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| June 24, 2009 | |
'Pak cannot try 26/11 accused'
'It will not make any difference to our war against terror. Those persons ought to be extradited questioned and tried in our courts,' says Mumbai ATS Chief K P S Raghuvanshi.
'Lashkar moving into mainstream of global jihad'
'It should be an imperative of American policy to support the demand for Pakistan to shut down Lashkar-e-Tayiba,' says influential Afpak strategist Bruce Riedel.
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| June 22, 2009 | |
'Diversity index is high-priority for UPA govt'
Salman Khurshid, who holds the portfolios of minority affairs and corporate affairs, tells Sreelatha Menon that he wants greater public participation in development programmes.
'If I'm arrested, Lalgarh will be torn by violence'
'The people at Lalgarh die of starvation regularly, there is no health infrastructure, our children don't get proper education, the tribal languages are neglected and no steps are taken for the welfare of the Jangalmahal residents. If the PCAPA is given power, it can really do wonders,' says PCAPA convenor Chhatradhar Mahato.
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| June 05, 2009 | |
'India is respectful of its history'
'Macaulay would be less dismissive of India if his Sanskrit dictionary had not fallen off the boat.' A fascinating interview with historian Piers Brendon, author of the provocative The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997.
'The moment erosion happens, the entire ecosystem is lost'
'People think of development only. They don't look at the economics of the environment. They look at the profits of development. They should also look at the cost of restoring the environment,' says environmental activist Probir Banerjee.
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| May 21, 2009 | |
'Youth have to be taken on board'
'The demographics is that the majority of our voters and the majority of the population are youth, so we must make serious efforts,' says Biju Janata Dal MP 'Jay' Panda.
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| May 18, 2009 | |
'We drove out an evil force called Left'
'People have suffered for long. Their patience level is very low. We have to act double quick to improve the state of life in Bengal,' says senior Congress leader Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury.
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| May 17, 2009 | |
'BJP rout was clearly the swansong of Advani'
'The BJP ran a miserable campaign and the Third Front, happily, was clueless. It also showed the disutility of a negative campaign where the BJP could not proffer any viable policy alternatives to Congress,' says Professor Sumit Ganguly.
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| May 15, 2009 | |
'It will be a thorny road for Mamata'
'The Congress is the only party that can counter US imperialism and the Left Front has always attempted to put up a fight against imperialism. Logically, therefore, the Congress and Left must work together to battle against it,' says outspoken Bengal Minister Subhas Chakraborty
'This is the biggest gamble the Third Front has undertaken'
'If the Left can get its plans and policies in place and is able to influence the direction of the new government, then we will join,' says powerful CPI-M leader Biman Bose.
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| May 13, 2009 | |
'Abusing power is in the DMK's genes'
Madurai's two-time sitting MP P Mohan is known for his simplicity. Whether he is being accessible to his voters or roaming across town on his moped, he has a down-to-earth image. In what is probably the toughest ever election, the CPI-Mt veteran is up against M K Azhagiri, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's elder son.
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| May 12, 2009 | |
'My music will help me get votes'
'Unlike other candidates, I did not have to give money to the voter asking them to vote for me,' says singer and Akali Dal candidate from Jalandhar, Hans Raj Hans.
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| May 07, 2009 | |
'272 is not a magical number for govt formation'
'A majority in Parliament is not necessary to run the government,' says Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap, explaining the legal options before the President once the election results are declared.
'Glamour has limited power, but power has unlimited glamour'
'Stars do not translate into votes because film stars do not know the subject, they have not struggled, have no direct rapport with the people, they are not role models. I must say it is also the fault of the party. They must prepare, educate and counsel the stars, but they use them misuse them and abuse them,' says Shatrughan Sinha, one of the first Bollywood stars to join politics.
'Thousands of Tamils are getting killed for the sake of one lady'
Legendary Tamil movie director Bharathiraja explains why he is campaigning against the Congress in Tamil Nadu.
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| May 05, 2009 | |
'No lunatic right wing fringe in BJP'
'Modi obviously has support.' Barmer MP Manvendra Singh speaks about the unfinished work in his constituency and how we can change as a country by changing the way we drive.
'No constituency in India can be won on caste grounds'
'There is no winning formula. If there was a formula do you think politicians would lose? Would they face anti-incumbency? Would they run pillar to post to win an election if caste votes were just enough?' asks political science scholar Dipankar Gupta.
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| May 01, 2009 | |
Will ensure every riot witness' safety'
'Everyone is keen that the case should succeed and the Special Investigation Team will be a model in this case. The Supreme Court is sensitive to this case, what more do we need?' asks Gujarat SIT chief R K Raghavan.
