JD-U losing seats while the BJP gains from the break-up. Is this because voters like Narendra Modi, wonders T V R Shenoy. A new governance model for Telangana
It would certainly help if in the first five or ten years the new state had a Telangana United Front government which included all political parties and which then would dedicate itself to bringing about fast development for the neglected region, says Gautam Pingle in the final part of a two-part series on the new state. The battle for Telangana: A historical perspective
It is important for every sort of development and governance in Telangana that the people identify completely with their governing structures. This identification confers legitimacy on a government -- not just elections and number of votes. That identification has been missing in Telangana for 700 years, says Dr Gautam Pingle in the first of a two-part series on the new state. Nagas in a state of anarchy
The ongoing vicious game between Delhi and the so-called 'separatist' militias has severely blighted the Nagas' life and gutted their dignity, says Ravindra Narayan Ravi The unfinished business of Kargil
The failure to restructure our armed forces in line with contemporary needs 14 years after the Kargil war will impose strategic costs beyond just delays and scandals, says Nitin Pai Images: The Pope at the Beach
Argentina and Brazil are traditional rivals and there was a time when their antagonism was being compared to India-Pakistan relations. They have overcome to a great extent their history of hostility. That an Argentinean Pope was so warmly embraced in Brazil shows that his great office does transcend such divides, notes B S Prakash, India's former ambassador to Brazil. No woman is safe in West Bengal today
West Bengal is poised to become the rape capital of India, but its chief minister refuses to face reality, says Debosmita Sarkar. Criticality may mean death for Kudankulam's seas
The first two units of the Kudankulam nuclear plant will discharge 6.3 billion litres of waste water every day right onto the beach. This discharge will trigger a slow-motion disaster that will poison beaches, devastate near-shore fisheries and choke the livelihood of fisherfolk in the vicinity, says Nityanand Jayaraman. Why do we give our politicians a free run?
We take it as a given and allow a free run to those who deserve to be reined in by a simple democratic act: vote decisively, and if the television has made a farce of itself, use the remote control, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. The security implications of Al Qaeda's call to Indian Muslims
If viewed as a part of the Al Qaeda's radicalisation effort to produce jihadists out of discontented Muslim youth in India, the call could well have a much larger dimension, both in the near as well as long term, directly impacting on national security, says Bibhu Prasad Routray. An obituary for democracy
Democracy has died -- and we, my friends, killed her, says Paloma Sharma. Why India must give its neighbours their due
This quiet assertion of China has allowed various smaller countries of South Asia to play China off against India. Most states in the region now use the China card to balance against the predominance of India. Forced to exist between their two giant neighbours, the smaller states have responded with a careful balancing act, says Harsh V Pant. A bird in the hand
The ministry of defence has unwisely decided to build just two squadrons of the already developed aircraft -- Tejas Mark I -- and to start developing an even more capable Tejas Mark II. This is an enormous blunder, says Ajai Shukla Why is the Congress trying to communalise 2014 elections?
Faced with the crisis of governance, the UPA's desperate strategy appears to be to communalise the polity and change the electoral agenda, says Arun Jaitley Mid-day meal tragedy exposes poor state of Bihar
The buck for the Gandamal tragedy should not stop with the school-in-charge Meena Kumari. She is just the face of a deeper malaise in Bihar, says Apoorvanand. An open letter: What Muslims really want
If you are more than your rhetoric about a strong and united country, give us our due -- treat us as countrymen, says an ordinary Muslim in this open letter. That stubborn stain on Modi's record
His action after the Godhra train violence doesn't support the picture of an effective and no-nonsense deliverer of good governance, says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay With Taliban at the door, India has to STOP being the nice guy
India can stay relevant in Afghanistan not by being a bystander but by actively bolstering anti-Taliban forces monetarily, militarily and politically, say Lt Gen R K Sawhney and Sushant Sareen Starting Kudankulam: When deception triumphs
India's nuclear establishment is continuing its march of folly at the expense of safety in the false belief that atomic power is the energy of the future. It's not. Nuclear power is in relentless global decline, says Praful Bidwai. How India is learning from China
When it came to national security issues, China never hesitated to take a quick decision regardless of the material costs. Nor were the superiority in military strength of the adversary a consideration, Srikanth Kondapalli points out. Will Modi's star burn out by winter?
Narendra Modi, says T V R Shenoy, is 'busy trying to woo back two constituencies that were crucial when the BJP won power in the elections of 1998 and of 1999, namely UP (and the Hindi belt in general) and educated youth.' How much surveillance does a country need?
