News for 'Aakar'

Do you know why India is protesting against CAA/NRC?

Do you know why India is protesting against CAA/NRC?

Rediff.com24 Dec 2019

'The NRC is aimed at rounding up and permanently jailing Indian Muslims who cannot produce the documents to satisfy a government which punishes those individuals who do not declare maximum number of Muslims foreigners.' 'It is for this reason that we see so many Indian Muslims protesting these laws and it is for this reason that so many non-Muslims cannot stand by and watch what is happening in their country,' says Aakar Patel.

Why India has not made a world-beating global invention

Why India has not made a world-beating global invention

Rediff.com15 Jul 2019

'If Indians are as smart as their counterparts in university, and have equal opportunity, then what is the reason that we cannot produce inventions of quality that are recognised by the world?'

Is 9% growth possible? The answer is yes

Is 9% growth possible? The answer is yes

Rediff.com25 Sep 2019

'The goal is achievable. What is stopping us from getting there?' asks Aakar Patel.

Removing Gandhi's SPG cover is a dangerous game

Removing Gandhi's SPG cover is a dangerous game

Rediff.com28 Nov 2019

'If there is a vulnerable family anywhere in the world, it is the Gandhis,' notes Aakar Patel.

Why an Indian hero's statue was unveiled in Pakistan

Why an Indian hero's statue was unveiled in Pakistan

Rediff.com10 Jul 2019

'In Pakistan there has been no problem about the installation of the statues of these men, unlike the Jinnah portrait or other controversies that seem to be present in India these days quite regularly,' says Aakar Patel.

Let us have a trade Akhand Bharat

Let us have a trade Akhand Bharat

Rediff.com16 Sep 2019

'We have not been able to use the potential of our location in the region and the world and our strength as a nation and an economy to establish an EU-like structure in South Asia,' points out Aakar Patel.

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

Rediff.com28 Aug 2019

ially powerful ones, usually find themselves surrounded by people who will not oppose them. 'This is because those who are cautious and of a different view will not find satisfaction serving an individual so different from them, producing results they do not agree with,' says Aakar Patel.

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

Rediff.com19 Aug 2019

'More members of the Indian Armed Forces have died in Kashmir, North East and Naxal areas than in the 1962 and 1971 wars against Pakistan combined. These deaths are the result of political failure and not war.'

CAA: A message to the Indian Muslim

CAA: A message to the Indian Muslim

Rediff.com21 Dec 2019

'We are telling them we have isolated them and their religion as not only unwanted,' says Aakar Patel.

As long as we fix Pakistan we are happy

As long as we fix Pakistan we are happy

Rediff.com4 Mar 2019

'The intensity with which we are focussed on Pakistan, particularly our government and our media, ultimately harms us and reduces our greatness,' argues Aakar Patel.

How far will the Cybertruck go?

How far will the Cybertruck go?

Rediff.com12 Dec 2019

'The unveiling of the Cybertruck seems to me the turning point in the design and manufacture of automobiles in much the same way as American skyscrapers were the turning point of architectural design in the world,' says Aakar Patel.

Why I Voted

Why I Voted

Rediff.com22 May 2019

'There will be millions of us who will feel fear and insecurity because of the menace of majoritarian ideology.' 'It is for the wellbeing and security of those of my fellow Indians, who are affected and who I care for, that I have voted,' says Aakar Patel.

Who is a terrorist?

Who is a terrorist?

Rediff.com10 Oct 2019

'There is no acceptable definition of what terrorism is and who a terrorist is.'

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

Rediff.com22 Jul 2019

'In a part of the world where the government tells people what not to eat and what slogans to shout and not shout, it is beneficial to develop a mentality that is science minded and therefore open-minded.' 'That is possibly why the space programme has always had support from all sides of the political divide,' says Aakar Patel.

How Congress can redefine party politics

How Congress can redefine party politics

Rediff.com16 Jul 2019

'There is no meritocracy or at least there is none that is visible and transparent.' 'The Congress has two opportunities to change this,' says Aakar Patel.

What are Modi-Shah's plans for Lok Sabha polls?

What are Modi-Shah's plans for Lok Sabha polls?

Rediff.com17 Jan 2019

'The party will keep to the script that its core supporter understands: temples, statues, Muslims and cows.'

Why America hates Iran

Why America hates Iran

Rediff.com25 Jun 2019

India should do what we can to ensure that our two friends do not get into a confrontation that is meaningless and ultimately damaging to everyone including us.

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Rediff.com5 Jun 2019

'Modi personally provides the higher direction of the ministry and the minister then works with bureaucrats on implementation,' points out Aakar Patel.

'Made on Earth by humans'

'Made on Earth by humans'

Rediff.com1 Aug 2019

'How will someone who has stood on Mars and looked at Earth, only a tiny blue dot in space, then see the idea of nations and religions and all of our divisions?' says Aakar Patel.

What will we achieve by boycotting Pakistan in World Cup?

What will we achieve by boycotting Pakistan in World Cup?

