'The buildings all around had caved in or were damaged. The trees were all uprooted. Things were very scary.'
'Nobody is speaking up for Muslims today.' 'Secular parties too have calmed down because they feel this will hurt the Hindu vote (bank).' 'In this scenario, where does a Muslim go?'
'If the central government does not give rights to the people of Ladakh, then it won't be good for our country.'
'There is no law or Article in the Constitution that says the prime minister must inaugurate the new Parliament, but Article 79 of the Constitution says the President of India is the competent person.'
'They will be in prison all their life and they will understand what suffering means to Reuben's and Keenan's families.'
'In low-profile cases, if there's a small quantity (of drugs involved), you get bail on the first day.' 'In high-profile cases, it depends on the judge.'
'It is a frightening situation as the most threatening aspect is the development and growth of society.' 'Once our society comes into perpetual violent mode, then investments will drop.'
No one can make the audience laugh like Govinda, raves Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'A stable and strong Pakistan with an anti-India mindset and hatred is not good for us.'
'Rahul Gandhi never gets firsthand information. He does not know what is good or bad going on in the party.'
'The time has come for all those believe in a democratic India to stand up and be counted and to make a choice.'
'The Maoists have weakened considerably in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after Milind Teltumbde's death.'
'Hindus have never been polarised across Maharashtra in any state election.'
'Assam is not a dumping ground for Bangladeshi Hindu refugees,' says Assamese actor Ravi Sharma who joined the BJP in August and quit the party on December 10 in protest against the Citizenship Act.
'Yogi was there, but ultimately the BJP got extremely worried and therefore Modi pitched in.'
'We don't know how and why this happened as the route interlock signal works fine millions of times every day across India.'
If Govinda wants to give Bollywood's filmmakers a wake up call, he needs to do a film that showcases his acting talent, writes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'We request the Indian government that they send some buses urgently so that we can travel in groups and reach safety.'
Sanju is a repeat of Munnabhai, feels Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
So worried is Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde of desertions that he is asking rebel MLAs in Guwahati to sign affidavits affirming that they won't go back on supporting the 'cause of Hindutva' after reaching Mumbai.
'Modi is now the biggest messiah of OBCs and Dalits as V P Singh once was.'
'For free supply of drugs and medicines itself, almost Rs 20,000 crores would be required.'
'...by directing these draconian provisions against political and ideological opponents of the ruling group, minorities, and those who dare to dissent through and selective prosecution and prolonged incarceration as undertrials.'
Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha's tenures in the Rajya Sabha end this month.
After watching Uri: The Surgical Strike, Syed Firdaus Ashraf gets the feeling that Modi has added another tool to help him win the 2019 Lok Sabha election: Hindi cinema...
'Had they agreed to our demands that we raised two years ago, we would have never started our agitation again.'
Syed Firdaus Ashraf applauds The Kapil Sharma Show's reincarnation.
Indians waiting patiently in serpentine queues outside Mumbai banks tell Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf they are ready to suffer for the larger good of the country.
'People tell us openly that in 2024 we will vote for Modi.'
Hamid Nihal Ansari, a software engineer from Mumbai, returned to India in December 2018 after spending six years in a Pakistani jail for illegally entering the neighbouring country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. He was arrested in 2012 and lodged at Peshawar jail after Pakistan had slapped espionage charges against him. The decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi and Sushma Swaraj, who was the external affairs minister and was personally monitoring the case. Speaking to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Ansari recalls the time he spent with her and says that if it wasn't for her efforts, he would still be rotting away in a Pakistani cell.
Coolie No 1 is a cheap comedy for silly people, asserts Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'It could backfire on the BJP and boost the Opposition parties.'
'Farmers must get Maximum Support Price instead of Minimum Support Price.'
'They want to win 45 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra in the 2024 general elections and joining hands with Ajit Pawar is in that direction.'
'The government never asked any transport association before making this law on hit and run cases.' 'MPs only clapped to Amit Shah's new law and never questioned him about this law.' 'Are these MPs not bothered about the lives of drivers?'
'Mamata Didi is the only politician who can take on the might of Modi.'
'The Indian Army and paramilitary have to land more in Assam as the situation is very bad, especially in upper Assam,' says BJP MLA Binod Hazarika whose home was burnt down by mobs.
'The people of Jharkhand know that Modi is not going to become chief minister, so why should they vote for the BJP?'
'We moved out just in time. The fire spread so fast.'
'...to address the serious faultlines that had got exposed during the pandemic.' 'If the economy is looking up this year, we could have been allocated an increase of at least 20%.'