'Church attacks have strengthened BJP'
'When we protest against something wrong, there is nothing wrong about it,' says RSS leader Prabhakar Bhat Kalladka.
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| April 30, 2009 | |
'Civilians are part of the LTTE concept of war'
'India should not confuse fighting the LTTE with fighting for the Tamil cause because the LTTE forfeited that expectation when it fought a needless war with India and alienated its support,' says intelligence expert Colonel R Hariharan (retd).
'Politics has become a really bad word'
'There are people who want to come into the system and make a difference, but we need everyone's support to do that. Otherwise, nothing will happen -- everyone will sit on the fence and criticise,' says Mumbai MP Priya Dutt.
'Politics has become a really bad word'
'There are people who want to come into the system and make a difference, but we need everyone's support to do that. Otherwise, nothing will happen -- everyone will sit on the fence and criticise,' says Mumbai MP Priya Dutt.
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| April 27, 2009 | |
'We are creating two Indias'
' The chasm is getting bigger. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The top-most priority for any government must be to bridge that gap. If you see, the divide is greatest in terms of sharing resources and economic empowerment. Villagers, farmers, the minorities and the marginalised people, women, and the people in the fringes, they need to get the resources.' Congress MP Sachin Pilot in frank conversation.
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| April 23, 2009 | |
'I have not hurt my father's legacy'
Arjun Singh's daughter Veena Singh, who is contesting as an Independent in Sidhi, talks about her decision to contest, her relations with her father and brother, and about her fitness as a candidate.
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| April 20, 2009 | |
'The agricultural growth in my Gujarat is 14%, but no one looks at it'
In the second part of an exclusive interview with rediff.com, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi discusses his prime ministerial ambitions
'I will never enter politics'
Priyanka on politics, Rahul & Buddhism.
'Naveen Patnaik's government is inept and corrupt'
But state Congress president K P Singh Deo does not rule a post-poll alliance.
'In 5 years, Indians stashed Rs 688,000 cr illegally'
'It is like this: A theft has taken place, and you are arguing about how much has been stolen. Nobody denies the theft! Nobody denies the loot!' S Gurumurthy, member of the BJP's taskforce on black money in banks abroad, lashes out.
Meet Capt Gopinath's chief campaigner
'It is very important to talk directly to voters. We believe it is necessary to understand their problems. That is why we have stayed away from the tamasha, usually followed by others,' says Bhargavi Gopinath.
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| April 14, 2009 | |
Team India manager in poll fray
Former manager of the Indian team D V Subba Rao about cricket, his law career and his political ambitions.
Naidu betrayed the poor, we worked for them
In an exclusive interview with Mohammed Siddique, Rajasekhara Reddy says that in the final analysis people will vote for a government that has credibility and has kept its word during last five years.
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| March 31, 2009 | |
Why shouldn't Brahmin community get reservation?
Sattanathapuram Venkataraman Shekher is a popular playwright, producer and director in the Tamil film industry. He is also the sitting AIADMK Member of Legislative Assembly from Mylapore. He explains his reasons behind leaving the AIADMK to rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
'Swiss black money can take India to the top'
In an interview, Professor R Vaidyanathan, Professor of Finance at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru. Vaidyanathan explains in detail the importance of bringing back the ill-gotten wealth that has been stashed away in the Swiss Bank and how the money got there in the first place.
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| March 26, 2009 | |
'Is it in India and Pakistan’s interest to go to war? No'
'I am sorry if you think that American friendship is paying you dividends. Please learn from our experience. Don't reduce your status while pursuing closer relations with America where you can't think for yourself,' says Pakistani media baron Hameed Haroon.
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| February 28, 2009 | |
'Congress will explore all options to keep BJP out'
After serving as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for ten years, Digvijay Singh has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Congress' affairs in UP. In an interview with Renu Mittal, Singh talks about the 'friendly fight' between the two parties in UP.
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| February 18, 2009 | |
'Communalism and terrorism are inextricably linked'
'The Dar ul-Uloom Deoband could serve as an effective ambassador for India in the Muslim world and even beyond, and could be a means to inform others about India's composite culture and religiously-plural society.' Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, deputy rector of the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband, in a rare interview.
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| February 17, 2009 | |
'Pakistan will be fine'
Novelist Nadeem Aslam discusses the situation in his native Pakistan.
'Love doesn't fall under purview of any culture'
'We have made the public aware of their rights. The protests have been so strong and well accepted that the Ram Sena will one day run with their tails tucked between their legs,' says IIM-B Professor Rajeev Gowda who organised a human chain in Bengaluru to protest the violence against women.
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| February 06, 2009 | |
The man who will prosecute Kasab
Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor for the Mumbai terror attacks says that the prosecution will have a good case.
