Minister of State for Home R P N Singh has termed Ajmal Kasab's hanging as the triumph of Indian judicial system.
Sheela Bhatt reports how Ajmal Kasab's execution is significant for the central government and for the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra.
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, who wants a debate in Parliament on FDI in retail, says that the way political parties are poised in Parliament they won't be able to win the motion of no-confidence. Sheela Bhatt reports
'So far as FDI is concerned, there are some things one says -- particularly if one is in election mode -- that may or may not be truly reflective of what is eventually going to happen,' says economist Bibek Debroy.
'Gujarat has a very long tradition of Panchayati Raj. And many of the social sector things we are talking about are actually implemented by the panchayats. Decentralisation exists here. Now to decentralise I need the capacity in the panchayats.In most Indian states, we don't have the capacity in the panchayats, which is why governance in India is so very bad. But Gujarat has had this since the 1960s,' economist Bibek Debroy tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Opposition parties are wary that any such attempt that is likely to fail or is even potentially risky will end up helping the Congress eventually, says Sheela Bhatt.
While it is almost certain that Gadkari won't get a second term as BJP president, the RSS wants to ease him out without diminishing its own clout within the saffron pariwar. Sheela Bhatt analyses the situation.
"One has to follow one's self-conscious. I resigned because Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari had appointed me in the party's national executive. It was the favour done by him to me. I am not satisfied with his actions now, so I resigned." says advocate Mahesh Jethamalani while talking exclusively to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
'It is very difficult to be an honest politician in a country where the system is absolutely corrupt. Jaipal Reddy is one up even on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is considered clean and honest. Reddy has gone a step ahead by playing an active role in stopping corruption. He has put things on record; he has walked the extra mile to ensure that public money is valued highly. One must recognise Reddy's efforts, and make it an example for India's younger generation.'
During the Cabinet reshuffle, the "give and take" amongst the trio of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi has resulted in a new paradigm of power within the Congress and the government, notes Sheela Bhatt.
"The law and order issue all over UP needs national attention," says a senior journalist from a Hindi daily published from Lucknow, and he is right. Under Akhilesh Singh Yadav, communal violence returns with a vengeance to the state, reports Sheela Bhatt
'In any ministry headed by Rahul, we will see a lot of talk of accountability, meritocracy and efficiency. But all these things will impact Indian politics in a positive way if they are a means to an end, and do not become an end in themselves as it has with the revamp of the IYC and the NSUI,' Aarthi Ramachandran tells Sheela Bhatt
Rahul says no, but wants a youthful look for Manmohan Singh's government.
Finance minister P Chidambaram assured a select gathering in New Delhi on Tuesday that Union Budget of 2013 will be presented on schedule. He expressed hope, that like it happened in 2004, it will not be passed without debating.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi meeting their party's stalwart of many decades -- President Pranab Mukherjee -- is not unusual, but the timing of their visits is, notes Sheela Bhatt
Arvind Kejriwal and India Against Corruption have shown India that 'having power' is not really 'being powerful', says Sheela Bhatt
Six IPS officers have been shortlisted for the post of the CBI director once incumbent A P Singh retires in November. Sheela Bhatt reports
The real effect of the so-called 'weak-allegations' against Robert Vadra is that the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is shaken to its core, even if temporarily, says Sheela Bhatt.
Neither Swami Vivekananda nor his guru Ramakrishna Paramhans is Modi's "monopoly", is the message that Sonia Gandhi sent out on Wednesday, reports Sheela Bhatt