Why Nitish's anti-Modi move is a political masterstroke
Nitish Kumar's sneak attack on Narendra Modi is an attempt to wean away the Muslim vote from his state political rival Lalu Yadav as also a move to project himself as a PM candidate if the situation turns out favourable after the 2014 general election, says Sheela Bhatt. In Haryana, you are punished if you fight corruption!
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an officer of Indian Forest Service in Haryana, has been forced to go on leave for unearthing several scams worth several cores in the forest department of the state. Gopal Krishna reports. Pak ex-minister detained in US trained Kashmir jihadis
Pakistanis are well aware of Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed's patronage and facilitation of groups linked to armed resistance in Kashmir, says Amir Mir 'Sonia would have preferred Pratibha Patil as prez again'
Shekhar Iyer, a familiar face on television's news analysis programmes and senior associate editor at the Hindustan Times in New Delhi, threw light on the politics behind the presidential polls as he answered questions from Rediff readers on Wednesday. Here's the transcript of the chat: 'Mamata was emotive, Mulayam was tactical'
Jayanta Ghosal of the Anand Bazar Patrika Group made an exclusive appearance on Rediff Chat where he fielded wide-ranging questions about the upcoming Presidential poll. Here's the transcript of the chat. 'For Sonia, Mulayam is a long term, unpredictable ally'
Rasheed Kidwai, associate editor of The Telegraph newspaper who is the author of Sonia: A biography and 24 Akbar Road, made an exclusive appearance on Rediff Chat on Monday where he fielded wide-ranging questions about the Presidential poll. Here is the transcript from the chat.. Remembering Radha Vinod Raju: An unforgettable friend
Padma Bhushan award winning forensics expert Prof Chandra Sekharan remembers his friend Radha Vinod Raju, founder director of NIA, who passed away on June 21 in Kochi. Rio+ 20: Show environmental leadership, Indian NGO to PM
While Indian Non-Governmental Organisations are by no means as well networked as they were at the original Earth Summit in this coastal Atlantic city, despite the boom in electronic communications, Kalpavriksh, based in Pune and New Delhi, has fired a strong missive at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shortly before his arrival at Rio+ 20. India's purple frog grabs attention ahead of Rio summit
The rare purple frog is one of the iconic species that highlights the most crucial issue being discussed at Rio+20, reports Darryl D'Monte. Thanks to Mamata, Pranab set to become President
Wednesday's shock and awe of regional leaders gave Congress leaders such a jolt that they had no choice but to quickly decide on the man who would be least opposed by its allies and adversaries, reports Sheela Bhatt. Questions in Cong over PM's trip abroad at this juncture
Asks a senior Congressman: "When his position on home ground is weak, when his most senior colleague is expected to leave the Cabinet on being selected for the President's post, and when within the party too his handling of economy is being questioned, why should he go abroad for so long?" Congress's battle cry: Dump Mamata, bring back Left
We can sort out certain sensitive issues with the Left, we can put aside certain economic reforms, but there will not be day-to-day skirmishes with them, a senior Congress leader tells Sheela Bhatt Punters bet big on Pranab Mukherjee as President
"We in the satta bazaar trust Sonia Gandhi's manoeuvring skills. Now that it has become a major ego issue for the UPA, Mamata will be isolated. UPA may manage to get Mukherjee elected as President with the help of Mayawati and other smaller parties," said a bookie from Delhi Is Pakistan's chief justice on his way out?
Will the charges of bribery against his son by a real estate tycoon force Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to step down? Amir Mir reports from Islamabad. NO END to brutality by BSF at Indo-Bangla border
Instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, BSF soldiers are often accused of taking the law in their hands, says Syed Tashfin Chowdhury Exclusive! Focus on fundamentals, says Hillary Clinton
The United States is determined to keep this partnership going and growing. And that means working together, says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an exclusive article to Rediff.com Ties sour further: Pakistan acts smug, US gets furious
Washington and Islamabad are looking more like enemies than allies in a war, thus threatening the US-led war on terror, says Amir Mir Why a breakthrough on Siachen is unlikely
With both India and Pakistan sticking to their respective rigid stances, the two-day defence secretary level talks are unlikely to see any breakthrough. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad. EXPLAINED: Why Indo-US nuclear deal is in COLD STORAGE
The Barack Obama administration is resigned to the reality that the Manmohan Singh government has little chance of salvaging the deal from the limbo it is in now and providing some leeway on the Nuclear Liability Law, experts tell Aziz Haniffa Will India be the 'lynchpin' for US strategy in Asia?
