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Interviews

May 21, 2010
Does Chidambaram believe in democracy?
'He may be good on a corporate board but he certainly does not make a good home minister in this situation,' says Professor Nandini Sundar, a leading thinker on the Maoist debate.
May 19, 2010
'Silence can become eerie in Kashmir'
Former R&AW chief A S Dulat, India's foremost expert on the Kashmir issue, argues that the central government should offer Kashmiri separatists a solution in line with the accord signed by Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah in 1975.
May 12, 2010
India should be on the UNSC in 2011, says Hardeep
More than a decade after India launched a spirited campaign for a United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism as well as reform of the UN Security Council, both in the permanent and non-permanent categories, there is renewed hope that both campaigns may succeed, thanks to India's untiring diplomatic efforts at the world body. Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.
May 10, 2010
'Pak wanted to save Kasab from the gallows'
Chander D Sahay, former chief of the India's intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing, believes that India took the right step by ignoring Pakistan's plea for Kasab's custody. In an interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, he explains the motive behind such a request by the Pakistan government.
April 28, 2010
'Dantewada is a symptom of a greater malaise'
Congress's Rajya Sabha MP and chief interlocutor of the Andhra Pradesh government who talked to the then PWG in 2004-05 speaks about his experience of tackling Maoism in the state and what could be done to curb the growing menace in India's central heartland.
April 27, 2010
'Stop treating eunuchs as second-class citizens'
Intelligent, well educated and bold, a trait common among the transgender community, when Laxmi is not courting controversies, she is busy working for the welfare of the sexual minorities through her non governmental organisation Astitva. Laxmi speaks to rediff.com's N Ganesh on the discriminations faced by her and the members of her eunuch community in today's world.
April 26, 2010
'There are aspects of IPL that are quite fishy'
'Demand for a JPC is nothing new. Whenever a big issue comes out, the Opposition demands a JPC on the argument that it will be a fair, unbiased probe involving all political parties. I was a part of the JPC on cold drinks issue. But, whether the JPC will be able to get into the depth of this issue is a different question. Can the parliamentarians understand the financial complexities involved in IPL? I don't know.'
April 25, 2010
'Those behind IPL misused our love for cricket'
A joint parliamentary committee is not the perfect but the best option to inquire into the cesspool that Indian cricket seems to have become, CPI(M) MP Sitaram Yechury tells Aditi Phadnis
April 17, 2010
'India must see itself as N-weapon, rising power'
Interview with strategic analyst C Raja Mohan on the recent Nuclear Summit in the US
April 16, 2010
Corruption in media: 'From Page 3 to politics now'
'Corruption in media is not new. But this has now become institutionalised,' says renowned journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.
April 13, 2010
'May get some access to Headley, no extradition'
A S Dulat, former Indian spy chief, speak about the implications of the Devid Headley case in an in-depth interview.
April 10, 2010
'US nuke firms want a level playing field'
The delay in the Nuclear Liability Bill, which has faced vehement protests by the Opposition in Parliament, has become a worrying factor for United States business and industry circles. 'A nuclear deal for Pakistan is sheer fantasy'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's presence at the first-ever Nuclear Security Summit hosted by United States President Barack Obama, beginning April 12, will be key for 'critical substantive reasons', believes Dr Ashley J Tellis, an expert on nonproliferation and nuclear security matters.
April 09, 2010
'Kasab has realised the inevitability of his fate'
26/11 attacks prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam speaks about the unique trial of Ajmal Kasab and two other accused in the case.
April 07, 2010
'There could have been a couple of Maoists'
'I have been working in those jungles for the last 18 years. I know their (the Maoists) complete formation, how many make up for Maoists and how many are ordinary villagers and tribals,' says tribal activist Himanshu Kumar.
April 02, 2010
'You get into trouble if you invite Rahul Gandhi'
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday virtually dislodged Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya vice-chancellor Ajit Singh Sehrawat in Indore for inviting Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to address students on January 19 in an 'apolitical' function.
April 01, 2010
'Despite US funds, things have got worse in Pak'
K Alan Kronstadt, a specialist in South Asian affairs for the US Congressional Research Service, on how more US oversight on funding to fight terror in Pakistan could help both countries and even India.
March 25, 2010
Gulbarg society case prosecutor speaks out
The 74-year-old R K Shah speaks about why he quit as a special public prosecutor, the problems he faced in trying to get the accused convicted and whether there is eveidence against Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the case. Acquitted, but still watched over by the police
Dr Ibrahim Ali Junaid was accused of plotting the Mecca Masjid blasts. After spending two years in prison, he was acquitted of all charges. Today he is back home, trying to restart his life.
March 22, 2010
'India will continue to be a terror target'
In an interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna says Indians will continue to be a target for terrorists, in Afghanistan and at home, and that he's convinced the United States fully shares India's concerns on fighting terror.
March 21, 2010
'The UPA govt's arrogance is sky high'
Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Arun Jaitley talks to Aditi Phadnis about the party's differences with the government
March 15, 2010
'Hard to separate terrorism and Pakistan's nukes'
Ambasaador Howard Schaffer and Ambassador Teresita Schaffer are old hands when it comes to South Asia.
March 09, 2010
'No matter what, we will achieve Telangana'
M Agamani, the leader of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee, says that things on the campus are getting depressing, but that won't act as a deterrent to stop their fight for Telangana.
February 24, 2010
'Changes within Pak are not visible from India'
"They argue that talking is a sign of weakness by India in view of what happened in Mumbai. I would argue that talking at this point is significant not for its goals but for the process itself, which needs to be started again," says noted British journalist Adrian Levy.
February 20, 2010
'KCR has let Telangana down in a big way'
In this interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Dr Sangam Prithviraj, chief of the Student's Telangana Joint Action Committee discusses the next course of action and also says that today he is ashamed to live in a country that has no value for human life.
February 17, 2010
Interview: Pune top cop on blast, probe and leads
Ever since the blast rocked the city, the Pune police has been under fire for not taking the intelligence alerts seriously. Refuting such reports in an interview to Vicky Nanjappa, Pune's Commissioner of Police Dr Satyapal Singh says the case will be cracked soon.
February 15, 2010
'India can easily sustain US pressure for talks'
Muhammad Asad Durrani, former director general of Inter-Services intelligence and Pakistan's Military Intelligence, says India's move to resume peace talks is a wise decision. 'Number of cops per 1 lakh people in India is 130'
Home Secretary GK Pillai talks to Aditi Phadnis about police reforms
February 11, 2010
'Why the educated Muslim is taking to violence'
Shahid Azmi, the defence lawyer in the 11/7 blasts case, defends the accused while damning the police and the investigation.
February 10, 2010
V-Day is not about love; just lust: Muthalik
The Shri Ram Sena, on its part, says that it has no intentions of disrupting the Valentine's Day celebrations. The chief of the Shri Ram Sena, Pramod Muthalik, in this exclusive interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, says that his organsation will create a huge awareness drive against it.
February 08, 2010
We are facing Congress's terrorism: SIMI chief
'Congress toh BJP ki naani hai (The Congress is the grandmother of the BJP). The BJP made the wrong allegation first and the Congress has now given it wings,' says SIMI's Dr Shahid Badr Falahi in an interview with Vicky Nanjappa