Seeking a third straight term, Modi is not just looking to stamp his electoral dominance on India but also chasing history with another consecutive victory equalling first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's record.
Till now, the maximum Bharat Ratnas were awarded in 1999 when four recipients were given the coveted award.
Rahul Gandhi's birthday greeting to the DMDK supremo signifies that the Congress vice president is expanding his ambit of functioning and graduating from handling just organisational affairs, reports Anita Katyal.
'Nehru once told JRD, "I hate the mention of the very word profit".' '"Jawaharlal, I am talking about the need of the public sector making a profit!" JRD replied.' 'Nehru reiterated, "Never talk to me about the word profit, it is a dirty word".' A fascinating excerpt from Shashank Shah's The Tata Group: From Torchbearers To Trailblazers.
BJP derided Gandhi saying he "always talks trash" and claimed that unemployment was at its lowest in the last six years.
Now, every state election -- first up, Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand later this year, then Delhi in January and Bihar in September next year -- will be seen by his followers for evidence of his recovery, and by rivals of sharpening decline, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'It is a well-entrenched belief in the downtrodden, the deprived sections, that Modi cares for them. He has come to occupy their mindspace as their messiah.' 'And it is this deprived, dispossessed section that is powering his electoral performance, breaking ancient shibboleths and shackles like religion and caste and region and language,' argues Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
While Ramesh shared a poem critical of the Scindia family, the Union minister told the Congress leader to study history more than poetry.
Though there is a full-throated clamour in the Congress that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi be formally named as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Nehru-Gandhi scion is personally not convinced that his projection will yield electoral dividends.
The transmogrification of Prime Minister Modi to Saint Modi began with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. By identifying himself with Lord Ram, Modi raised himself in popular imagination to a saintly person.
The party slammed Smriti Irani for being an 'apologist' for the PM.
"Be it Delhi or Maharashtra, the atmosphere should be fear-free. It is the responsibility of the rulers to create such an atmosphere that those in public life can work fearlessly. There is no objection to withdrawing the security cover when such atmosphere prevails," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
'We cannot ignore the role of public institutions in driving development... I don't see much focus on institutional renewal.'
Electoral setbacks and thwarted ambition can have an unpredictable effect on leaders,, observes Aditi Phadnis.
For Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who continues the Gandhi family legacy of active politics that began several generations ago, the formal entry into politics was two decades in the making.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is likely to undertake a day-long trip to Allahabad on August 1 during which he may visit the hospital named after his great grandmother Kamla Nehru, a party spokesperson said on Monday.
Priyanka Gandhi asked what was stopping the human resources development minister from setting up an IIT here.
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said becoming prime minister is not the only 'job' in the world and that there were many other jobs a person could do.
Does Pranab Mukherjee want to be 'PM' by office, not just by initials? The very prospect, with memories of the Narasimha Rao years scarred into their memories, scares the Nehru-Gandhis, says T V R Shenoy.
Will January 22 mark a point of no return for our Constitutional secularism? asks Shekhar Gupta.
The former Congress chief was scheduled to visit Prayagraj for a function at the Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Rai said.
During the day-long debate, the lines between science and religion often got blurred with many invoking religious texts and the contribution of 'rishi munis' to highlight India's tryst with the extra-terrestrial world.
The big surprise is that Narendra Modi, the greatest conjurer in our national politics, has not yet presented a theme to this election, observes Shekhar Gupta.
'The sudden arrests and detentions of all Working Committee members led to mass satyagraha.' 'I found myself helpless as the source of my income, from which I sent a portion to my parents in the village, had suddenly stopped.'
Taking the cue from Mulayam Singh Yadav are his sworn rivals in the Bhartiya Janata Party, whose leaders could never tire of flaying not only him but also the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi clan for promoting their respective families in UP.
Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday assumed charge as the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister for the second consecutive term and is slated to soon present the final Budget for FY '25 that is going to set the tone for the Modi 3.0 government's priorities and direction for Viksit Bharat. Upon her reaching the North Block office, Sitharaman was greeted by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan and other top officials. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present. Chaudhary assumed charge on Tuesday evening.
'Does anyone understand India?' 'Does anyone have a larger perspective for India as a whole?' 'Today we have rulers who do not understand the ruled.'
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Ae Watan Mere Watan tries to get a grasp on the mind of youngsters, shaped by the words of inspiring leaders, committed to the cause of independent India. It's significant because their support isn't based on 'andh bhakti', but leadership that encourages questions, observes Sukanya Verma.
'No chief minister there has completed a full term other than Sucheta Kripalani in the mid-1960s.'
Deepa Gahlot lists Hindi biopics about Indian political leaders: Some worked, some did not, but they managed to avoid controversy.
The senior BJP leader also scoffed at Priyanka Gandhi's resemblance with her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Modi believes that the Congress leadership does not have the political sagacity to undertake a course correction because of its preoccupation about not losing its current gains in the voter base, observes Shekhar Iyer.
'I think some of us, like Mukesh Ambani, myself and those of us who head industrial units, ought to really focus on what we can really do to make the world a safer place, maybe 50 or 100 years from now.' 'For instance, how can we deal with climate change and global warming, right now?' 'The effects of it may not be felt now; in fact, we may pay a price for it today, but it will help the generations to follow.'
He said he has always held the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family in high-esteem.
It is for the Congress to ensure that the revelations do not eat into its vote bank in the crucial assembly elections. And it can do that by one, instituting a transparent and credible inquiry into the allegations; two, by taking action where it is due; and three, by disassociating itself from Vadra, says Seema Mustafa.
Corruption, Anna Hazare's campaign and lack of grassroot support have led to the party's downfall, say analysts. Faisal Kidwai reports from Lucknow
In spite of its flaws, I enjoyed reading the book, says Vanita Kohli-Khandekar. Simply for the joy of digging into the life, in pictures and words, of one of the most enduring stars of Indian cinema.
Initiating the debate from the opposition's side in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said, "I stand here in support of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam."
In switching over, Nitish has sent out a message that if he could not now become the NDA's PM, then he would need to stay on as CM at the very least, which a third term for Modi would not let him have, N Sathiya Moorthy points out.
