Our leaders continue to belie expectations, refusing to rise above caste and creed, gender and region.
The very structure of the council of ministers breeds inefficiency. Far too many people had to be accommodated and jobs found for each.
Varun Gandhi has been gaoled for reportedly making provocative statements. Would any ministry, ever dare apply the same draconian laws against the Hurriyat Conference chairman?
It is a bit of a sad commentary on our democracy but the general election is going to be only the first step in forming a government. The second step will come only when the party leaders -- specifically from regional forces -- judge their positions after the polls.
The three major parties will use the next 15 days for housecleaning. But what price must they pay for keeping their allies happy? As things stand today the Congress and the BJP are hard put to summon even a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. When the new House reconvenes in summer could we see a situation where not two but even the three largest parties will be pressed to reach the magic number of 272?
'Karat's CPI-M is no longer the (reasonably) disciplined, cadre-based party he inherited from Surjeet, it is now just another group of egotistic individuals.'
This election should not be about Ramalinga Raju, or SNC-Lavalin, or Prabhakaran, or 'pub culture'. It should be about the actual issues of the day, which can be summed up in a single word: 'Security'.
The saddest part of the SNC-Lavalin saga is that, with minor modifications, you could probably come up with a similar scandal in several other states.
'Given the Satyam scandal, is it too much to ask that Sreedharan's allegations should finally be taken seriously? And that while we are about it, how about taking another look at all the other BOT projects undertaken by Maytas Infra?'
'It is we who elected both the literate M K Stalin and the illiterate Golma Devi, and it is we who must endure the consequences.'
The Congress is allowing successes in Delhi, Rajasthan, and (to an extent) J&K to blind its national alienation as seen in Karnataka.
But the minority affairs minister would do well to remember that stupid conspiracy theories can run both ways -- and that, carried to the bitter end, his own allegations could leave his party very sorry.
Pakistan represents 'strategic depth' in Mullah Omar's war with the US, then a staging camp for the conquest of India.
Every major nation has problems with Muslim fundamentalists, yet none could capture a suicide attacker trained from the Al Qaeda manual. That honour goes only to the Mumbai police.
There is no way that India can stop Sri Lanka from crushing the LTTE now that Prabhakaran's head is in the noose.
'Most Hindus, most Muslims, and most Christians in India are essentially peaceable folks who would rub along perfectly well with each other given half a chance. But will they get that option if the headlines are hijacked by extremists with their own agenda?'
A picture, they say, is worth a 1,000 words. Come the general election and we may find that a certain picture is worth 2,000 words.
'If the CPI-M cannot mend relations with Dr Manmohan Singh, it may find that Congress boss Sonia Gandhi is still willing to talk.'
If the amount of disinformation that spreads so rapidly in the US is disturbing our own lack of appreciation of our rich heritage is almost as troubling.
'The prime minister and his colleagues thought the Bush administration's promises were as good as gold. But, as the Americans would now have you believe, gold is no better than bronze.'
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances