'I didn't have a mentor or agency and came from outside Mumbai. I know people quickly box you into stereotypes because I've had to fight those.'
'While many politicians speak of development, Dada worked hard for it.' 'He realised that politics wasn't about power or politics -- it was about service to the people.'
'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
'Because of him, we learned how to work for people, how to take responsibility, and how to stand by our decisions.'
Rediff explains why the system, not the Budget, is the problem.
The swag of the military animals on Kartavya Path was unbeatable! Commanded by Captain Harshita Raghav, the double-humped camels, ponies, kites and dogs are soldiers providing active military duties.
'Marching on Kartavya Path is the greatest honour of our lives. Beneath the national flag, the full military might of the nation on display, the cheering crowds and our contingent making a debut -- it is a moment that will remain with us forever.' For the first time Scouts battalions drawn from different high-altitude regions and trained in mountain warfare featured in the Republic Day parade.
Her team scour platforms and trains, looking out for vulnerable children accompanied by adults who look or behave suspiciously or whose presence makes the child uncomfortable. They also look out for children travelling alone. 'We watch, listen and talk. All this is done tactfully and sensitively because we are dealing with young children.'
'Marathi-speaking people of Mumbai have now emerged as a consolidated vote bank standing firmly behind the Thackerays.'
'The writing is on the wall for both Shinde and Ajit Pawar.'
'It would have polarised the Marathi-non Marathi divide further. 'Fadnavis had a very clear strategy: Let all Marathi people campaign for us (the BJP), and whatever results we get will be delivered by Marathi people only.'
'If the BJP had contested all 227 seats, I believe they would have managed to secure a majority on their own.'
'China's basic purpose of taking the Shaksgam Valley was access to the Indian Ocean.'
'Should China's interest in the Teesta River projects be approved, it would likely result in heightened Chinese presence near the Siliguri corridor.'
'The Maoist leadership spread fear that surrender meant torture or death. Once that false narrative collapsed and our operations proved transparent and credible, the surrender momentum became irreversible.' 'From 42,000 square kilometres, Maoist activity is now confined to barely 500-600 square kilometres -- less than two per cent of Bastar. This is their last remaining base area.'
'He was the Michael Jackson of the community.'
'For the remaining Maoist cadres, they shall soon confront one of two outcomes: Either surrender or face neutralisation.'
'The watershed moment was June 22, 2024, when the divisional in-charge of Gadchiroli, Giridhar Tumreti, who was their senior-most commander, along with his wife, came forward to surrender before the then deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis.'
Ahead of the Mumbai municipal election on January 15, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aditya Uddhav Thackeray launched a blistering attack on his political rivals in a hard-hitting interview with Rediff.
'From every point of view, they have faced an extremely difficult couple of years, and the setback they have suffered is irreversible.' 'This reality has begun to set in even amongst the top-level cadres. That is why, in recent times, we have witnessed a huge number of senior-level cadres emerging from the jungle and deciding to renounce violence and join the mainstream.'