'Jawans are not rich and their families need succour in their time of loss.'
'Modi will not require the Ayodhya issue because he already has other emotive issues like Pakistan.' 'The BJP does not need the temple for political mobilisation anymore.'
'There is dissatisfaction and disaffection for the BJP, but there is no anti-incumbency against the government in UP.'
'If Ranil Wickremesinghe starts repressing and suppressing the protesters who represent the people, that will pose a danger for him to continue in office.'
'If one puts the context of what Xi Jinping said at the UN about not wanting a 'hot or cold war with any country', one realises that his speech was quite bizarre.' 'The world does not expect such statements from China, a nation aspiring to be a superpower.
'In AAP, those who are in charge of a particular state provide information to Arvind Kejriwal. 'In the BJP, several organisations convey what is happening on the ground to the top leadership.' 'There are so many channels through which issues are being understood.'
'70 years back, Dalits used to be abused, scolded, slapped, but killing a Dalit was rare because a Dalit was somebody's property.' 'Now that they are free, they are facing violent attacks.'
Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi was among the best fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force. He perished when the Hawk aircraft he was flying had a mid air collision in Bengaluru on February 19. Those who had flown with him tell Archana Masih/Rediff.com about the skilled flyer who had a fan following among young pilots.
'Imagine for a soldier -- first you conquer territory after fighting a fierce battle, suffer casualties and then you are ordered to come back to your side of the International Border in India.'
'The BJP would like to capitalise on Yogi's tough image on criminals, law and order situation, and hands-on CM.' 'Modi will be an additional advantage, but it is primarily a contest between Yogi and Akhilesh.'
Major Khushboo Kanwar, the daughter of a Rajasthani bus conductor, made history on Rajpath on Republic Day.
'It's not about me - but about my jawans, my country,' says Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi.
'India has to ensure its borders are properly sealed and there is no infiltration from PoK.
'The Pangong Tso lake is frozen from September-October to February-March. The windchill factor is phenomenal. The night temperature goes to minus 40. The area is like a barren desert. You are out in the open with no trees or bushes to take cover.'
'India would not like to see Pakistani domination and tutelage of Afghanistan against Indian security and economic interests.'
'The BJP would not have brought him into the party if they did not appreciate him.'
'Modi's campaign has been strikingly devoid of anti-Muslim rhetoric. After the kutta pilla incident, it has been several months since he said something horrible about the Muslims of India. It is the result of democratic constraints. He has to make compromises... He's trying to reinvent himself. He will politically hurt himself if 2002 becomes the definition of Mr Modi again', says political scientist Ashutosh Varshney.
'If there is anyone who is a victim of vendetta politics, it is me.'
V K Singh, who has turned around Telangana prisons, wants to improve the police force in his home state, Bihar. Is Nitish Kumar paying heed?
'Congress leaders don't believe in themselves and in the potential of the party.' 'Unless they have faith in themselves, only then will the public have faith in them.'
'China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante of April 2020.' 'India will have to weigh its options based on this premise.'
'The BJP is in no hurry because they have already won the battle.'
Kerala Congress President V M Sudheeran on why the state needs to get sober.
Irom Sharmila, the woman who was on a hunger strike for 16 years, leads a quiet life, and recently became a mother of twin girls.
'To deal with a bully, you have to deal from a position of strength, not a position of weakness.'
'People may think that because my father was in the film world and politics, things are easy for me.' 'It is not easy at all.'
'We don't know about our own treasures because we are a colonised people. We are unable to break away from that mindset because it is designed as a mouse trap - and colonised people become pigmies/mice on their own soil. We have lost the eyes to appreciate ourselves.'
'India has to prepare for future warfare where kinetic use of force at the border will be limited. War will take place in the realms beyond the border.'
'As long as we have such partners, Russia cannot be isolated.'
'There is a strong possibility that the BJP's seats are going to be much higher compared to the JD-U and this would be the turning point for the BJP.'
'Imran Khan might actually get some initial leeway from the generals to pursue better ties with India -- but not beyond a point.'
'No one in Sri Lanka could afford to stay at home, everyone came onto the street.'
'The safety regulations drastically reduce the chances of contracting the virus on a two-hour flight.'
'It has also underestimated the striking force of the Opposition. It has been complacent and paralysed. That may be due to the compulsions of coalition politics and the arrogance of a party which looked at itself as entitled to rule,' says political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot.
'Not everybody gets the opportunity of having a working desk inside a helicopter from where you can control torpedoes and weapons.'
'After days of waiting in uncertainty and anguish, I was finally going home.'
'The leverage created by the Indian military must not be lost.'