The eternal question remains unanswered, what price security and what cost liberty, says Vikram Sood. Bodh Gaya attack: An affront to Indic civilisational spirit
Bodh Gaya emerged as a centre that encouraged a continuous dialogue of civilisation, it has enabled India to re-forge her age old linkages with countries, who derived inspiration from Buddha's message of compassion. It is this dialogue that was sought to be interrupted by the dastardly attack, says Dr Anirban Ganguly. Aren't our daily problems not newsworthy anymore?
The ongoing daily spat between Narendra Modi and the Congress party serves to cover up the real problems being faced by the people, says A Ganesh Nadar The great Indian rope trick and other illusions of progress
Rajeev Srinivasan on how Indians are satisfied with illusions, not reality. A public interest litigation to be imagined without contempt
The justice delivery system is struggling to cope, creaking at the joints and bursting at the seams. Indian courts have to deal with about 30 million cases with a judicial strength of just about 19,000 judges. Antony's China visit was friendly but was it fruitful?
The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement with China needs closer scrutiny, says Rup Narayan Das. When a KILLER is set free...
A young man was killed in Florida on February 26 because he was black and wore a hoodie. When his killer was acquitted on July 13, Roopa Unnikrishnan's faith in the justice system was shattered, forcing her to look at life through the prism of colour. India's new opportunity in Bhutan
The previous democratically-elected government in Bhutan sought to get cosy with China. Will the new Tshering Tobgay dispensation mend the fences with India? Shubha Singh examines Does only SEX sell in Kerala?
The media in Kerala seems obsessed with women and sex, says Shobha Warrier. Why the Congress should have involved Modi in Uttarakhand
What happened in Uttarakhand is a national tragedy. Why couldn't Dr Manmohan Singh announce that he was forming an Uttarakhand Relief and Rehabilitation Committee, with himself as chairman but inviting Narendra Modi to become the deputy chairman, asks T V R Shenoy. Pak-China: Growing dilemmas of an 'all weather' friendship
The Sino-Pakistan relationship remains fundamentally asymmetrical: Pakistan wants more out of its ties with China than China is willing to offer. Today, when Pakistan's domestic problems are gargantuan, China would be very cautious in involving itself even more, says Harsh V Pant. Why extrajudicial killings will never bring lasting peace
It's perverse to rationalise 'controlled' killings or torture -- without going down a slippery moral slope. Once the state stoops to torture, it's liable to sink into tyranny, says Praful Bidwai. Three issues that may lead to cleaner polls
Mahesh Vijapurkar is hopeful that two Supreme Court directives and Gopinath Munde's confession that he spent Rs 8 crore to get elected to the Lok Sabha may lead to a possibility that the processes administered by the Election Commission may get cleaner, even if only over time. Bodh Gaya attack: The story of culpable neglect
The most basic reality of a dysfunctional enforcement apparatus across India will ensure that coordinated terrorist attacks, like the Bodh Gaya strike, will continue to occur, notes Ajai Sahni. An Indian in America
'As I became a citizen of the United States of America, I knew I was supposed to be shedding my Indian citizenship, but at the end of the day, Mera dil hai Hindustani,' says Roopa Unnikrishnan, Rhodes Scholar, Commonwealth Gold Medalist and Arjuna Award winner. Remembering B Raman, defender of India's interests
Stephen P Cohen pays tribute to strategic expert B Raman, who passed away recently. Let the Buddha unite India
Every single assault targeting the Maha Bodhi targets India, says Tarun Vijay Of India, Snowden and global voyeurism
India has no compelling reason to grant his request for asylum but was unduly inhibited in raising its voice against the United States' extensive and vulgar intrusion into the privacy of its institutions and citizens, says Shyam Saran Jharkhand needs the STATE, not Soren
The Maoist-infested state needs a visionary leader and Hemant Soren is definitely not one, opines Aditi Phadnis Uttarakhand's landslide defeat
The recent tragedy confirms the view of humanitarian aid as a political weapon Congress on the backfoot, BJP isolated
The political situation in the country is fluid and could change significantly. But as things stand, India could be headed for an unstable minority government dependent on uncertain "outside" support, says Praful Bidwai. Why India needs to speak up!
'Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be anxious for a farewell visit to Washington in October,' says retired Ambassador K C Singh, 'but bending backwards on America's PRISM policy is going to earn him scorn at home and contempt abroad.' Korean imbroglio: India should play its nuanced role
The present crisis in the Korea is an opportunity for India to thoughtfully engage in the region, and not to be a mere spectator. India enjoys a great degree of credibility by all the stakeholders in the region including the two Koreas, and China and as such India should play its persuasive role for peace and stability in the region, says Rup Narayan Das. Khurshid outlines new thinking on Afghan problem
India has fleshed out its approach toward the peace talks with the Taliban taking into account the inputs from John Kerry's visit as well as the consultations in Delhi the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins, says M K Bhadrakumar. Why do India, Pakistan bend before the US?
