News for 'Liberal Democrats'

Why Modi could have a long-ish ride

Why Modi could have a long-ish ride

Rediff.com10 Jan 2017

'Modi is likely to make more announcements to win or retain popularity, and put himself at the centre of things even more than now,' says T N Ninan.

Why govt banks will not be privatised

Why govt banks will not be privatised

Rediff.com28 Mar 2018

'There is a law that prevents the government from diluting its equity in the PSBs below 50 per cent.' 'That law has to be amended and given the parliamentary arithmetic of the political parties, it is not as simple to do that.'

My Name is Khan, A Decade Later

My Name is Khan, A Decade Later

Rediff.com18 Feb 2020

What has not changed in a decade is the character of Rizwan Khan. He is complex, multi-dimensional and lovable. In fact, his character continues to grow on you, notes Mohammad Asim Siddiqui.

Imran Khan won't save Pakistan

Imran Khan won't save Pakistan

Rediff.com24 Jul 2018

'What is required is to make Pakistan less war-like and more modest in its ambitions. To normalise with India and to reduce the State's fondness for religion.' 'It is pragmatism and not charisma that it required and it is by being boring and not heroic that this can be achieved.' 'This is the moment of realisation which brings the Pakistani leader into conflict with the army.' 'Imran Khan will learn the lesson in time,' says Aakar Patel.

Why Soni Sori plans to hoist the Tiranga in Maoist heartland

Why Soni Sori plans to hoist the Tiranga in Maoist heartland

Rediff.com9 Aug 2016

'India is my country and we will raise our voice against anybody who harms the interests of Adivasis, be it the state government or the Maoists.'

No need for the world to fear Trump

No need for the world to fear Trump

Rediff.com21 Jan 2017

Other countries need not be worried by Trump putting America first, says B S Raghavan. 'That is what the imperative duty is of everyone heading his country's government: To put his own country first, and make it great.' 'That is what Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Theresa May, Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and all the democratically elected heads of governments, with the interest of their people at heart, are doing.'

'Under Modi, the middleman has disappeared'

'Under Modi, the middleman has disappeared'

Rediff.com24 May 2019

'In Rajiv Gandhi's time, out of every Re 1 spent by the government only 15 paisa reached the public.' 'At this moment, I cannot say that the entire Re 1 reaches the common man's pocket, but yes, two-thirds of that money definitely reaches the common man.' 'And the rest of the money will also reach soon.'

Modi seeks a life of peace and dignity for Tamils in Sri Lanka

Modi seeks a life of peace and dignity for Tamils in Sri Lanka

Rediff.com13 Mar 2015

Breaking a 28-year-long hiatus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday embarked on an important visit to Sri Lanka with the message that India favoured a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity for Tamils in its "new journey" of peace and reconciliation.

What Rahul now needs to do

What Rahul now needs to do

Rediff.com16 Dec 2017

'His prowess in Aikido -- a Japanese martial art that focuses on harmony with the opponent to peacefully resolve conflicts -- gives Rahul Gandhi an advantage that fanatical adversaries lack,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.

Former Obama aide Summers withdraws from Fed race

Former Obama aide Summers withdraws from Fed race

Rediff.com16 Sep 2013

Summers dogged by controversies over past views

Obama may skip India during his Asia trip in April

Obama may skip India during his Asia trip in April

Rediff.com21 Nov 2013

United States President Barack Obama will visit Asia in April next year, to push closer ties, but India is unlikely to be part of his stopovers given that the country could very well be in the middle of a general election.

What Rajni Kothari had predicted for India

What Rajni Kothari had predicted for India

Rediff.com19 Jan 2015

When Rajni Kothari pointed towards a new democratic alignment in India.

Assam government is complicit in communal violence

Assam government is complicit in communal violence

Rediff.com8 May 2014

The recent bouts of violence by suspected Bodo militias that killed over 30 hapless 'Muslims, mostly children and women, and rendered several thousands homeless in lower Assam recently, once again offers a shocking glimpse of the horrendous game of violent communalism being played by the Congress government of Assam in furtherance of its cynical power politics for the last several years.' 'The result is, the state is a simmering communal cauldron that sporadically erupts at the slightest real or imagined provocation,' says R N Ravi.