US Secretary of Defence Leon E Panetta's two-day visit to India last week to reinforce bilateral strategic defence and strategic cooperation seems to have gone well for the US, but will the India side take initiative and grasp the aggressive US hand? Seema Mustafa reports India's silent killer: Time to wake up
It has always been perceived that cancer is generally restricted to the more affluent class in comparison with the poorer people. This is a myth and a recent report in Lancet has busted it. Sriram Balasubramanian reports. No apologies: US sends more drones to hit targets in Pak
Islamabad has always protested against the drone strikes by the US administration but America has not paid any heed to its demands, says Tahir Ali Lashkar may try to free jailed 26/11 mastermind Lakhvi
The Lashkar-e-Tayiba may be try to free 26/11 prime accused Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi from prison after Pakistan confirmed his role in the Mumbai attacks to India last week. Day after Advani's dig, Anshuman Mishra hits back
Non-resident Indian Anshuman Mishra, who was recently in the news over the controversy surrounding the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for Rajya Sabha polls from Jharkhand, writes an open letter to party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani in which he advices the latter to make a dignified exit and hand over the reins to the party's second generation leaders. TAPI pipeline: Not a done deal, yet
Despite India, Pakistan and Turkmenistan signing an agreement for the Trans-Afghanistan pipeline, it faces many hurdles before it can become a reality, says Shebonti Ray Dadwal. Exclusive: Modi may contest LS poll from Gujarat, UP
'Modi has to lead the BJP. There is no alternative,' a senior BJP leader tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt. Meet General Bikram Singh, the new Army chief
The 25th general to lead the world's second largest army is one of its most decorated serving soldiers today. A soldier must have right kind of moral, ethical values
A day prior to his retirement as Army Chief, Gen VK Singh addressed the passing-out parade of the National Defence Academy, his alma mater, on Wednesday. We present an excerpt from his speech to the young cadets Pakistani Taliban plan to kill jailed Osama informer
The Taliban will either attack Peshawar prison, abduct Dr Shakil Afridi and let their leaders decide his fate, or they will use an inmate in the jail kill the doctor. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad Pak-US in fresh row over embassy expansion in Islamabad
At a cost of $740 million, it would have been the biggest American mission overseas. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad on how the US embassy's expansion plans in Pakistan has run into trouble. Why it is important for Dimple Yadav to win from Kannauj
Petitioner in disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family blames the CBI for it double standards. Sheela Bhatt reports. How political New Delhi's cancer causes India pain
The UPA has failed over the last three years because it is in denial mode, refusing to accept that so much is rotten inside the government and the party, says Sheela Bhatt. Pak military may bow to US pressure on NATO supplies
As the United States has clearly linked an invitation to Pakistan to attend the upcoming Chicago summit on Afghanistan's future to the resumption of the NATO supply line, the Pakistani military leadership seems willing to reopen the supply routes which could perhaps win Islamabad a seat at the Chicago meet, scheduled for May 21-22. 'Let no one speak anything against the RAW'
Former Research and Analysis Wing chief C D Sahay comes to the defence of the agency in the backdrop of the 'fake' terror alert and says that one vital piece of information at a critical movement is worth everything. 'America not a safe place to live anymore'
Twenty-year-old Rahul Sharma, a student in the United States, was shot in the head and killed in Fremont's Centerville neighborhood, Ritu Jha reports. Prasoon Joshi: Manto's impact is imprinted on me forever
On Saadat Hasan Manto's 100th birth anniversary, writer-lyricist-ad filmmaker Prasoon Joshi talks about the writer who he first couldn't fathom and was prohibited from reading and yet went on to become one of his favourites. After Daniel Pearl, another Jew becomes Qaeda's target
Warren Weinstein, the first American citizen to be taken hostage by Al Qaeda linked terrorists in Pakistan since Daniel Pearl, is also a Jewish American like the ill-fated journalist. Amir Mir reports 'When confronted by a mugger, don't try to be a hero'
The murders of Indian students in the United States in the last few years has been a reason of worry for not only students but also their parents in India. Arthur J Pais reports The hate crime that wasn't
Amid speculations that Andhra Pradesh students in America were targeted for robbery and murders, came the news of Soumya Tummala Reddy, a 22-year-old electrical engineering student at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, who was shot to death near a lake close to Chicago in September 2008. Maoist abductions: How long will we make deals?
