Ramesh Menon

All stories by Ramesh Menon

Is One Nation, One Election A Ploy?

Is One Nation, One Election A Ploy?

Rediff.com6 hours ago

What India needs more than one simultaneous election is better governance both at the central and state level. Yes, we need reforms, but our priority should be to make elections less expensive, make it more democratic, do away with freebies which are actually bribes before elections, allow only those who are educated to contest, and bring in a bill to make it impossible for criminals to contest, advocates Ramesh Menon.

How Will History Remember Chandrachud?

How Will History Remember Chandrachud?

Rediff.com2 Dec 2024

He could have blazed a trail that few Indian judges had. It was a missed opportunity of a lifetime, notes Ramesh Menon.

Battle For Survival For Pawars, Uddhav, Shinde

Battle For Survival For Pawars, Uddhav, Shinde

Rediff.com19 Nov 2024

Voters, it is said, get the government they deserve. We will soon see what voters in Maharashtra choose. Till then, a sense of helplessness and scepticism hangs in the air, notes Ramesh Menon.

Will Modi Let Omar Govern In Peace?

Will Modi Let Omar Govern In Peace?

Rediff.com15 Oct 2024

Will Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who gets his orders from New Delhi, call the shots or allow a democratically elected government to independently govern, questions Ramesh Menon.

Will Sexual Abuse Ever End In Film Industry?

Will Sexual Abuse Ever End In Film Industry?

Rediff.com11 Sep 2024

Nothing is going to change in a hurry unless attitudes change and punishments are speedy and fair, notes Ramesh Menon.

Beware! China, Pakistan's Bangladesh Games

Beware! China, Pakistan's Bangladesh Games

Rediff.com13 Aug 2024

Bangladesh is in turmoil, which is not good news for India, which shares a porous 4000 km border with it. There is a danger of fundamentalism growing there, and India has to move in to reset its ties with the new dispensation before China and Pakistan make capital out of it, alerts Ramesh Menon.

Modi Bluster Missing From Budget

Modi Bluster Missing From Budget

Rediff.com26 Jul 2024

With the reality of coalition politics staring the BJP in its face, this was inevitable, points out Ramesh Menon.

If Modi Wants A Full Term...

If Modi Wants A Full Term...

Rediff.com17 Jun 2024

It will be in Modi's interest to reinvent his party, read the writing on the wall that voters wrote, and move ahead. He has little choice now. The country is watching, asserts Ramesh Menon.

Is Election Commission Scared Of Modi?

Is Election Commission Scared Of Modi?

Rediff.com25 May 2024

This election will be remembered for being the first election where the Election Commission failed to take action on gross violations involving the ruling party that repeatedly used religion, communal slurs, lies and undocumented allegations, observes Ramesh Menon.

Is Election Slipping Out Of Modi's Hands?

Is Election Slipping Out Of Modi's Hands?

Rediff.com1 May 2024

In nearly 100 seats, the BJP stands almost no chance of winning. In 200 seats, it is a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress where the BJP has an upper hand. In 243 seats, the BJP is pitted against regional parties and it is not going to be easy. That is why 400 seats may end up as a pipe dream, states Ramesh Menon, author of Modi Demystified: The Making of a Prime Minister.

If Kejriwal's Government Is Dismissed...

If Kejriwal's Government Is Dismissed...

Rediff.com9 Apr 2024

'Kejriwal could have easily deputed someone to step in as chief minister, but being the authoritative and self-centered personality that he is, he chose not to do it.' 'If the AAP loses Delhi, where it has a huge majority, the only one to blame would be Kejriwal,' asserts Ramesh Menon.

Can Modi Beat Rajiv Gandhi's 404 MPs Record?

Can Modi Beat Rajiv Gandhi's 404 MPs Record?

Rediff.com6 Feb 2024

Modi wants the BJP to gets an additional 10% of the vote share from what it won in 2019. Plans are afoot to get new faces to replace MPs with poor chances of winning. Sources say more than 100 MPs are like to be axed, notes Modi biographer Ramesh Menon.

Shinde's Maratha Reservation Dilemma

Shinde's Maratha Reservation Dilemma

Rediff.com23 Dec 2023

Any move of the present government to appease the Marathas may boomerang. Eknath Shinde is a worried man with the agitation not having an easy solution, notes Ramesh Menon.

Is The Congress Doomed?

Is The Congress Doomed?

Rediff.com7 Dec 2023

The Congress needs to reorganise itself at the grassroots, infuse younger blood, and have more boots on the ground. Just offering freebies is not the answer anymore. Leadership matters, asserts Ramesh Menon.

Can Gehlot Make It Two In A Row?

Can Gehlot Make It Two In A Row?

Rediff.com22 Nov 2023

The fact that Gehlot has stayed relevant these five years with his populist schemes is one reason why he may beat incumbency in a state that votes for change every election, observes Ramesh Menon.

Will Renaming India Change Our Lives?

Will Renaming India Change Our Lives?

Rediff.com26 Oct 2023

Debates on changing the name of India to Bharat continue to spark a crisis of identity without answering moot questions that stare us in the face. Ramesh Menon asks a few of those questions that do not have easy answers.

Modiji, Is India Ready For UCC?

Modiji, Is India Ready For UCC?

Rediff.com9 Oct 2023

Introducing UCC is a challenging task for any government. The complexities are real and difficult to negotiate as it deals with sensitive religious and cultural sentiments. How can it strike an easy balance between individual rights and community interests?, asks Ramesh Menon.

Governor-CM Rifts: Democracy At Risk

Governor-CM Rifts: Democracy At Risk

Rediff.com6 Jul 2023

Governors must be impartial, fair, and above narrow politics to uphold the values and spirit of the Constitution. But in a rapidly changing political culture where the unstated rule is to crush the Opposition, such values have no meaning. At stake are Constitutional values, federalism and governance, asserts Ramesh Menon.

Congress Challenge: Keep Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar Happy

Congress Challenge: Keep Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar Happy

Rediff.com18 May 2023

There are lessons for the Congress to learn from the Karnataka elections of how burying the hatchet among top leaders and not washing dirty linen in public can help, says Ramesh Menon.

'Yogi baba won't allow criminals to survive'

'Yogi baba won't allow criminals to survive'

Rediff.com30 Apr 2023

The murder of Atiq and his brother and the police encounter with his son have raised many questions about the propriety of how crime is tackled by the Yogi government. But Yogi knows he has the support of the people who are fed up with crime holding the state to ransom for decades, asserts Ramesh Menon.

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