Onkar Singh, a valuable member of the Rediff.com team over the years, breathed his last on January 13. Syed Firdaus Ashraf, who knew him intimately, remembers the ultimate newsman.
'I am very sure that Rajnikanth, a patriot and a spiritual person, will not do this movie which is about a tyrant, killer and murderer,' BJP leader H Raja tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com
'Farmers' issues will rule the narrative in the 2019 elections.'
'When there is so much anxiety, the Government of India should assure people on the vaccine issue and help the states demanding more supply that they will be provided the required quantities.' 'Any Centre-state conflict at this point of time is counter-productive and enhances people's anxieties that should be avoided.'
'If a politician asks the policeman to do something which is not correct, then why blame the politician?' 'If you do it, then you are equally liable.'
'One reason given for the failure of the Congress in Assam was due to the alliance with the AIUDF.'
'He felt that he had no place in the BJP and he was wrong.'
'Someone told me on Facebook that 2017 will be the last year of my life.' 'I am speaking up only because innocent students were physically abused and that is not correct.'
'I have no problem with people from the right wing who speak with a certain integrity of position.'
'These charges of the prosecution will fall to the ground and I am 100 per cent sure of that.'
'All imaginary figures are pushed by government bureaucrats.' 'They never showed that the production of wheat was less this time.'
But for the PM's decision, my teenage daughter, a child of the post-economic reforms generation, could never have imagined the Socialist India that remains so much a part of my growing up years, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Bharat Pardeshi, one of the leaders from the All India Railway Act Apprentice Association, spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf about why they had to resort to the unpopular move, disrupting the lives of thousands of railway commuters in Mumbai.
'I can barely see anything in the news about the farmer protests, and all I've seen of Nirav Modi is that he can't come home because he's busy, and that the CBI is writing letters begging him to please at least call the Indian embassy, no?'
'If Modi-Shah had not changed the leadership, one section would have parted ways with the BJP for sure.'
Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf and Hitesh Harisinghani speak to millennials to find out if the ease of ride-sharing apps like Ola and Uber was a reason for them not buying a car.
'Government must take into consideration the human cost of the NRC exercise'
Syed Firdaus Ashraf, who grew up in the 1980s, tells us why Befikre is a must watch to understand the new generation.
'The message they want to send to the country is that they can do anything by hook or crook'
It reinforces the Muslim stereotype, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'PM Modi is not taking Kashmir's stance as far as the Naga issue is concerned.'
In these times of Rs 2,000 notes and digital payment apps, Syed Firdaus Ashraf tries to book tickets for Dear Zindagi.
Why Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manjinder S Sirsa is furious with the director and actor of Sacred Games 2.
'Sachin Pilot had every legitimate right to demand to become CM.'
'Dr Kafeel is being framed by the Yogi government because he talks about the BRD hospital all the time.'
'Just keep telling people that we have fixed the Muslims, and they will not be bothered about their empty stomachs or empty wallets.'
'When the Babri Masjid was demolished, we didn't take permission from anyone.'
'The Government of India could aggressively promote developmental projects that will alleviate poverty particularly in communities where South Africans of Indian origin and our black brothers and sisters live as neighbours.'
'Our only request to the Indian government is that they should act fast and send a plane to evacuate us as people around us are dying'
Why is the government unwilling to disclose the winners of its DigiDhan Yojana?
From Singapore to Almora, Abhishant Pant has survived without cash, and he wants to continue in that state all his life.
'It will take a long time for people's memory to be misled by a prime minister who is so arrogant and who refuses to acknowledge his own faults.'
'I don't believe that it beholds democracies like us who claim to be the largest democracy in the world, to have such a thin skin about the possibility of foreign commentary.'
'If people want to blackmail others to get information or harm things, so why will someone give them information?'
'No action will be taken against Ajit Pawar. I am sure.'
'The Chinese have not crossed the LAC in Galwan.' 'They are on their side of the LAC and we are on our side.'
'The Naxals started firing indiscriminately.' 'The whole jungle echoed with the sound of bullets.' 'The only thing I heard from that side was 'Chhodna kisi ko nahi (don't let anyone escape)'.'
'They are ABVP-phobic people. Tomorrow, they will say the US attack on Iran is because of the ABVP.'
Rohith Vemula's suicide exposes all of us as a nation, argues Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'These atheist people wanted to finish the progress of Sabrimala temple devotees and now they are using this (the Supreme Court verdict) as a weapon to destroy the believers.'
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