Rediff.com25 Feb 2019

'Random displays of anger will end in punishment from the IOC and the loss of points in the World Cup, without achieving what we seek,' says Aakar Patel.

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Rediff.com14 May 2019

'It is only because of the Congress that we became a secular republic.' 'As we enter a period where another political force has became dominant, it will be interesting to see if this legacy of Nehru and the Congress is sustained or we are taken in a new direction,' says Aakar Patel.

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

Rediff.com9 May 2019

2019 will be 'a match between the old caste politics and something new which we have not fully understood in UP,' says Aakar Patel.

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Rediff.com12 Feb 2019

'Once the prime minister and the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana pushed for this in 2014 and 2015, we have been trapped in a cycle of violence that gives India a bad name around the world,' says Aakar Patel.

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

Rediff.com3 May 2019

'One goal of the Congress would surely have been to rebuild its organisation so that it begins to match that of the BJP.' 'However, this has not happened, though Rahul Gandhi has been in the party for 15 years now,' says Aakar Patel.

What the hounding of Ram Guha tells us about India

What the hounding of Ram Guha tells us about India

Rediff.com5 Nov 2018

'We can make all the noise we want to about being a tolerant society, but the reality is in front of us.'

Why Pulwama won't get Modi more votes

Why Pulwama won't get Modi more votes

Rediff.com24 Apr 2019

'The narrative that is the ruling party is using on Pulwama is not productive.' 'I do not think Modi and the BJP will get more votes because of that incident and the response to it,' says Aakar Patel.

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Rediff.com29 Jan 2019

'The government should refrain from 'adventurism' and 'megalomania'.' 'But this should be true of reckless government action against every Indian, whether or not they are wealthy or have access to the finance minister even when he is in hospital,' says Aakar Patel.

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Rediff.com7 Jan 2019

So long as no females were allowed to pray there, the strength of emotion kept the issue burning. As more and more women do this, the matter will fade.

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

Rediff.com5 Jan 2019

'We have had 27 years of liberalisation and in the same period Korea and Japan and China transformed themselves forever,' says Aakar Patel.

What every Lok Sabha candidate must know

What every Lok Sabha candidate must know

Rediff.com25 Mar 2019

'We would do well to encourage all Indians to participate in democracy by contesting and laws that prevent or deter individuals and parties should be relooked at,' says Aakar Patel.

When will this climate of hate end?

When will this climate of hate end?

Rediff.com19 Mar 2019

'The sentiment against immigrants and particularly against Muslims is produced by the climate of hatred and bigotry we see all around us.' 'It is produced by the politics of division and spread by a reckless media around the world including unfortunately in India,' says Aakar Patel.

Can the Opposition pick itself up?

Can the Opposition pick itself up?

Rediff.com28 May 2019

Nobody understands the deep causes of defeat and victory better than the defeated. The defeated have been to all the battlefields. They have looked into the eyes of their soldiers and those of the opponents, says Aakar Patel.

What the first Indians tell us about ourselves

What the first Indians tell us about ourselves

Rediff.com13 Mar 2019

'India is a strange place.' 'On the one hand we have the most advanced science working on our origins and our ancestry.' 'On the other we are at war with ourselves over a temple to a god whom our first ancestors knew nothing of,' says Aakar Patel.

Of all assembly polls since 2014, these are most important

Of all assembly polls since 2014, these are most important

Rediff.com10 Dec 2018

'The confidence of the Opposition will go up and alliances will be easier to form if it becomes apparent that the BJP is losing ground in the north of India,' says Aakar Patel.

The Indian State is always up to mischief against citizens

The Indian State is always up to mischief against citizens

Rediff.com3 Sep 2018

'The individuals whom this government and its media call 'Urban Naxals' should not have been arrested.' 'In any civilised democracy (which India is not) this would not have happened,' argues Aakar Patel.

Ayodhya must inspire faith, not hate

Ayodhya must inspire faith, not hate

Rediff.com26 Nov 2018

'It is not with feelings of devotion or piety that these people are gathering.' 'It is mostly with emotions of hatred.' 'Listen to their slogans and their rhetoric and this becomes immediately clear,' says Aakar Patel.

What Rahul needs to do NOW!

What Rahul needs to do NOW!

Rediff.com21 Nov 2018

'There will be an instant and positive change in the way Rahul Gandhi is perceived by millions if he says he is not a candidate for PM,' suggests Aakar Patel.

What we need for India to become truly great

What we need for India to become truly great

Rediff.com15 Nov 2018

Unless Indians learn to speak freely and fearlessly, 'true greatness will elude this nation, no matter how brilliant the individual at the helm may be,' says Aakar Patel.

Why all parties want to give out money in cash

Why all parties want to give out money in cash

Rediff.com4 Feb 2019

'In India, we are very far away from the per capita incomes of the West. And so the need to support many more people with much more money will come sooner in India than in other nations,' says Aakar Patel.

Why dance bar judgment is absolutely right

Why dance bar judgment is absolutely right

Rediff.com25 Jan 2019

'The same instinct that thinks that women should remain at home and not be at the workplace, objects to the dance bar.'