News for '-j-akbar'

My father has a mind of his own: Manmohan's daughter on memoir

My father has a mind of his own: Manmohan's daughter on memoir

Rediff.com15 Sep 2014

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has to make up his mind whether or not he wants to write his autobiography, his daughter Daman Singh has said.

Nigerians attacked in UP: 5 arrested

Nigerians attacked in UP: 5 arrested

Rediff.com28 Mar 2017

Swaraj said the Centre was taking immediate action and that UP CM Yogi Adityanath had assured her of a fair and impartial investigation.

'Modi certainly doesn't exclude Muslims from governance'

'Modi certainly doesn't exclude Muslims from governance'

Rediff.com16 Mar 2017

'How can the BJP give Muslim candidates tickets if they don't have any good Muslim candidates?'

India issues demarche to China on Masood Azhar issue

India issues demarche to China on Masood Azhar issue

Rediff.com9 Feb 2017

India hit out at China for its remarks that there was no consensus over the United States' proposal to ban Pathankot attack mastermind and Jaish-e-Mohammed is chief Masood Azhar at the United Nations

Meet the new faces in team Modi 2.0

Meet the new faces in team Modi 2.0

Rediff.com6 Jul 2016

Full list of the rejigged Union Council of Ministers

Incredible India? Nah, it's Indiahahahaha

Incredible India? Nah, it's Indiahahahaha

Rediff.com28 Nov 2015

The BJP is methodically turning India into the world's laughing stock, one brainless statement after another.

What will Yameen do next? And how must India respond?

What will Yameen do next? And how must India respond?

Rediff.com28 Feb 2018

'As of now, it may be best for India to insist that Yameen honours the supreme court rulings and ensures that the next election is free and fair,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).

BJP decides to take the bull by the horns in Parliament

BJP decides to take the bull by the horns in Parliament

Rediff.com19 Jul 2015

Bracing for the opposition onslaught in Parliament, government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday decided to aggressively counter the attack on its leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan and rake up controversies related to Congress leaders.

Fundamental liberties could be curtailed again: LK Advani

Fundamental liberties could be curtailed again: LK Advani

Rediff.com18 Jun 2015

'I don't have the confidence that Emergency cannot happen again,' says BJP veteran LK Advani days ahead of the 40th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency.

Pak envoy invites separatists before crucial talks, angers India

Pak envoy invites separatists before crucial talks, angers India

Rediff.com17 Aug 2014

An invitation by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit to all the Kashmiri separatist leaders "for consultations" in Delhi ahead of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks has touched off a controversy with the Bharatiya Janata Party calling it "most unfortunate" and "old tactics".

Why should patriotic Indians be embarrassed by Mulk?

Why should patriotic Indians be embarrassed by Mulk?

Rediff.com23 Aug 2018

'Mulk questions the very principle, of good-Muslim exceptionalism.' 'That, of course, we adore Abdul Hamid, A P J Abdul Kalam and Bismillah Khan and if only more Muslims were like them.' 'Anubhav Sinha sticks his neck out to say that these are no exceptions.' 'Most Muslims are like them. It is the terrorists who are exceptions,' says Shekhar Gupta.

HRD goes from Smriti to Javadekar, I&B from Jaitley to Naidu

HRD goes from Smriti to Javadekar, I&B from Jaitley to Naidu

Rediff.com5 Jul 2016

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who inducted 19 new ministers into his Cabinet on Tuesday has carried out major changes in the portfolios of his top ministers.

BJP delivers 'Panchamrit' for India's foreign policy

BJP delivers 'Panchamrit' for India's foreign policy

Rediff.com3 Apr 2015

In the first-ever separate resolution on foreign policy brought in its National Executive in Bengaluru, BJP attacked the previous Congress-led Government, saying "a cursory glance at the 'lost decade' of the UPA, reveals retreat and a loss of direction in engaging with neighbours, ham-handed diplomacy vis--vis Pakistan and a blind-spot in our foreign policy to the Indian Ocean island states."