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| February 04, 2009 | |
'No change in US policy on Kashmir'
'There is a lot Pakistan and India could do if they work against terrorism together,' says US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher.
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| February 03, 2009 | |
'The patient has become invisible'
'There is no need for most tests doctors order,' says novelist Dr Abraham Verghese in a candid conversation with Arthur J Pais on the state of medicine today.
Cutting aid will curtail Pakistan army's independence
‘The Pakistanis deserve some credit for what they have done so far… But, obviously, it has to result in outcomes; it has to result in prosecution and the disbanding of these groups.’ US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher tells Aziz Haniffa
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| February 02, 2009 | |
'No party wants to displease the Hindus'
Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, head of the Catholic Church in Orissa, has predicted that Christians who fled Kandhamal -- following the violence perpetrated against them by Hindutva forces last year -- are unlikely to return to their homes. Christians in Orissa, the archbishop felt, do not trust Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's assurances of protection and security.
'The highest rates of heart diseases are in India'
'Another factor of heart diseases is our eating habits. We South Asians say we are vegetarians. We forget that food may not always be healthy. We use a lot of saturated fat and everything else combined does make it a serious cocktail for heart diseases,' says cardiac surgeon Dr Arvind Koshal.
'Muslims have lost faith in UPA'
Ulema Council chairman Maulana Amir Rashadi, who organised last week's trip of Muslim youth from Azamgarh to Delhi, in a frank interview.
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| January 29, 2009 | |
Salute the courage of Raymond Diengdoh
'I only hope his sacrifice does not go in vain. I wish we could all live as one. We all have problems. It can be solved without taking up arms.'
'People in India seem much happier than the West'
'The rickshaw is undoubtedly the ultimate long-distance, off-road machine, says Dr Mark Cunningham-Hill, who will take part in a two-week rickshaw race to raise $15,000 for clean water in India.
'Apply anti-terror laws for Mangalore attackers'
U R Ananthamurthy, one of India's greatest writers and a leading figure in contemporary Kannada literature, is 'saddened and disgusted' by the moral policing in his beloved state. Moral policing is a parental duty, he says, not a governmental one.
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| January 28, 2009 | |
Meet Dr Singh's daughter
'My father has a lot of anxieties, I hate to see him go through all of that,' says novelist Daman Singh
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| January 27, 2009 | |
'Pakistan bears a tremendous responsibility'
'Pakistan,' says former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R Nicholas Burns, 'has an obligation to work with India and to give India the type of support needed to ensure that these types of attacks will not occur again. Therefore you cannot hide behind the definition of non-State actors. Every government has a responsibility to control the situation on its own territory. India needs the kind of reassurances from Islamabad that has not yet been forthcoming.'
'Shri Ram Sena is a confused organisation'
While most members do not seem to be apologetic about the incident, the Bajrang Dal reacted strongly to the attack. Karnataka Bajrang Dal chief Mahendra Kumar told rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa that the protest by the Shri Ram Sena was indecent and added that the outfit does not have the backing of the Sangh Parivar.
'We need to preserve our culture'
Sri Ram Sena chief Prasad Attavar defends his organisation's actions.
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| January 23, 2009 | |
'The LTTE is finished militarily'
‘The Sri Lankan army wants to eliminate the LTTE 100%. The LTTE is in the same position as they were in when we left,’ says IPKF intelligence chief Colonel R Hariharan (retd).
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| January 19, 2009 | |
'Obama didn't win for being black'
'There has been an almost palpable change in the black community. There is an energy in the air that wasn't there before; there's a spark and a light now that was previously missing. I look around and I see a change in the way we carry ourselves, the way we speak to each other and treat each other,' says Jann Marie Hodge, one of the thousands of African Americans who have arrived to witness the Barack Obama’s historical swearing-in as America’s first black president.
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| January 16, 2009 | |
'Omar talks less and is focused on delivery'
'We have lots of expectations from Omar Abdullah. He is dynamic, very sharp, intelligent and has the zeal to work for the people. He has a fire in him and he wants to do something concrete for the people. Besides, he is soft-spoken, not arrogant and has tonnes of patience,' says Abdul Rahim Rather
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| January 12, 2009 | |
'India is wise to pursue a diplomatic strategy'
'Pakistan has become America's biggest foreign policy problem. Unless India is willing to think strategically and long-term, it will continue to be India's major problem as well,' says South Asia expert Stephen B Cohen.
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| January 05, 2009 | |
'I have convinced our Diaspora that India cares'
Our country has been getting some $26 billion in the form of remittances from abroad, but investment is quite low. I think it is just 6 percent of the total investment that is coming to India. The people living abroad are good people. They advise us on how to rule India, but their investment is quite low,’ says Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi.
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