India and Pakistan that will not tolerate a sneeze from the other side without opening the entire paraphernalia of forensic science, stand like dummies when the US manipulates both at will, says Seema Mustafa. PRISM: It's just the tip of the iceberg
A private entity using our data for commercial benefits is infinitely more dangerous than a government entity overseeing operations with a defined purpose of internal security oversight, says Sriram Balasubramanian Why terrorists cannot be treated like common criminals
Colonel (retd) Anil Athale on balancing the rule of law, human rights and security in the age of terrorism. View: BJP offers Muslims same things it offers other Indians
The moment any party says it will do x, y or z only for a certain section, it is insulting that section and separating them from the rest of the nation, says Jiten Gajaria Where is India's Edward Snowden?
Any attempt by the Indian authorities to protest against extensive surveillance on Indians by the US will be hamstrung by what the authorities themselves are up to, notes Subir Roy. Nitish Kumar and his shadowy path
'Nitish Kumar has reverted to the 1990s model. The besetting sin of this type of ministry formation was a fundamental insult to democracy,' argues T V R Shenoy. 'Not only did it not inform the voter who the prime ministerial candidate was, but it also gloried in keeping out the largest party in the Lok Sabha.' Kerry visit signals paradigm shift in US-India relations
The push-back by Hillary Clinton was no longer available to keep the proponents of the thesis away that somehow it was India's problem that Pakistan misbehaves in Afghanistan or misbehaves at all, says K C Singh. What the BJP needs to know about Muslims
How the BJP's politics plays out at the grass-roots level will determine its relationship with Muslims in the near future, says Sajid Bhombal Afghan endgame: Tough road ahead for India
The road to negotiations in Afghanistan will be a very difficult given all the domestic and regional stakeholders who will need to be reassured. And New Delhi will have to prepare itself for making some tough choices in the coming days. The days of merely relying on 'soft power' in Afghanistan are well past their sell by date, says Harsh V Pant. 'GOM's recommendations on CBI functioning is a farce'
The decision of the Union Cabinet based on the Group of Ministers recommendations only creates an illusion by removing the political executive and creating a proxy institution instead, says Arun Jaitley GOM's recommendations on CBI functioning is a farce
The decision of the Union Cabinet based on the Group of Ministers recommendations only creates an illusion by removing the political executive and creating a proxy institution instead, says Arun Jaitley AMMA, it's the tax-payer's money!
Even given politicians' penchant for self-promotion, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa takes it to another level altogether, says A Ganesh Nadar. Nothing wrong with it, provided it's not done at the tax-payer's expense. How to teach the arrogant political parties a lesson
Partyless democracy is an idea whose time has come, says Sandeep Pandey Lessons from Uttarakhand: When 'development' is destruction
To avert another Uttarakhand-type catastrophe, we must change course. We should stop pandering to the Indian elite's insatiable appetite for electricity, which is driving reckless dam construction, says Praful Bidwai No more senseless acts in Uttarakhand please!
There are lessons to be learnt from the Uttarakhand tragedy. Topping the list is the need to immediately stop mindless construction activity in the Himalayan hills, says Nitish Priyadarshi Banning dams won't solve the problem
The uproar over 'dams' following the Uttarakhand disaster is ill-informed & potentially counter-productive, says Anand Sankar Syria conflict will go on till its bitter end
Arguments for direct US military intervention in Syria are just not strong enough, says Claude Smadja Forecasters played poker while Uttarakhand drowned
The devastation in Uttarakhand is a classic example of the callous manner in which the Central Water Commission, the nodal agency tasked with flood forecast in the country, operates, says Himanshu Thakkar Putting a spin on the Uttarakhand tragedy
Politicians have used the tragedy to score political brownie points and the media has been a willing participant, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. The Programmer Who Came In From The Cold
Whether history will remember Edward Snowden as a traitor to his country or as a champion for free speech and less intrusive government is hard to tell, but the issues he has brought into focus need deep thought, writes Ajit Balakrishnan US-Taliban talks will usher in a new phase of civil war
Washington is now set to begin formal negotiation with Mullah Omar's Taliban in Doha Ishrat Jahan case: Is the CBI succumbing to dirty politics?
The CBI-IB tussle in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case is an avoidable conflict, says V G Vaidya. India-US relations: The search for a transformative moment
Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid speaks about the importance of the fourth edition of the India-US Strategic Dialogue, which he co-chaired with United States Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi Kerry in India: Talks on China, Afghanistan on the table
US Secretary of State John Kerry's current visit to India will set the tone for cooperation between the two countries over the next few years, especially in key areas of shared interest like managing the security risks associated with China's rise and the stabilisation of Afghanistan, notes Lisa Curtis. Sex-marriage verdict: Why drag us backwards now?