Our policies on hostage crises have been marked by significant tentativeness and not surprisingly, these have been exploited by the extremists, points out Bibhu Prasad Routray Prez poll: Sushma queers BJP pitch, helps Cong powerplay
If Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Karunanidhi and the Left parties endorse the Congress's game-plan, it is difficult to see how Sonia Gandhi's choice will fail to become President, reports Sheela Bhatt Talks FAIL: Pakistan still wants an apology, US says NO
Continuation of drone strikes and US's reluctance to tender an apology over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers proved to be stumbling blocks in the talks between United States and Pakistan, reports Tahir Ali Stealth frigate INS Teg adds might to Indian Navy
INS Teg, which has been inducted into the Indian Navy, incorporates innovative stealth technologies to reduce her radar cross-section, infrared and magnetic signatures, as well as radiated underwater noise, reports RS Chauhan Of Mamata and Mati
There's more to the mob attacking the Jadavpur University professor than meets the eye, says Sunanda K Dutta-Ray Delhi, Dhaka ramp up visits to solve thorny issues
Agreements on Teesta River water sharing, land boundaries and extradition remain in limbo in spite of friendly relations between India and Bangladesh, says Syed Tashfin Chowdhury Indian MPs send strong message to Lankan President
An Indian parliamentary delegation's visit to Sri Lanka sent a clear message to the Sri Lankan government on the need to tackle the political grievances of the Sri Lankan Tamil community. Shubha Singh reports. Pakistan: Demographic disparity can worsen faultlines
For a rapidly radicalising State, uneven population growth among various ethnic groups can be catastrophic, warns Alok Bansal 'Full security keeps Maoists away, and villagers too'
Kidnapped Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon's friend and collector of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh, Ponnusamy Anbalagan, speaks to A Ganesh Nadar Former IB chief: Maoists won't hurt collector
'Menon's kidnappers are unlikely to behave like the radical Islamists who have a tendency to displease their own people and community. The Maoists are shrewd and will bargain hard, but not behave recklessly. Young Christians are their primary constituency and they bank heavily on them in the jungles.' Ties with Iran: Will India be able to avoid US wrath?
India's Ambassador to Washington, DC, Nirupama Rao and her team are doing everything to avoid American wrath, and the resultant legislation of sanctions, against India for not whole-heartedly joining the US-led efforts to isolate Iran. Aziz Haniffa reports Is this Pakistani POW still holed up in an Indian jail?
Some families in Pakistan are still holding on to the hope of seeing their loved ones -- soldiers of the Pakistan Army who went missing during the 1971 War and never returned. Tahir Ali reports 'We can't have a bureaucracy that's 100 pc risk averse'
Many of our civil servants would rank among the best in the world... The civil servants in our country should fight the tendency of not taking decisions because of the fear that things might go wrong and they might be penalised for that... Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh addresses bureaucrats on the Civil Services Day Exclusive: STOP AP's mining, Cong minister tells guv
In a startling development, a Union minister and Congress leader has dashed off a letter to the Andhra Pradesh governor, urging him to take action against the state government ruled by his own party Slain Pak scribe's wish: to visit relatives in Nagpur
Finally the home ministry relented and agreed to grant Murtaza Rizvi a visa and he was scheduled to come to India on June 30, 2012, before fate intervened in the form of his murderer(s), reports A Ganesh Nadar Special: Enforced disappearances on the rise in B'desh
Human rights organisations believe that enforced disappearances are replacing extra judicial killings in Bangladesh. In most cases the victims were 'arrested' by men claiming to be law enforcement officials, reports Syed Tashfin Chowdhury. Rajya Sabha to consider repealing Sibal's IT Rules
