'It was then that the game started. It was decided that under no circumstances, the seat tally of the Congress should increase from 206 in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls'
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
On the basis of her committee's report, the UCC in Uttarakhand established mandatory registration for marriages and live-in relationships, banned polygamy, and provided equal inheritance rights for women.
The latest issue of "Organiser", an RSS-linked magazine, has argued that the ongoing dispute over the Shri Harihar Mandir in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is not about religious supremacy but about seeking "civilisational justice" by uncovering historical truth. The editorial, penned by Prafulla Ketkar, editor of "Organiser", contends that the debate should not be limited to a Hindu-Muslim perspective but should encompass a wider discussion on historical truths and social justice. The magazine further criticizes the Congress's handling of caste and religious issues, accusing it of whitewashing historical injustices and promoting a false narrative about Mughal rulers.
A product of the 1942 Quit India movement, a Gandhian and a Socialist who remains closely connected with grassroot movements, Dr G G Parikh remains a familiar figure in Maharashtra.
Quite a few film folk turned up at the trailer launch of Dharmaveer 2: Mukkam Post Thane, that continues to tell the tale of the late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe.
'If machines (EVMs) are so reliable, if our electoral system is so reliable, then why has the Election Commission so far not even responded to an ADR plea to share data of 79 (Lok Sabha) constituencies where there's a (alleged) dispute?'
'Money power was deployed like an army in a war.' 'None of the MVA parties had that kind of money.'
Biennial elections are being held for 58 Rajya Sabha seats across several states and by-poll for one in Kerala.
'Whether somebody else can take up (Narendra Modi's position) the answer to it is yes but for that (to happen) some kind of crisis must come and in that crisis Modi must lose the (trust) vote.' 'Only then another candidate from the BJP can come and most likely it could be Nitin Gadkari because he enjoys the confidence (of the RSS as well as that of BJP MPs).'
'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.'
'If the Maha Vikas Aghadi thinks that they have won 30 (Lok Sabha) seats and that would translate to winning 180 assembly seats they would be living in a fool's paradise.'
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha committees had recommended that their suspension be withdrawn after they expressed regret for their conduct during the Winter session when their relentless protests prompted the Chairs to take action.
For renomination to the Rajya Sabha, Nadda will have to look for a seat outside his home state of Himachal Pradesh as the Congress is in power there.
While 30 of them were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session, three were suspended pending the report of the Privileges Committee.
Sixty-eight Rajya Sabha members, including nine Union ministers, are completing their tenure this year, triggering a race of sorts among leaders across political parties to eye a six-year term in the Upper House of Parliament.
The INDIA bloc has 95 MPs in Rajya Sabha of which 45 were suspended on Monday.
'Eknath Shinde's credibility will not grow beyond Thane, Uddhav's credibility will rise across Maharashtra and perhaps in the rest of the country'
The stars Rediff.com Contributing Photographer Pradeep Bandekar sighted on Monday.
As Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra travels across Maharashtra, Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com captures scenes from the walkathon to spread kindness and harmony from Nanded.
According to a Rajya Sabha bulletin, nine of the MPs are from the Congress and three from the AAP.
Detective shows like CID did a better job than Gumraah of creating thrilling cases, observes Deepa Gahlot.
There's a whole bunch of films and Web series coming up for release in April.
The stars Rediff.com Contributing Photographer Pradeep Bandekar sighted on Wednesday.
The RSS-inspired weekly Organiser has come out against granting legal validity to same sex marriage, an issue being heard by the Supreme Court, and argued that the Indic perspective should be central to any deliberation on marital topics.
Parliament remained paralysed for the sixth day in a row on Monday due to protests from rival sides.
Parliament's Budget session has been a washout since the beginning of its second part on March 13, with the BJP demanding an apology from Gandhi.
The magazine in its cover story, titled 'Revisiting Tiananmen Square', has said globally the anti-China sentiment is at its peak since 1989 students' protests. The publication has made this claim citing an assessment report of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a think tank affiliated to the Ministry of State Security, which happens to be China's top intelligence body.
Proceedings in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were disrupted as Opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion and a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout.
On the eve of the Maharashtra assembly election, Loksatta Editor Kumar Ketkar, one of the most accomplished commentators on the state's politics, speaks to Prasanna D Zore.
As polling begins on Friday for the remaining 25 Rajya Sabha seats in six states, here's a list of some of the bigwigs who are seeking to be elected to the Upper House of Parliament.
According to the sources, the angry mob, belonging to the Shiv Sangram group made an unsuccessful attempt to enter Ketkar's house at around 1015 hours. They banged the main entrance of the house. Having failed to enter the house, they became furious and pelted stones on the house breaking its window glasses.
The Bombay high court on Monday ticked off the Maharashtra government for not complying with its order to form a multi-member panel to look into recent hike in fares of autorickshaw and taxi saying the state is being held hostage by pressure groups.
The Bombay high court on Wedneday issued notices to the Centre, Maharashtra government and others on the petition seeking removal of the controversial anti-Islam film `The Innocence of Muslims' from the Internet.
Bal Thackeray described himself as a missionary warrior for the cause of Marathi, but what it meant could never be deciphered by anyone, writes Kumar Ketkar
A division bench of the Bombay high court on Tuesday recused itself from hearing a bunch of public interest litigations in the Adarsh scam case and also the application of former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan who has sought quashing of the corruption case against him.
He also asserted that the freedom of press has to be preserved at any cost in a democracy but media should remember that freedom comes with responsibility.
Alleging that all government authorities were ganging up on Adarsh Housing Society, the society's counsel on Friday told the Bombay High Court that the Ministry of Environment and Forests had cleared various construction projects in the city without insisting for a clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority.
Observing that it is the state government and police's duty to protect and thwart untoward incidents like terror acts, the Bombay high court on Thursday sought a compliance report from Maharashtra government on what measures it has taken post 26/11 terror attacks.