Senior analyst B Raman assesses Brajesh Mishra's role as India's first National Security Advisor, his part in the 1998 nuclear tests, the Kargil conflict and more.
Electoral setbacks and thwarted ambition can have an unpredictable effect on leaders,, observes Aditi Phadnis.
Defending the walkout of its members from the Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday alleged that the "brazen" manner in which the Congress leaders behaved showed the government had a "game plan" to scuttle the panel's probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
The leaders met for about 15 minutes, party sources said. However, the two were not willing to comment on the meeting.
A decision to this effect was taken at a two-hour long meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Vajpayee.
An "exhaustive" list of witnesses, which includes former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, was on Tuesday placed before the JPC probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam, but a decision whether to call them was deferred.
The feud between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal United, over whether Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi could be the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, worsened on Wednesday.
Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Sunday said then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reminded the Gujarat chief minister about 'Raj Dharma' in the wake of the 2002 riots in the state.
'Just because the NDA has a majority and the BJP is the single largest party does not mean that this Modi government enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha.' 'It is always possible that some members (of the NDA and even the BJP) may defect, some members may not want him to be the prime minister and they might vote differently (against Modi) in the confidence vote.'
In contrast to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Hindi mouthpiece Panchjanya that crticised Narendra Modi's style of working, its English magazine Organiser projected the Gujarat chief minister as "the most popular leader in the country today" who can be a mascot like former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and ride the party to power at the Centre.
Feud at the top in the Bharatiya Janata Party took new dimensions with the party mouthpiece making a veiled attack on leaders including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, asking them to rise above issues of self and self-existence.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha has criticised India's recent peace dialogue with Pakistan, saying terrorism and talks can't go together.
A host of leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch at the hospital.
We, at rediff.com, decided to quiz you on Dr Singh and other heads of state, who preceded him. Take the challenge!
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was today quoted as having said that Bharatiya Janata Party should declare its prime ministerial candidate in advance of next year's Lok Sabha polls, but he later denied having said so.
Chidambaram's statement was in response to Modi's reported claim of economic growth rate during Vajpayee government being 8.4 per cent.
Bangladesh has conferred its prestigious liberation war honour on Vajpayee for his "active role" in its independence struggle
"There are people who get converted and do not disclose that they have converted. They take double benefits," RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said at a press conference."
Amol Muzumdar on Saturday became the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy history after his fluent century against Himachal Pradesh helped Andhra finish Day 1 on a strong 331 for seven.
'What more can I ask for?' 'Salman and Ranbir Kapoor know how to respect their seniors.'
Historically, Uttar Pradesh has played a key role in India's political landscape. It is no wonder that eight of India's 14 prime ministers have Uttar Pradesh connections.
'You have done your best for the party, but the party has moved on. Bow out gracefully, quit politics and work on a one-point agenda -- to bring about an amicable solution to the Ayodhya issue.' Sajid Bhombal pens an open letter to BJP patriarch LK Advani
Should India continue with its peace initiatives? Or is the prime minister's mission a lost cause?
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is seriously ill for the past two years, and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who did not canvas in the Bihar polls due to objections from ally Janata Dal-United, figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party's list of election campaigners.
Years before the Supreme Court struck down as 'unconstitutional' an opaque political funding tool that allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without any limits, the then finance minister Arun Jaitley -- the prime mover of electoral bonds -- had termed them legitimate and transparent.
The Musharraf episode in the recent history of the subcontinent has convinced many realists in India that the hope of establishing peace with Pakistan is like accepting a dinner invitation from cannibals and expecting to live to tell the tale, points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
On the Opposition's poll promise of statehood restoration, Shah said, "I want to ask Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, who is going to restore the statehood. You cannot give it back. Why are you misleading the public?"
He has made known his concern over the continuing violence in Assam and Bihar.
The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex in the morning.
Seeking to defend its leadership from the attack by its veterans, the BJP said the "healthy precedent" of collective responsibility for poll defeats was set by Vajpayee and Advani.
The former bureaucrat, who was a close aide of Sayeed, wondered how a party with just 16 members could "blackmail" Gandhi on government formation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday went to the house of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who turned 87, and greeted him on the occasion. After returning from his visit to Kerala, Dr Singh drove straight to the Krishna Menon Marg residence of the former prime minister and presented a bouquet to the ailing leader. During the brief meeting, the prime minister also inquired about the health of the octogenarian leader from his family members.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday dismissed criticism over his controversial remarks on Kashmir and said the Congress cannot shy away from answering why there was only one Muslim minister in the Union cabinet.
'My primary point was where is the Mamata Banerjee who jumps and reaches out, starts talking directly and starts solving over the heads of the bureaucracy.'
'I have donated Rs 1,000 towards the party fund of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Our ideal of always putting Nation First and the culture of lifelong selfless service by our cadre will be further strengthened by your micro-donation. Help make BJP strong. Help make India strong,' Modi tweeted.
Manmohan Singh will be the first Indian PM to travel to Islamabad since 2004. Amir Mir reports
'Reports of the JD-U joining hands with the BJP again is baseless.'
'The Congress in the past backed the demand, but will not support it now since the SP opposes any division of UP.'
In the aftermath of the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appeared to be not keen on President APJ Abdul Kalam's official visit to the state, according to a book.
Would you endorse a reunion of south Asia?