The Madras high court's judgment on June 17, which decided an alimony dispute between an unmarried couple who have two children, took over the cerebral cortex of Twitter and other social media spaces a few days ago. An open letter to the Congress party: Remember the Aam Aadmi?
Few readers will remember the socialist utopia of Indira Gandhi when food queues were the norm even for the middle class and tankers supplied water at odd hours of the night twice a week. Is that what you are trying to return us to, dear Congress, asks Jaideep Prabhu Brazil's unusual protests -- and larger lessons from it
An objective observer can indeed see the improvement in all the social parameters in Brazil, but for the citizen the state of infrastructure, public transport, education and health is dissatisfying. Some of that pent-up frustration has led to the current protest, says B S Prakash Can Nitish Kumar be rallying point for third front?
There is more than sufficient space for this amongst the electorate in India that will respond definitively and favourably to a credible alternative. Nitish Kumar has an excellent chance of capturing this space through the inclusive politics of third front formations, says Seema Mustafa. Will Hassan Rowhani change Iran's equations with the world?
While one is not anticipating a sea change in Iranian politics, in Hassan Rowhani, Iran may have found a President who will, at the very least, be less verbally aggressive than the outgoing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There is a strong possibility that he will work towards changing Iran's relations with the world, says Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Kerry in India: A quest for strategy
India has apparently put in a request to import oil and gas from the US, and if there is a long-term understanding on this in New Delhi during John Kerry's visit to India, it may well be the next big thing in bilateral relations. It will transform global politics beyond recognition and usher in a new architecture in India-US relations, says TP Sreenivasan Column: I am an Indian man in New York
'I come from a country of colours. India is one of the most colourful countries in the world and that was true long before the Incredible India campaigns designed to entice Western tourists to India,' says Aseem Chhabra. What Advani needs to do: An open letter to the BJP patriarch
'You have done your best for the party, but the party has moved on. Bow out gracefully, quit politics and work on a one-point agenda -- to bring about an amicable solution to the Ayodhya issue.' Sajid Bhombal pens an open letter to BJP patriarch LK Advani Equal rights to foreign arms vendors: A big worry for MoD
Even while rejecting Israel Military Industries' petition, the court has effectively granted foreign vendors the constitutional right to be treated equally with Indian companies. A true Indian patriot is now part of the ages
'Post Kargil, the effete Indian response to the complex national security challenges was a matter of deep anguish and muted anger. B Raman felt very strongly about the need to create a more informed national security community in India,' remembers C Uday Bhaskar. A personal tribute and salute to B Raman
Vikram Sood remembers his friend and mentor B Raman, who passed away on Sunday. B Raman: A Karmayogi for whom time was always short
Swati Parashar pays tribute to her mentor B Raman, who passed into the ages on Sunday. Why the BJP needs Advani more than ever
The shock treatment that Advani administered to the BJP has simply no parallel in India's modern political history, says Sudheendra Kulkarni. Federal Front: Can it be any different from its predecessors?
Narendra Modi's elevation in the BJP has given a fillip to the idea of an alternative forum for those who want to counter him for the 2002 Gujarat riots and for those like Nitish Kumar who do not wish to be part of a dispensation which is steered by him, says Saroj Nagi How Iranians changed the PLOT of the Prez poll
The Iranian people, having spoken, are asking the new administration to find a way by which sanctions can be rolled back and civility and normalcy can return to Iran's engagement with the world, says K C Singh India's message to Nepal, Maldives: Allow democracy to take root
India aims to gently encourage moderate and democratic forces in Nepal and Maldives towards building a less fractured polity, writes Shubha Singh Indian defence diplomacy and strategic re-balancing
Indian defence diplomacy will have to play an increasingly important role as it tries to emerge as a credible strategic partner of the regional states. Neither India nor other regional states have incentive to define their relationship in opposition to China. Great power politics in the region have only just begun, says Harsh V Pant Dr Singh's mantra for conflict resolution: military and money
Political conflicts with deep social roots are not resolved through ill-conceived surreptitious deals. They require a bold political vision to resolve them. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech at the recent annual conference on internal security showed a vision that is cynical, sterile and bureaucratic, writes RN Ravi, former special diretor of the Intelligence Bureau Darkness beyond 'Bharat Nirman' and 'India Shining'
Mutual suspicion and prejudice hang over India and its neighbours, says Barun Roy. The L K Advani I have known for 30 years
BJP patriarch L K Advani wanted to transform the BJP from a narrow, exclusivist and radical party into a more inclusive, reformist one, says Mohan Guruswamy How will the Congress counter Modi's game plan?