Meet Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka's new president

Meet Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka's new president

Rediff.com10 Jan 2015

Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka's president-elect, was a low-profile cabinet colleague of longtime president Mahinda Rajapaksa until he switched sides to become joint opposition candidate and emerge as the proverbial dark horse in the presidential polls.

The Tragedy of Somnath Chatterjee

The Tragedy of Somnath Chatterjee

Rediff.com15 Aug 2018

'He always had a choice to resign and walk toward the sunset in protest.' 'Instead, he chose to be a mute witness to one of the most sordid chapters of India's parliamentary history when MPs were bought up like cattle to steer the nuclear deal through,' says M K Bhadrakumar.

Sai's Take: Gandhi was, is, will always be alive

Sai's Take: Gandhi was, is, will always be alive

Rediff.com17 May 2019

'When the story of Elections 2019 is told by an independent writer, the BJP's role in lowering electoral standards will be etched in indelible ink,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

Will the Chinese hegemony come to an end?

Will the Chinese hegemony come to an end?

Rediff.com9 Jun 2017

An aggressive Pyongyang is likely to force Seoul and Tokyo to build nuclear deterrents and thus thwart Beijing's ambitions.

Don't change FDI policy, Sharma's advice to his successor

Don't change FDI policy, Sharma's advice to his successor

Rediff.com15 May 2014

Sharma proposes to pass on the 'handover note' to his successor, which as per the poll projections is likely to be from Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

'We have been a bit like a fast tortoise'

'We have been a bit like a fast tortoise'

Rediff.com19 Jul 2019

'My biggest contribution is the creation of the first 'modern Indian law firm',' Cyril Shroff tells Sudipto Dey.

Must we choose between democracy and vikas?

Must we choose between democracy and vikas?

Rediff.com12 Apr 2018

'A dangerous and false binary is now surfacing in Indian political discourse, which must be firmly rejected.' 'It is that we have to choose between freedom and development.' 'For us freedom is neither merely an instrument for development nor to be subordinated to development.' 'It is, as our founding fathers proclaimed early in our freedom struggle, 'our birthright' on which we shall never compromise.' 'Growth, wealth and development are fruits of democracy, not substitutes.' Dr Manmohan Singh's thoughts on democracy: A Must Read!

'The Muslim population has declined in Assam'

'The Muslim population has declined in Assam'

Rediff.com5 Sep 2019

'After the NRC it is proved that whatever the BJP was saying about illegal Bangladeshi migrant was a lie and Indian Muslims have their documents to prove their citizenship.'

The Kurds helped defeat ISIS, but does the world care?

The Kurds helped defeat ISIS, but does the world care?

Rediff.com3 Nov 2017

'The war against ISIS is what earned the Kurds global recognition of being some of the best fighters that overshadowed regular armies,' points out Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).

The new BJP is like the old Congress

The new BJP is like the old Congress

Rediff.com11 Dec 2019

While it took the Congress nearly a half century to earn the hatred of other political outfits, the BJP appears set to reach there in around six years, says Arun Bhatnagar, former secretary to the GoI.

Trapped between two Indias

Trapped between two Indias

Rediff.com20 Apr 2017

The appointment of Yogi Adityanath as UP CM, the revival of the Ram Temple movement, the elevation of a ban on cow slaughter as a national priority, and the targeting of any social behaviour deemed contrary to a set of narrowly prescribed Indian values point to a social regression that contradicts the inclusive and forward-looking impulse that underlies Modi's vision of a modern India.

'Terrorism is also a social activity'

'Terrorism is also a social activity'

Rediff.com24 Nov 2015

'So a number of people are drawn in along with members of their friends' circle or their relatives.' 'A number of individuals find that they have more in common with the 'imagined community' that they discover online as opposed to their own physical community and indeed, even the majority Muslim community elsewhere.'

Rajnath on no-first-strike: Hiss of the cobra

Rajnath on no-first-strike: Hiss of the cobra

Rediff.com17 Aug 2019

While we have to hiss loudly and do the lunging bit to keep our foes on their toes, that's only a tactical matter. What is the strategic goal? What is the end game? In my opinion, there is only one possible end game: the unwinding of Pakistan into several pieces: Balochistan, Sind, Balawaristan (Gilgit, Baltistan, the rest of PoK), the Pashtun area Khyber Pakhtunwa which will merge with Afghanistan, and the rump Punjab, says Rajeev Srinivasan.