Modi distances from Gandhiji -- and Parrikar

Modi distances from Gandhiji -- and Parrikar

Rediff.com19 Oct 2016

'Parrikar should never have bracketed himself with Modi.' 'That was an act of blasphemy that could invite divine retribution,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Why we must support Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Why we must support Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Rediff.com18 Oct 2016

Neither the filmmaker nor the actor who is being targeted, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf, has done anything illegal.

'Gandhi became the first non-Muslim to lead a jihad'

'Gandhi became the first non-Muslim to lead a jihad'

Rediff.com8 Feb 2016

Incisive Editor, brilliant scholar on Islam, and now BJP leader, M J Akbar is at his intellectual best when he dissects the Muslim world and its problems, and offers up a solution from his unique perspective, as he did in this recent speech at the 10th R N Kao Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.

Modi does like to spring surprises

Modi does like to spring surprises

Rediff.com7 Jul 2016

Though the Cabinet reshuffle on July 5 has a clear stamp of the Prime Minister's Office, the changes have also increased the coherence between the Bharatiya Janata Party, the government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

'How can some exercise be taken as a test of nationalism?'

'How can some exercise be taken as a test of nationalism?'

Rediff.com10 Jul 2015

'I don't practise yoga. How am I less of a nationalist than the person who practises it? Is it a crime if I don't practice it?'

Chidambaram, MJ Akbar, Prabhu in the fray for RS nominations

Chidambaram, MJ Akbar, Prabhu in the fray for RS nominations

Rediff.com31 May 2016

As nominations for Rajya Sabha biennial polls closed on Tuesday, a contest is on the cards in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana even as Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram are among those set to be elected to the Upper House.

'Good interaction': PM Modi after meeting with Germany's Merkel

'Good interaction': PM Modi after meeting with Germany's Merkel

Rediff.com30 May 2017

The two leaders enjoyed the sunshine with a walk in the grounds of Schloss Meseberg, an 18th century Baroque castle in the Brandenburg district of Germany.

Pakistan is 'terrorist state', carries out war crimes: India to UN

Pakistan is 'terrorist state', carries out war crimes: India to UN

Rediff.com22 Sep 2016

India said Pakistan was a democracy deficit country and practises terrorism on its own people.

BJP hopes division of Muslim votes will help in Bihar's Seemanchal

BJP hopes division of Muslim votes will help in Bihar's Seemanchal

Rediff.com22 Apr 2014

Critics say that there's no 'Modi wave' in four Muslim-dominated parliamentary constituencies in Bihar's Seemanchal belt, but Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are hopeful to retain three out of the four seats here. In 2009 general elections, the BJP won in Purnea, Katihar and Araria but lost in Kishanganj.

Is Hamid Ansari right?

Is Hamid Ansari right?

Rediff.com2 Sep 2017

'Is Ansari flagging a genuine concern? Is a rectification called for?' 'And finally: Do minorities matter?' asks Shekhar Gupta.

Mani Shankar Aiyar is down, but not out

Mani Shankar Aiyar is down, but not out

Rediff.com17 Jan 2018

'I am in mortal danger not personally, but politically,' Mani Shankar Aiyar tells Anjali Puri.

Ruchira Gupta: The icon we called 'Kiddy'

Ruchira Gupta: The icon we called 'Kiddy'

Rediff.com14 Feb 2017

When Subir Roy met Ruchira Gupta at The Telegraph 35 years ago she was not quite 20 and not a graduate. Today she is the indomitable founder of Apne Aap, which has touched the lives of over 21,000 women who were victims of sex trafficking.

Made for each other

Made for each other

Rediff.com18 Nov 2014

T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan on what's so fascinating about politics that books by journalists about it sell so well.

None of us want to be 'tolerated', we want to be ourselves

None of us want to be 'tolerated', we want to be ourselves

Rediff.com30 Nov 2015

I love India and intend to live and die here, but I also want to be able to freely question its imperfections. Just as I have the freedom to say that Islam has been hijacked by a gang of demonic and utterly vile hoodlums and that the rest of us Muslims seem helpless to combat this evil, says Laila Tyabji.