The Congress's real test would be to stop Modi and the BJP from achieving this short term objective of winning the forthcoming assembly elections so that they remain relevant when the parliament elections take place in 2014. They may be helped by the growing trend amongst regional parties to stay out of any alliance with any national party, says Sanjay Kapoor. Advani-Modi clash: Secular vs communal twist astonishing
To promote Advani as a moderate is as much a travesty of truth as to present the children of Godse as followers of Gandhi, feels Poornima Joshi Why Narendra Modi is Congress's biggest asset
Modi will be the single most significant cause of the Congress's victory in 2014, despite 2G, coalgate, Commonwealth Games, and all the other scams he has forgotten, says A Ganesh Nadar Finding fault in the 'anti-rape' law
Women of India need freedom, not halfhearted attempts at reform, says Vedika Kumar Looking East, pragmatically
India's commitment to an open and plural security architecture attests to the fact that Asia's transition is a dynamic of both power & identity, says Zorawar Daulet Singh Beneath the deceptive calm, despair, anger brew in Kashmir
For the Kashmiri people, the gun remains India's main face, and coercion or deception by New Delhi dominates their consciousness, says Praful Bidwai after a recent visit to the valley. What the by-poll results foretell
Other than providing Narendra Modi a sweetner ahead of the BJP's national executive meet in Goa, there are no major trends to glean from the recent by-election results, says Seema Mustafa. 'Chhattisgarh attack a setback to our anti-Naxal strategy'
We present verbatim the full speech given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while addressing the chief minister's conference on internal security at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. New Delhi's strategic dissonance in post-2014 Afghanistan
India's post 2014 Afghanistan policy appears to be glued to the best-case scenarios of a successful democratic transition. New Delhi hopes that it would remain 'business as usual' and would not necessitate a drastic revisiting of its continuing strategy. This, in short, is a strategy of convenience, says Shanthie Mariet D'Souza. Should a discredited CBI investigate the IB?
The grilling of IB officials by the CBI in connection with the Ishrat Jahan encounter case smacks of vendetta against the Gujarat government. The myopic political regime in Delhi has not realised the significance of destroying institutions. Only Pakistan and LeT would have the last laugh, says Arun Jaitley. The futile ban on Mumbai's mannequins
But while our politicians are waging war against mannequins and trying to save society from being corrupted, maybe they would like to have a good look at the city's water and electricity problem. After all, thirst and darkness are known to provoke men into doing 'wrong acts', says Paloma Sharma. Cooperation with neighbours vital for India's Northeast
A sidelight of the Chinese prime minister's India visit was official approval for expanding a well-functioning mechanism for regional co-operation, notes Kishan S Rana. It's time to send Pakistan's army back to the barracks
The US needs to do three things to help the newly elected Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan, says Stanley A Weiss Why are politicians baying for Srinivasan's blood?
Arvind Kejriwal accused Robert Vadra of participating in questionable land deals. Those were just allegations, but so are the crimes supposedly committed by Gurunath Meiyappan. But one is a businessman's son-in-law and the other is a politician's son-in-law. And so, predictably, they were treated differently by the politicians, says T V R Shenoy. How the government suppresses dissent
The mother of intolerance is the Union home ministry, run by ultra-conservative bureaucrats who are inclined to take a hard line on matters ranging from fighting insurgencies to putting citizens under surveillance to outlawing dissident groups, says Praful Bidwai. Why the Sanjay Dutt case highlights need for jail reforms
Instead on reforming them, our jails are turning inmates into hardened criminals, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. But where is the heart to fight the Maoists?
The State must stand as a solid tower of confidence to provide a guarantee of safety to its citizens and instill fear in the hearts of offenders. But where is that State, asks Tarun Vijay Naxal massacre: No lessons learnt from earlier attacks
The roots of the problem lies in the alienation of the tribals. Extreme sensitivity is required to tackle the issues involved. Rough and ready methods of using force may prove counterproductive in the long run, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale. Why is India reluctant to engage with Mullah Omar?
Establishing dialogue with the Quetta Shura must be recognised as a key strategic requirement. This would allow India to catalyse a favourable settlement in post-2014 Afghanistan, says Ajai Shukla State's ambiguity has restricted its anti-Maoist progress
The State's ambiguity has resulted in a stalemate in the crucial fight against the creeping progress of the Naxalite movement in the country, notes Nitin A Gokhale. Strengthening NDA, not Modi, should be BJP's priority
Even with Narendra Modi as its PM candidate, the BJP is expected to get between 170 and 190 seats in 2014. That means some 100-odd seats will have to come from allies. That also means the present NDA allies are not enough, it has to be NDA+, says Sajid Bhombal Pillorying govt for corruption might be an escapist option
The cricket establishment is a disgrace; the cricket boss is a businessman. Will they arrest the whole country for betting?
