'The Railways decided to go for kavach three years back, but the progress has been very slow.'
'Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I would write a book one day.'
'A campaign that goes beyond caste, creed and religion.' 'This is a campaign that aims to end hunger in society'
'Nitish may take such a decision because he was the first person who was with the INDIA front.' 'He went back only because he did not get proper encouragement from the Congress.' 'Nitish will take a decision provided there is a strong alternative.' 'If he feels ours is a weak coalition, he will not come.' 'Then, this government will continue for five years.'
'It will be difficult to challenge Hindutva anymore as the police will have the power to charge you as anti-national.'
'I have serious doubts about the longevity of the NDA government and the longevity of the 18th Lok Sabha itself.'
'It was specifically mentioned in the Gadgil Committee report that this particular area where the colossal landside happened now should be in the Environmentally Sensitive Area under Zone 1.' 'Zone 1 is the most important and ecologically sensitive area, and that it has to be protected entirely.' 'At least 90% of the Wayanad disaster is man-made.'
'Today's engineering graduates have to learn the skills to solve problems which is actually a higher order skill.'
'Generating employment requires a shift in policy.' 'If not, the country will face economic, social and political challenges in the coming years.'
'Amit Shah had promised Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel that even if there were only one third of MLAs with them, they would be given the party symbol.' 'He promised them that the Election Commission would not take a decision against them and that they would get the party name and symbol.'
We asked colleagues, present and past, to reflect on a man who has made such a difference to their lives and careers. Here it is then, a rich collection of memories that offer enchanting glimpses of the enigmatic Ajit Balakrishnan.
'The more educated a young person is, the higher the chances of him or her remaining unemployed.'
The speech he gave in which he accused the Congress of getting black money in tempos from Ambani and Adani is remarkable.' 'It is a self-goal for sure, but indicates someone who has lost control, someone who is rattled.'
'The policy focus of the government should have been on creating more good quality jobs but that was not their focus.'
'Over the next 20 years, we would be adding almost 10 million people to the workforce every year!' 'And we won't be able to give employment to even 2 million out of the 10 million every year.' 'Don't forget, it keeps adding every year.'
'Those who hope for a strong united Opposition are disillusioned at the way in which the INDIA alliance has already been caught in debilitating squabbles.'
'The longevity of the government is a doubt for me because when the going gets tough, there could a be a point in time where there might be pressure, from within the party or from the allies.'
'Another term for the government under the prime minister would likely be a step forward on the path to Hindu Rashtra.' 'No question of going back or any slowing down.'
'it's not just youth in India who are left behind because of their inability to find jobs; nearly two-thirds of Indian women of working ages do not participate at all in the paid labour force.'
Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com travels to Pullampara to discover how it became India's first digital literate village.
'The fraud is the electronic voting machine is being manipulated by humans, and not counting the votes that is shown on VVPAT.'
'Is it not a fact that all good leaders in the Congress have left the party?'
'The Opposition parties will continue to woo Chandrababu Naidu even though he has said he will support the BJP.'
'He has emerged as a formidable leader who cannot be ignored anymore, who cannot be mocked.'
'After giving my own money to this party, I was insulted.'' 'Neither this party nor its leaders have no respect for women.'
'If we want real democracy, the economy itself will need to be democratised.'
'All those who participated in the agitation were branded as anti-nationals.'
'My protest was in the interest of the nation.' 'I am just doing my duty as a citizen of this country.'
'What happened to Andhra Pradesh? It is the perfect example of the transientness of Federal Units.' 'Federalism is a transient thing in this country.'
'We want to prove to the world that they will get the best code written from a small place like Wayanad.'
'After a month of working on the new machine, I realised that the black glass on the VVPAT lets the programmer manipulate not just the electronic system, but the paper vote too.' 'And it will not be detected even during the mock poll or the actual voting because of the black glass.'
'The sense of Constitutional propriety and political morality seems to be vanishing fast.' 'There are many things in today's politics of governance which Manmohan Singh would have never dreamt of saying or doing.'
'I tell those in their 20s that age is on their side and they should start exercising early.' 'Just like investing in good stocks, if they start early, they will get the multiplier effects of being healthy, fit and strong later in life.'
'The response from the government using words like malicious, deliberate, etc is diverting from the real issue.' 'The indicators related to young children such as stunting or child mortality are a reflection of the social development in the country.' 'That's how we have to look at it and not ignore the issue by denying the data.'
'From our survey we found that there was a problem in the agricultural sector and drones could solve the problem.'
'Now the political boss decides, and the ED acts.'
'Can you believe Ashok Chavan was with me in the senior leaders' meeting one day, and next day morning, he switched sides!'
'If such a practice were feasible, every state would seek additional funds, posing a significant risk to the overall health of the economy.'
'In the larger cities, we can see that 12%-20% of the population making use of the metros. I don't think it is happening in the smaller cities.'
'How come the BJP won even in the Muslim belt? I am 100% sure that the BJP would not win in the Muslim belt.'