'Nobody believes Nehru was beyond mistakes'

'Nobody believes Nehru was beyond mistakes'

Rediff.com21 May 2018

'Much of the Socialism that we attribute to him actually came during Indira Gandhi's time,' says M J Akbar who believes that Nehru's convictions helped shape modern India.

30 moments from India in 2018

30 moments from India in 2018

Rediff.com2 Jan 2019

From the Aadhaar verdict to #MeToo's arrival in the country to the entry into the Sabarimala temple -- India had a newsworthy 2018. As we step into 2019, these are the top moments from the year gone by.

Rajya Sabha voting in progress; photo-finish likely in some seats

Rajya Sabha voting in progress; photo-finish likely in some seats

Rediff.com11 Jun 2016

A down-to-the-wire contest is likely in some of the seats in the high-stakes Rajya Sabha elections in seven states, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana, where the fate of candidates including senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal and senior lawyer R K Anand is being decided on Saturday.

'When relations improve, Kulbhushan Jadhav will return'

'When relations improve, Kulbhushan Jadhav will return'

Rediff.com17 Jun 2018

'Kulbhushan Jadhav is a very sad case.' 'I think Pakistan handled this issue very clumsily.' 'They gave too much of publicity and also said that they will hang him.' 'Now obviously, they are not going to hang him.'

Why did Pranab not reveal all in his book?

Why did Pranab not reveal all in his book?

Rediff.com7 Nov 2017

What Shekhar Gupta would have really liked to know from Pranabda: Why did Sonia prefer Dr Singh to him as PM? Why did he deny finance first, why did he accept it 5 years later, and why did he make such a mess of it? How did he force Sonia to nominate him for President and not Hamid Ansari? And how does he justify that most toxic legacy -- the Vodafone tax amendment?

Chidambaram, Misa Bharti, Suresh Prabhu enter Rajya Sabha

Chidambaram, Misa Bharti, Suresh Prabhu enter Rajya Sabha

Rediff.com3 Jun 2016

The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Friday afternoon.

India, Germany made for each other: Modi

India, Germany made for each other: Modi

Rediff.com30 May 2017

Modi also made a call for European Union unity and said India would play a positive role in enhancing that through Germany.

Dr Kalam was an exemplar of plural India

Dr Kalam was an exemplar of plural India

Rediff.com29 Jul 2015

'For showing us a shining vision of how even a ceremonial role can be infused with life by a patriot, a scientist and a humble man of the people, representing the best of India's pluralist ethos, we will remember Dr Kalam.'

Toilet speech for the greater national change

Toilet speech for the greater national change

Rediff.com15 Aug 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a flutter with his first Independence Day speech. While diverted the national attention to social issues, Modi smartly avoided political traps.

Our inward looking policy has cost us dearly

Our inward looking policy has cost us dearly

Rediff.com4 Jan 2016

What India has failed to acknowledge is that sub-conventional war is the name of the game and irregular forces have emerged with greater strategic value over conventional and even nuclear forces, and reliance purely on conventional force and diplomacy is grossly inadequate, says Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retired).

Cabinet reshuffle: Ministers take charge; spell out priorities

Cabinet reshuffle: Ministers take charge; spell out priorities

Rediff.com6 Jul 2016

Apart from Smriti, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ananth Kumar took over as law and parliamentary affairs ministers respectively.

'Islamism, a Phoenix waiting to arise from the ashes'

'Islamism, a Phoenix waiting to arise from the ashes'

Rediff.com8 Feb 2016

'Small bands of terrorists believe they can destabilise superpowers if they are ready to become martyrs.' 'Since the road to paradise is under the shade of swords, it is a win-win situation for those ready to die for the cause of Allah.'

Mallya became the banker's most valued trophy

Mallya became the banker's most valued trophy

Rediff.com12 Mar 2016

'Lending to Mr Mallya was the bankers' season ticket to corridors of power and glamour. Borrowing from them was like a favour Mallya did to them,' says Shekhar Gupta.