The Left parties have decided to back the annulment motion and efforts are on to mobilise members of Parliament across party lines. If the motion is accepted by the Rajya Sabha, it will be sent to the Lok Sabha, probably in the monsoon session, reports Shivam Vij IN PICS: Angelina Jolie is UNHCR's special envoy
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has been appointed as Special Envoy of the United Nations refugee agency. Training and welfare, focus of Army commanders' meet
The annual Army Commanders Conference, coming in the wake of several controversies centering around Army Chief Gen VK Singh over the past fortnight, is scheduled to finalise a road map for enhancing the "technical threshold" of all personnel in the force, reports RS Chauhan The story behind Taliban's attack on a Pak prison
Taliban militants on Sunday attacked the Central Jail in Bannu and freed several of their comrades, including Adnan Rashid, a convict on death row who had plotted to kill General Pervez Musharraf. Tahir Ali reports Exclusive! America behind Zardari-Singh meeting
The US administration made hectic behind-the-scenes efforts to make the Pakistani president's India visit a success because US President Barack Obama wants the ongoing Washington-Taliban peace talks in Doha to be productive, which is impossible without Islamabad's support, reports Amir Mir from Islamabad Bikram Singh: J&K govt to file response next week
Was the man killed in the exchange between an army convoy led by then Brigadier Bikram Singh in March 2001, a labourer or a terrorist?The court verdict could impact Lieutenant General Singh's appointment as the next army chief. Despite delays and depletion, IAF commanders buck gloom
Inaugurating the first biennial Air Force Commanders' Conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Defence Minister AK Antony in fact expressed happiness that the Air Force has signed over 300 new contracts to acquire new platforms and systems over the past five years, reports RS Chauhan America's first lady envoy will make history in India
'Clearly our relationship is founded on democratic values and a shared history that we have in promoting these values,' Nancy Powell said, but added, 'our economic and commercial relationship has been of great importance.' No media at 3 service chiefs' meeting with House panel
A circular by the Lok Sabha's press and public relations chief points out that the parliamentary committee meetings 'are not open for coverage by the media', reports our correspondent Has the Prime Minister ignored the Service chiefs?
The average of three to four meetings a year between the prime minister and the Service chiefs was reduced to just one in 2011. This year not a single meeting has taken place so far despite the controversy surrounding the Indian Army and its modernisation plans, reveals Seema Mustafa. Controversy over book would have amused Sri Aurobindo
Despite a few shortcomings, Peter Heehs's book on Sri Aurobindo, which has landed him in trouble with the Pondicherry ashram as well as earned a notice to quit India, could open the eyes of many more Indians (and Westerners) on the master's vision and the true destiny of India. It would certainly be a good contribution, says Claude Arpi Exclusive! Sarabjit Singh files mercy plea with Zardari
Sarabjit Singh's Pakistani lawyers now believe that following the Supreme Court's decision to release Dr Chishti on bail, there are chances of the Indian national getting a pardon from President Asif Zardari who had just returned from Ajmer Sharif, reports Amir Mir from Islamabad Rahul and Bilawal chatted a lot at lunch...
A guest present at Dr Singh's lunch for President Zardari tells Sheela Bhatt what happened during the meal. India, Pak decide to move step by step, issue by issue
What Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari really discussed at their meeting. Sheela Bhatt reports Babus now oppose General Singh's vision for MoD
A recommendation to appoint officers from the defence forces at the level of director in the ministry of defence is being ferociously challenged, reports Sheela Bhatt. US bounty on Saeed worries Pakistan's powers-that-be
Pakistan's promise to contain its activities has simply failed to affect the LeT at all as the group's activities have intensified, observes Amir Mir A dead man who left behind a precious gift -- LIFE!