A gambler is not a threat to society or to the country, says A Ganesh Nadar. Scaling the great wall of symbolism
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India showed the impact of patient and persuasive diplomacy on both sides - but it's the outcome that will matter, says Nitin Pai 'We regret opposition's obstructionist approach'
We present verbatim the full speech given by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the release of UPA II's report card in New Delhi on Wednesday. Questions India needs to ask on world biodiversity day
India is the chair of Convention on Biological Diversity till 2014. India has the chance to lead the world with setting high standards on biodiversity protection within India and with operations outside. We should also shift our energy paradigm slowly away from dirty destructive practice of coal mining into cleaner sources of energy, says Nandikesh Sivalingam. Seize the new opportunities in India-China cooperation
We present the translation of the full speech given by Chiese Prime Minister Li Keqiang at the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi on Tuesday. Li Keqiang's India visit: Rhetoric over results
The Chinese premier's visit may be considered rather moderately successful, which has covered a profusion of convergent ideas while leaving many more areas of divergence untouched, says Sana Hashmi. Sino-Indian ties: Incremental progress but more work needed
A close scrutiny of speeches and documents during Chinese premier Li Keqiang visit indicate that, while there are gains for both Beijing and New Delhi, overall China's diplomacy scored more points, says Srikanth Kondapalli. If we feel ignored, that's exactly what the Chinese want
Seeing a sinister design behind every Chinese utterance will only make it more difficult to negotiate a settlement India MUST drive a hard bargain with China
India must be cautious and not repeat its Himayalan blunders during new Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang's forthcoming visit, warns Colonel Anil Athale Impulsive, enigmatic and unpredictable, what will Sharif do next?
Hurried and ill-planned Summits like the Vajpayee-Musharraf Summit in Agra which preceded the attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001 are best avoided for now, says G Parthasarathy Will Nawaz Sharif walk the talk on India?
If Pakistan's new government lives up to the commitments given by Nawaz Sharif that he will not allow Pakistan's soil to be used against India and will put the jihadist networks out of business, it will create a lot of space for the next government in India to move forward on the bilateral track, says Sushant Sareen View: The dead deserve a better sendoff, surely
Despite all views about afterlife and such, it matters little to the dead how he or she is disposed of, says Mahesh Vijapurkar Respect Supreme Court's wisdom, Mr Digvijaya!
Troubled with a variety of mind-boggling scams and executive over reach have troubled the trauma of a shaken Congress led United Progressive Alliance-II government as the Supreme Court has also virtually cut its wings by passing a detailed order asserting that the government's right arm Central Bureau of Investigation can't be allowed to be caged but free to fly without any hindrance as was exposed in the blatant interference by the Prime Minister's Office. Independence of CBI: Myth and reality
Without a strong political will the CBI cannot be freed from the government's control, says Anil Chowdhry After Pakistan's elections
The Indian government should resist the temptation to make a grand gesture of friendship towards Nawaz Sharif, says Shyam Saran Manmohan Singh is the BJP's biggest asset
In the present prime minister, the BJP has its weakest possible opponent. Why don't they just let him stay, asks A Ganesh Nadar. Did SC belittle CBI or strengthen it, asks Jaitley
Congress leader Digvijay Singh took a dig at the Supreme Court over its observation that CBI was a "caged parrot", suggesting the description was "belittling" the country's institutions. His comments were unwarranted, feels BJP's Arun Jaitley. India-Iran relations: A tangled web
A close examination of the Indian-Iranian relationship reveals an underdeveloped relationship despite all the spin attached to it. India would like to increase its presence in the Iranian energy sector because of its rapidly rising energy needs, and is rightfully feeling restless about its own marginalisation in Iran, says Harsh V Pant. Why objections to the Vande Mataram are not valid
In a pluralistic society like India it is imperative that religious fervour be tempered to suit the common good, say Vivek Gumaste. Nawaz Sharif is back, but what does it mean for India?
Behind Nawaz Sharif's 'peace with India' stance remain unanswered questions about his role in the Kargil conflict and his family's links with the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Jaish-e-Muhammad, says Ajai Shukla On diamond jubilee, naval aviation's spirit shows
Since 1910, when a barnstorming aviator first took off from a warship deck, naval fighter pilots have considered themselves a special breed. Why Pakistanis voted for Nawaz and not Imran
Seema Mustafa on how Pakistan voted for change this time in the hope that the new government will do what it is supposed to do govern. The fallout of China's Depsang plains transgression
It is clear that overall the Chinese transgression will leave its scars for a long time to come on the bilateral equations, even as India will have to learn from lessons in statecraft to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, says Srikanth Kondapalli Countries that wish to invade do not do so by pitching tents!
