'The BJP had a big threat from the Congress in J&K, therefore they were threatened by us.'
'Mr Modi has a huge opportunity before him.' 'Whether he grabs it the way Mrs Gandhi did in 1969 or squanders it as he did in 2014 will determine his economic legacy,' notes T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on Friday took a dig at the Congress, stating that "instead of trying to find fault with the prime minister's coalition government, the party should find its missing leader."
'The Centre and state need to take a unified approach and take concerted action before this matter assumes menacing proportions because unemployment, the drug trade and the levels of frustration among the youth make them vulnerable to any maverick who promises something better.'
In politics, if your objective is only winning elections, just Chanakya neeti might do. For governance you need both, Chanakya neeti and Ram Rajya. You can neither beat up the farmers into submission, nor dismiss them as 'Khalistanis', asserts Shekhar Gupta.
'In India, a really popular and well-entrenched leader is not defeated by a rival.' 'Such a leader has to defeat himself,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
'India could become the newest Asian tiger under Modi's dynamic leadership. Modi could become the Nehru of the 21st century, and re-establish a new Tryst with Destiny, by stating once and for all that Mera Bharat Mahaan is and will always be a truly secular and inclusive democracy in the best spirit of Bharatiya-tva,' says Ram Kelkar, offering an NRI view of the Modi triumph.
He, however, did not make it clear what aspects he wanted Modi to admit as the "mistake"
If he doesn't win next year, it will set back the party's prospects in 2024. If he wins, it will be seen as his win as much as the BJP high command's, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Rahul's two-day workshop on media spokespersons left more questions unanswered and left a large number of those who had come from all over the country unsatisfied with what was being said and what they were supposed to do.
'Now Mr Modi has been offered a more real but different kind of war, which he has likened to the Mahabharat,' notes T N Ninan.
Shah said that it is "a 3-D government in Rajasthan and three Ds stands for 'dange' (riots), 'durvyavhar' (ill-treatment) with women and 'Dalit' atrocities.
The Chinese aren't after territory. Their target is our national will, morale and the sense of autonomy we feel in making our strategic choices. They are attacking India and the Modi government at their weakest point, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday attacked Robert Vadra saying his "inappropriate" behaviour towards a journalist was a result of frustration and he must realise that the country is no longer ruled by the Gandhi family, even as the Congress downplayed the incident.
With the election campaign in Karnataka witnessing a bitter war of words between the BJP and the Congress, both the parties rushed to the Election Commission, seeking ban on electioneering by top leaders of the other side.
It is in no way a government of the economic Right. The Right is limited to religion and nationalism. The rest is as Left as the Congress or any other party, observes Shekhar Gupta.
With the BJP continuing to be the constant combatant, centrifugal pressures will rise. Fractured relations between the Centre and the states as between BJP and non-BJP ruled states is a sizeable risk owing ahead, warns Shekhar Gupta.
'For Modi, it's not just winning, but winning with style.'
'I regret not showing my grandparents the man I am today.' 'I was battling with drug and alcohol addiction when they were alive.' 'They were struggling to see me deteriorating my life and destroying it.'
'If you remove the Gandhi tag behind his name, Rahul is not fit to become even a clerk anywhere.' 'What Gujarat model? It's a model that allows you to sell chai for Rs 5 and land for Rs 1.' 'The day I think AAP becomes Arvind Kejriwal's party I will leave it.' Dr Vishwas Kumar Sharma's Web site introduces him with the grandiose line, 'Indian by blood, poet by choice and a motivator by God's grace'. He is also the Aam Aadmi Party's candidate from Amethi. In a interview with Swarupa Dutt/Rediff.com, 'India's most-read poet' manages to keep the 'I' in every answer.
Irani attacked Rahul Gandhi on his home turf on the food park issue, charging that he was more interested in protecting the interests of a business house.
'There is a compulsion to look hard, decisive, and risk-taking; start something; and then conclude it in a way you can claim victory.' 'That is not such an easy option against China,' notes Shekhar Gupta.
Special Judge D E Kothalikar, assigned to hear cases of the NIA, had, on February 14, rejected the bail plea of Hany Babu, and the detailed order was made available on Monday.
It is sad that the legislative pre-consultation on such an important bill is being done in a very biased manner, notes Shailesh Gandhi, former Central Information Commissioner, recounting his experience with Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar.
'To lead the Congress party, you need experience.' 'You should have held some positions which give you the experience of running the party at any level.' 'Tharoor doesn't have any such experience.'
'Why choose people from outside the state?'
'Modi is now the biggest messiah of OBCs and Dalits as V P Singh once was.'
The long queue outside Cellular Jail is a testimony to its place in India's national consciousness. The Andamans is also where the only British viceroy was assassinated and where Bose unfurled the Tricolour for the first time in 1943.
With his appointment as AG, the many constitutional law matters that are pending before the Supreme Court will receive specialised attention.
The 74-year-old Congress leader has been in custody since August 21, when he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the INX-Media corruption case.
There are three things you never do in a small North East state: Undermine local leaders, divide and rule, push homogenisation, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The iconic Audi 100 won by Ravi Shastri at the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia was restored back to its original glory and handed back to the former India captain and coach by Gautam Hari Singhania, chairman and managing director of Raymond, in Mumbai on Friday.
If fate had willed, Alia Bhatt's first movie co-star would have been Aditya Narayan, singer Udit Narayan's talented son.
'People have realised they bought into the prime minister's package and it is empty.'
'If he were to ask me, I would tell Mr Modi that the real Congress legacy he has to undo is not Nehru's social and political philosophy -- which fits India perfectly -- but his daughter's economic philosophy,' says T C A Srinivasa Raghavan.
'Mr Vajapyee felt that you could pray to any god or not pray at all, but the country comes first.'
A young Indian from Tembhali, hoping to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and give him a gift, is sent away by security personnel.
If anything has become clear during this campaign, it is this: Mr Modi can bat on almost any wicket and hit the ball over the ropes, points out T N Ninan.
A faltering economy may have led to a re-think on economic strategy. And Mr Modi might think he is politically strong enough to take some risks. But there could be a minefield ahead, observes T N Ninan.
The Congress alleged that Delhi Police personnel forcibly entered its headquarters and beat up party workers and leaders on Wednesday, on a day the party staged vociferous protests against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate for the third consecutive day.