An act of amazing generosity by the grieving family of a working class man who had suddenly died resulted in restoring life to another ordinary working class man, whose tenacity and optimism helped him wait for a long time on the waiting list. What makes this miracle even more amazing, says Dr Sanjay Nagral, is that transplant transcended what is perhaps one of the deepest fault lines in Indian society, the chasm between two religions. Mr PM, Gen Singh's actions hurtful but his questions valid
In an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh senior analyst B Raman says that the government should not be indifferent to the serious and worrisome issues projected by outgoing Indian Army chief General VK Singh Blame the defence agent who refuses to go away
Underneath the corruption scams plaguing the defence forces is the ubiquitous but banned defence agent or middleman representing myriad overseas vendors who eases their material into India through the corrupt and complex bureaucratic corridors of the country's civil and military establishment, writes Rahul Bedi Pak Hindus pin hopes on SC ruling in conversion case
Rinkle Kumari's case was one of the many incidents of conversion in Pakistan, but relentless struggle by the Hindu community has brought it into the limelight, says Tahir Ali Special: 10-step quick-fix for Rahul Gandhi
Experts chart the way forward for Rahul Gandhi after the Congress party's humiliating defeat in Uttar Pradesh. Special: Five-state election verdict coverage
Comprehensive coverage of the counting of votes in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab 'BJP gain in UP thanks to Cong position on minorities'
'This is the vote against the Congress's Muslim appeasement policy. The OBCs in Uttar Pradesh has understood how the Congress to gain Muslim votes wants to give away a pie of the quota, which is legitimately theirs.' 'The riots took away the glitter of Diwali and colours of Holi'
Meena Menon's Riots and After in Mumbai: Chronicles of Truth and Reconciliation records the plight of the survivors and victims of the 1992-93 communal carnage and the struggles that haunt riot victims. 'Nowhere in the world can riots continue for 15 consecutive days and that too in two consecutive months,' former Supreme Court Justice Srikrishna remarked about the spiral of bloodshed in Mumbai. Congress: Rahul put up a spirited fight
Irrespective of the results of the UP assembly election, a senior Congress leader tells Sheela Bhatt that Rahul Gandhi has established himself as a leader to reckon with. Balochistan issue further strains Pak-US ties
Pakistan, which has taken serious exception to the moving of the Balochistan bill in the US Congress, has decided to undertake an international diplomatic offensive to counter the move, says Amir Mir Probe Bhushan's role in leaking 2G judgment: Sena MP to PM
Chandrakant Khaire, the Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP from Aurangabad in Maharashtra, in a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has raised concerns about the leaking of an 'unofficial version' of the Supreme Court's judgment in the 2G spectrum case order announced February 2 and the media reporting incorrect facts based on that version. Exclusive: JD-U MP wants to impeach Supreme Court judge
Captain Jainarayan Prasad Nishad, a member of the Lok Sabha from Bihar, has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India. In the letter to the Speaker, Captain Nishad has expressed his 'determination' to initiate impeachment proceeding against the judge. 'Khurshid cared a damn about the Election Commission'
'Challenging an authority like the Election Commission is uncalled for. In my view, Khurshid ought to have settled this diplomatically instead of showing defiance,' says retired Supreme Court Justice Santhosh Hegde. Sheela Bhatt: Samajwadi Party likely winner in phase one
It is, now, more or less certain that in the ongoing election the SP is emerging as the main challenger to Mayawati's power in Lucknow. The combination of an experienced Mulayam Singh Yadav and his young, untested son Akhilesh Yadav is working, reports Sheela Bhatt from Lucknow 'Reveal names of those posting objectionable content'
'My personal belief is that companies should reveal the details of the person who is posting content online which may hurt another person, so that one can go ahead with criminal proceedings against the former,' says Vinay Rai, who has gone to court against Web sites that he feels post objectionable content. RIP S E Joshi, former RAW chief and classical spy
B Raman pays tribute to S E Joshi who passed into the ages on Friday. In 10 years, you might be able to buy a cancer vaccine
Protul Shrikant's accidental discovery could be one of the biggest medical breakthroughs ever Election for new President on July 19?
An exclusive report on how the electoral process to elect India's next President gets underway soon.</P>As the numbers stand today, Congress President Sonia Gandhi may not be able to spring another surprise woman candidate for President. Other women leaders will call the shots. Death in the US: 'Why did Lyvita have to starve to death?'
Oydsteven Gomes poses some hard-hitting questions over the circumstances that led his sister Lyvita to starve to death in Chicago, US Nitish Kumar, please put your PM dreams on hold
For the villagers of Anjani, a not-so-small village tucked away in north Bihar's Vaishali district, India's ambitions mean little. Anjani is yet to see the light, literally so. Swami Yogananda, as a close disciple remembers him
Swami Kriyananda, then a young American who had become Yogananda's disciple at age 22 and who became one of his trusted lieutenants, has come out with an intimate and powerful story of Yogananda, betraying knowledge only an insider would claim. It is a biography that needs to be read but, Kriyananda warns, it is not a hagiography 2011 Special: Odd PHOTOS of the year - II
Part II of the series on odd moments from around the world in 2011 July - December 2011 | January - June 2011 | April - December 2010 | February - March 2010