What is so honourable in defending or dis-honourable in not defending the 'Johnson line' in Aksai Chin? That is a question that needs to be asked to the Indian shouting brigade. The Chinese also need to be asked as to why they wish to implement the 'MacDonald McCartney' line drawn by British Imperialists? asks Col (retd) Anil Athale. Sarabjit case: The Congress will pay a heavy political price
While the Congress party's popularity is on the wane, an aggressive Akali Dal is moving in quickly to encash on the hurt feelings of the Sikh community and pitch itself as the only party which works for its interests, says Anita Katyal Kasab's hanging sealed the fate of Sarabjit
Pakistan must get to the root of the conspiracy to eliminate Indian prisoners while in judicial custody, says K C Singh Real Estate: Offenders go scot-free, victims pay
Civic bodies which are supposed to regulate the dimensions of a city's growth, including what land ought to be used how, also have the responsibility of detecting and curbing flouting of norms, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. Sarabjit's murder shows radicalisation of Pak society
What is more frightening is the level of radicalisation of Pakistani society, where jail authorities conspire with other convicts to kill an inmate on death row. This represents a dangerous trend in Pakistan's society of delivering instant justice, says Alok Bansal. Sarabjit: Execution by murder
Sarabjit's murder will certainly add bitterness in relations and serve as a setback to efforts to promote people-to-people ties between the two countries, says Sushant Sareen Will Sarabjit Singh's death change anything?
Islamabad and New Delhi need to learn lessons from Sarabjit Singh's tragic saga and accord importance to evolving a prisoners' policy. And until then there will be many more Sarabjit Singhs as the years roll by, notes Seema Mustafa. Surprise! Why is AG Vahanvati still in denial mode?
Vahanvati's clear stand in court on Tuesday that he has not seen the draft copy of the CBI status report on the coal scam investigation means that there is some design behind his stand? The next stage of the drama will unfold CBI to file its version before the apex court on May 6. Sheela Bhatt reports. CBI control has moved from govt to Cong functionaries
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley says the Congress-led UPA government is not serious on the issue of autonomy and independence of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Why SC wants law body's to examine the power of Prez
On April 26, 2013, Supreme Court referred a highly sensitive issue to the law commission. India's highest judicial forum is miffed by the fact that the executive wing of Indian democracy is bulldozing their well-thought out judgments awarding death sentences to accused guilty of serious crimes including rapes and murders of children. The SC wants the law commission to examine the power of the President and the governor under Article 72 in granting mercy without offering any r Smaller nations stand up to China's hegemony, we don't
Although the latest aggression by China has caught the attention of the nation, the countrymen have been kept in the dark about their ongoing numerous such transgressions, says R N Ravi 1984 and 2002: How to bring trust back in the discourse
Trust is no more, and no less, than the faith that rule of law works equally for everybody and that the State exists to enforce such laws without fear or favour. It is trust in old-fashioned government. Trust is rule of law, says Sonali Ranade Border crisis: Why China won't back off
Whether Salman Khurshid goes Beijing or cancels the trip, the Chinese won't return from their present, newly occupied position, says Tarun Vijay. Standing our ground with China: What India needs to do
China wants to secure strategic depth to its civilian and military projects in the vicinity by pushing the Indian troops far away, says Srikanth Kondapalli India's neighbourhood in a flux
Voters are gearing up to exercise their franchise and elect new leaders within the next 12 months in all but one (Sri Lanka) of the SAARC nations. India needs to better understand the likely scenarios and challenges and chart a course on how best to deal with the changes, says Nilova Roy Chaudhury What the Chinese gameplan against India is
The military gap between India and China is growing steadily. Clearly, China's negotiating strategy is to resolve the dispute when the Chinese are in a much stronger position in terms of comprehensive national strength so that they can dictate terms, says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd). Social perversity: Police insensitivity and public outcry
Instead of lamenting that the police is not doing its job, it is the duty of all citizens to bring these issues out in the open. We must try to find out what is going wrong and try to check this social malaise before it acquires demonic proportions and puts our country to shame before the civilized world, says Anil Chowdhry. Chinese intrusion is a matter of concern, not alarm
We have seen greater Chinese activism in the South and East China seas, but not across the Sino-Indian border. If the Chinese troops stay put in the Burthe area and construct defensive structures, that will be an indicator of their deciding to follow a similar policy of activism across the Sino-Indian border, says B Raman. Making sense of the Musharraf puzzle
The profound significance of the events of the past week lies in that the struggle for civilian supremacy has truly begun in Pakistan and its consequences are going to be far-reaching for India-Pakistan relations, says M K Bhadrakumar. But who will ease the little girl's terror and horror?