Candidate declares he purchased minor for prostitution

Candidate declares he purchased minor for prostitution

Rediff.com18 Apr 2014

The Association for Democratic Reforms came out with the figures in a report after analysing affidavits of the candidates of 12 Lok Sabha seats that are going to polls. Vicky Nanjappa reports.

Myanmar ops a one-off, can't expect replay on western border

Myanmar ops a one-off, can't expect replay on western border

Rediff.com10 Jun 2015

Those advocating a similar raid in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, for instance, need to have a reality check on the applicability of the same template on other borders, says Nitin Gokhale.

'War zone' memories haunt Kuki villagers Chandel ambush

'War zone' memories haunt Kuki villagers Chandel ambush

Rediff.com6 Jun 2015

The area was a theatre of violence for several years since Naga-Kuki ethnic clash broke out in 1993 and the civilian Kuki tribe population suffered severely in that war zone.

Massive turnout in J&K: 70 pc voting recorded

Massive turnout in J&K: 70 pc voting recorded

Rediff.com25 Nov 2014

Ignoring the boycott call by separatist groups and braving cold weather, nearly 70 per cent polling was on Tuesday, in most of the 15 constituencies going to polls in first of the five-phased polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Opposition says nation first 'be it China or Kashmir' after all-party meet

Opposition says nation first 'be it China or Kashmir' after all-party meet

Rediff.com14 Jul 2017

The briefing comes ahead of the parliament session beginning Monday.

All-party delegation in Kashmir on mission to restore peace

All-party delegation in Kashmir on mission to restore peace

Rediff.com4 Sep 2016

"We intend to talk to individuals and groups who want peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said before the departure of delegation comprising 30 members from 20 parties.

Yogis, Sufis and Hindustani civilisation

Yogis, Sufis and Hindustani civilisation

Rediff.com12 Nov 2018

'The osmosis between Hinduism and Islam that really gave birth to the Hindustani or Indo-Islamic civilisation was due to the conversation between Muslim mystics and yogis.'

'ISI has encouraged, trained, funded terrorists'

'ISI has encouraged, trained, funded terrorists'

Rediff.com26 Feb 2019

'The Pakistani military has encouraged and supported terrorist organisations, especially in Kashmir, as a means of waging proxy war against the Indian military and the country's superior economic resources.' 'The evidence is irrefutable with the recent killing of 46 paramilitary troops being just the latest example.'

BJP vs civil society: Who won the battle?

BJP vs civil society: Who won the battle?

Rediff.com26 May 2016

When it came to dealing with the media and academia, it has been a roller coaster ride for the National Democratic Alliance, observes Nitin Sethi.

2019: The year in photos

2019: The year in photos

Rediff.com2 Jan 2020

We sorted through countless photographs taken around the world to come up with the top photos of 2019. Together these images tell the story of the year -- capturing moments of hope and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.

Lanka fails to get assurance from India on UNHRC resolution

Lanka fails to get assurance from India on UNHRC resolution

Rediff.com4 Mar 2014

Brushing aside opposition from the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam and other parties in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa but did not give him any assurance on which way India will vote on a the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution for an independent international probe into rights abuses during the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Modi@4: Rahul issues 'report card' as Oppn slams PM

Modi@4: Rahul issues 'report card' as Oppn slams PM

Rediff.com26 May 2018

The Congress chief gave 'F' to the Modi government for agriculture, foreign policy and job creation, and 'A+' to the prime minister for slogan creation and self promotion.

Why Cong resolution avoided personal attacks on adversaries

Why Cong resolution avoided personal attacks on adversaries

Rediff.com17 Jan 2014

When Congress delegates gathered at Burari in 2011 for a two-day All India Congress Committee session, the political resolution adopted at the meeting was unusually harsh on the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, even going as far as to liken the right wing group to Nazis for its hatred of Muslims.

Why Trump has left Obama's legacy in ashes

Why Trump has left Obama's legacy in ashes

Rediff.com6 Aug 2018

'Trump's desecration of all that Obama represented can be seen at different levels: Personal, political, systemic and structural,' explains Ambassador B S Prakash.