B Raman: Need to restore public confidence in CBI
Public confidence in the Central Bureau of Investigation, which had gone up in the wake of the successful investigation and prosecution of the cases relating to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 and the Mumbai blasts of March 1993, has taken a series of beatings during 2010. India is no longer the elephant in the room
'The world is convinced that the emergence of India on the global scene is largely beneficial as India plays by the rules.' In 2010 so much has emerged out of India's gutters
'An optimist like me believes that it is the first positive step to clean up the system.' Why Dr Binayak Sen was convicted?
Intellectualism can be a heady wine capable of turning the head of the sanest individual. When intellectual arrogance supersedes genuine intellectualism it can be an unmitigated disaster with the individual blindly pursuing his/her goal, trashing the accepted norms of society in the process and under the erroneous assumption that these are applicable to mere mortals and not to supposedly exalted individuals like him or her. Why we must reclaim religion from the right-wing
As the frightening records of Hindutva chauvinists in India and the Pakistani clerics discussed in this article so strikingly illustrate, leaving religion to the right-wing to monopolise is a sure recipe for bloody and endless conflict, says Yoginder Sikand in the first of his exclusive articles for Rediff.com Why the Jaitapur nuclear plant must be opposed
Citizens are demanding answers to questions regarding approval, rehabilitation and land acquisition, costs, radioactive byproducts, reprocessing of spent fuel and disposal of radioactive wastes and civil nuclear liability limits that remains unaddressed. It must be answered by the Indian government, says activist Gopal Krishna. Is Chidambaram on top of the Maoist issue?
'Given the raft of errors, fits-and-starts lunges at the Naxals, lack of political traction, he and his war council seem to rely on wishful thinking rather than astute strategy to contain the long festering contagion,' says M P Anil Kumar. The Congress may be combative, but can it win?
'The Congress has begun digging itself out of the hole it is in. It hasn't emerged from it yet.' Binayak Sen's conviction should alarm us all
'Governments now know well: Mention the word 'Maoist', and plenty people otherwise sceptical of the government become instant believers, says Dilip D'Souza. Mr Prime Minister, lead or step down!
'Despite his noble intentions, Manmohan Singh is singularly failing to either manage the country well or to provide a vision for the nation's future. He may be a nice man, but India needs an effective prime minister.' Amid China fears, Bhutan stands out
It is time India valued this relationship and paid more attention to the Land of the Thunder Dragon, says Nilova Roy Chaudhury. The common man's worries and complicity
If there is one single fault among the common people, it is the willingness to send the same kind of people time and again to Parliament and tolerate the venal ways of the people appointed to serve the citizens, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. India-China relations worse than in 1962!
'Those who know China would not be complacent enough to think that the Chinese threat is an illusion.' China's bid to boost Pak 'presence' in J&K
Senior analyst B Raman elaborates on why India must not agree to any changes in border rules that China imposes to bring in Pakistan as an interested party. Why did it take 2 years to unearth all this?
'Is there any truth to the rumour that the Income Tax authorities have traced a money trail to a senior politician down in South India?' Is Sonia Gandhi up to the challenge?
'The challenge can only be met if Sonia Gandhi asserts herself and sets a clear Left-of-Centre direction for the Congress and the UPA. The Congress's best bet lies in building a new social coalition based on the most disadvantaged strata of subaltern groups, including Dalits, OBCs and Muslims, driven by a pro-poor programme.' Column: The humble American
Talk of American decline and loss of influence is both premature and overblown, says B S Prakash. Can India be firm with China on Brahmaputra dams?
The Indian and Chinese premiers have an unprecedented historical opportunity to create such a mechanism for sharing international rivers. It will not only help the two countries but it has the potential to create a remarkable example for the rest of the world, says Himashu Thakkar. Wikileaks cables show India's faulty diplomacy
The failure of our diplomatic offensive against Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks rests in part on our faulty tactics, says Satish Chandra. Let us grow up!
Security is a science in the US, it is an art here. Former diplomat TP Sreenivasan offers his take on the controversy over the airport 'pat-down' of Ambassador Meera Shankar What to expect from Wen Jiabao's visit
'Dr Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao can use their great personal rapport to enhance relations between India and China.' Ayodhya judgment: Where do we go from here?
'If the judgment succeeds in nudging Hindus and Muslims to find a compromise ensuring peace, who am I to question it?' National humiliation with capital 'H'
'Anyone who has known Meera Shankar would vouch that she is a proud Indian who never bats an eyelid in articulating her views and convictions.' Why India is not winning against the Maoists
'The government needs to take a leaf from the manual of the Maoists, to be slow and calculated in the way it builds up its response. It is clear that in the hurry to mitigate the menace, some serious compromises have been made.' Mumbai needs an aesthetic counsellor
The city needs simple solutions, which look at each problem not in isolation, but as part of a totality called a city, its people, and their needs, says Mahesh Vijapurkar. Indian Mujahideen is back but weaker
The Indian Mujahideen is active, but weaker, and its remnants, which have so far escaped detection and arrest by the police, probably have a reduced capability. That is the conclusion possible on the basis of the details available so far, regarding the explosion in Varanasi, on Tuesday, says B Raman India's greatest moral challenge ever
'While our politicians get voted out, the industrialist grows from strength to strength irrespective of government shifts till one day he controls the entire political structure... That is the real story of India today.' When journalists cease to be journalists
Journalists who engage in influence peddling should be listed as lobbyists, says Sunanda K Datta-Ray. Wikileaks: Caught in the Midnight Sun
We should not rejoice over the loss of face that the US has suffered on account of the leakage of its cable traffic. This can happen to any country, says former Ambassador T P Sreenivasan. Dr Omar Khalidi's voice will be sorely missed
Dr Omar Khalidi, the Muslim scholar who passed away on Monday, worked tirelessly to lift a mirror for the Indian polity to reflect on its secular credentials and to the Muslim community about the human potential that lay within, says Altaf Makhiawala In season of scams, how will govt stem the rot?
'Nobody denies the culpability of many bureaucrats and businessmen in the shrinking of our moral universe but at the end of the day it is the politicians who set the standard,' says T V R Shenoy. November 2010 | October 2010 | September 2010 | August 2010 | July 2010 | June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010