If this little girl was 'lucky,' the stranger who examined her would have been a woman; if she was still luckier, she would have gentle and patient and kind. Then, the cops would have questioned her. Finally, she would have been allowed to go home with a little pouch of medicines to help her with the pain. But who would ease her terror and horror? What Kabul means to Beijing
China seems more willing to co-operate with India over Afghanistan, but New Delhi should step carefully, says Harsh V Pant View: Why Obama scores over us in dealing with terror
Like drought is a good opportunity for officers and netas to make money, a bomb blast in India is a political opportunity to score over rivals, says Tarun Vijay The CBI now has Dr Singh's ministry at its mercy
In over 47 years as a journalist in Delhi I have never seen a Union Cabinet that is scared of the CBI, it has always been the other way. But whether by happenstance or through deliberate design, the CBI now has the Manmohan Singh ministry at its mercy, reveals T V R Shenoy. My call detail records and a citizen's right to privacy
In the past few months I have been closely monitoring a series of news reports which deal with surveillance of my mobile phones. Illegal housing: Why should victims take the rap
Who are the politicians who either build illegal housing or protect them, or worse, secure compliance from the civic officials who wink at the contraventions? More importantly, where is the blacklist of builders who have indulged in rule-breaking as a business practice so that the buyers can avoid their projects, asks Mahesh Vijapurkar. Playing the alliance game
Nobody should be surprised if the Congress-led alliance at the Centre now makes favourable policy overtures to Naveen Patnaik also, like it has done for Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee, in the hope of strengthening its prospects after the next general elections, says AK Bhattacharya Strange Salman, the Saudis and Kerala
The Saudi leaders were willing to walk the extra mile to solve India's problem, but the external affairs ministry in New Delhi wanted to dawdle. Why did External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid not find time for his Saudi counterparts, and that too on a matter that is of great interest to Indians, asks T V R Shenoy. Why is the soldier denied his right to vote?
Every general election nearly 14 lakh soldiers/sailors and airmen, 9 lakh personnel of the para-military forces and their families are effectively denied their basic democratic right to vote. Why can't the Election Commission come up with a solution for this, asks Colonel (retd) Anil Athale. Chinese grandfathering and the Asian nuclear balance
Beijing is brazenly thumbing its nose at the international non-proliferation regime it signed up to less than a decade ago, says Nitin Pai Can the disaster of 1996 repeat itself in Afghanistan?
While the Soviet troops left Najibullah all alone without any back-up support to counter the Afghan Mujahideen, the US is unlikely to leave Karzai and his successor's government all alone, says B Raman US eagle spreads wings, bares claws in northeast Asia
It is a fallacy, which many of our pundits are prone to, to exaggerate the potential for confrontation and conflict between the US and China and to conceive fanciful notions of advantage for India in the downstream, says M K Bhadrakumar. View: Tytler got a clean chit due to CBI's biased probe
If the credibility of our criminal justice system has to be restored and if we have to win the confidence of the Sikh community, it is important that further investigation against Jagdish Tytler be done in a time-bound manner by a special investigation team which reports directly to the court, says B Raman BRICS summit: Of carnivores and herbivores
Rahul is sounding more and more like Kejriwal these days
Rahul Gandhi talks of compassion as a necessary element for development. Sreelatha Menon examines What Rahul Gandhi didn't say to India Inc
The CII meet was ideal for laying out details of concrete policies. But Rahul Gandhi did not choose to speak in concrete terms. Devangshu Datta examines Rahul Gandhi's enigma variations
Is he a hard-nosed prime ministerial aspirant or an earnest visionary? A rally for war criminals: Why are TMC, Left silent?
A belligerent rally in Kolkata by 16 Islamic organisations in support of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, one of the prime accused in the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, is indicative of West Bengal's liberal space shrinking, says Dr Anirban Ganguly. Worrying about the 2014 general elections
If there is a strong possibility of a government at the Centre without either the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party in it after 2014, an obvious question is about the nature of governance such a formation can provide, says A K Bhattacharya Elections soon after Diwali!
The state of the economy which is in a far worse condition than the government wants us to know; the UPA's instability and the Robert Vadra factor may force a Lok Sabha election this winter, predicts T V R Shenoy India's food crisis: Rotting food-grains, hungry people
India has the largest population of hungry in the world at a time when there is no shortage of food within the country. It is time the government affords priority to food storage and distribution, says Devinder Sharma. January - March 2013 | September - December 2012 | May - August 2012 | January - April 2012 | August - December 2011 | July 2011 | June 2011 | May 2011 | April 2011 | March 2011 | February 2011 | January 2011 | December 2010 | November 2010 | October 2010 | September 2010 | August 2010 | July 2010 | June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010