News for 'Prem Bhatia'

Massive Baahubali poster enters Guinness World Record

Massive Baahubali poster enters Guinness World Record

Rediff.com23 Jul 2015

It occupies over 50,000 square feet.

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Rediff.com12 Feb 2019

'Once the prime minister and the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana pushed for this in 2014 and 2015, we have been trapped in a cycle of violence that gives India a bad name around the world,' says Aakar Patel.

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

Rediff.com28 Aug 2019

ially powerful ones, usually find themselves surrounded by people who will not oppose them. 'This is because those who are cautious and of a different view will not find satisfaction serving an individual so different from them, producing results they do not agree with,' says Aakar Patel.

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Rediff.com29 Jan 2019

'The government should refrain from 'adventurism' and 'megalomania'.' 'But this should be true of reckless government action against every Indian, whether or not they are wealthy or have access to the finance minister even when he is in hospital,' says Aakar Patel.

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

Rediff.com19 Aug 2019

'More members of the Indian Armed Forces have died in Kashmir, North East and Naxal areas than in the 1962 and 1971 wars against Pakistan combined. These deaths are the result of political failure and not war.'

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Rediff.com7 Jan 2019

So long as no females were allowed to pray there, the strength of emotion kept the issue burning. As more and more women do this, the matter will fade.

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

Rediff.com5 Jan 2019

'We have had 27 years of liberalisation and in the same period Korea and Japan and China transformed themselves forever,' says Aakar Patel.

Ranji: Uttarakhand top group after draw with Bengal

Ranji: Uttarakhand top group after draw with Bengal

Rediff.com6 Jan 2023

A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

Rediff.com22 Jul 2019

'In a part of the world where the government tells people what not to eat and what slogans to shout and not shout, it is beneficial to develop a mentality that is science minded and therefore open-minded.' 'That is possibly why the space programme has always had support from all sides of the political divide,' says Aakar Patel.

How Congress can redefine party politics

How Congress can redefine party politics

Rediff.com16 Jul 2019

'There is no meritocracy or at least there is none that is visible and transparent.' 'The Congress has two opportunities to change this,' says Aakar Patel.

Of all assembly polls since 2014, these are most important

Of all assembly polls since 2014, these are most important

Rediff.com10 Dec 2018

'The confidence of the Opposition will go up and alliances will be easier to form if it becomes apparent that the BJP is losing ground in the north of India,' says Aakar Patel.

Ayodhya must inspire faith, not hate

Ayodhya must inspire faith, not hate

Rediff.com26 Nov 2018

'It is not with feelings of devotion or piety that these people are gathering.' 'It is mostly with emotions of hatred.' 'Listen to their slogans and their rhetoric and this becomes immediately clear,' says Aakar Patel.

Why America hates Iran

Why America hates Iran

Rediff.com25 Jun 2019

India should do what we can to ensure that our two friends do not get into a confrontation that is meaningless and ultimately damaging to everyone including us.

What Rahul needs to do NOW!

What Rahul needs to do NOW!

Rediff.com21 Nov 2018

'There will be an instant and positive change in the way Rahul Gandhi is perceived by millions if he says he is not a candidate for PM,' suggests Aakar Patel.

What we need for India to become truly great

What we need for India to become truly great

Rediff.com15 Nov 2018

Unless Indians learn to speak freely and fearlessly, 'true greatness will elude this nation, no matter how brilliant the individual at the helm may be,' says Aakar Patel.

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Rediff.com5 Jun 2019

'Modi personally provides the higher direction of the ministry and the minister then works with bureaucrats on implementation,' points out Aakar Patel.

What I learnt when the government raided my office

What I learnt when the government raided my office

Rediff.com29 Oct 2018

'Almost exclusively, their interest was in the work that we were doing that they thought of as being "anti-national". One of them even used that specific word,' says Aakar Patel.

I hope M J Akbar is fired

I hope M J Akbar is fired

Rediff.com15 Oct 2018

'Revelations about his assaults on young women mean that his reputation and all that he has stood for is in tatters for all time,' says Aakar Patel.

We now think of our own people as enemies

We now think of our own people as enemies

Rediff.com10 Oct 2018

'We have unleashed a nastiness and viciousness in ourselves that had been bottled up before.' 'This government has helped uncork it, possible forever, and to my mind that is its most significant achievement.'

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Rediff.com14 May 2019

'It is only because of the Congress that we became a secular republic.' 'As we enter a period where another political force has became dominant, it will be interesting to see if this legacy of Nehru and the Congress is sustained or we are taken in a new direction,' says Aakar Patel.

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

Rediff.com9 May 2019

2019 will be 'a match between the old caste politics and something new which we have not fully understood in UP,' says Aakar Patel.

The Swaraj and Sitharaman example

The Swaraj and Sitharaman example

Rediff.com25 Sep 2018

'Two powerful men shaking hands with two powerful women as equals. This photograph made me very happy,' says Aakar Patel.

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

Rediff.com3 May 2019

'One goal of the Congress would surely have been to rebuild its organisation so that it begins to match that of the BJP.' 'However, this has not happened, though Rahul Gandhi has been in the party for 15 years now,' says Aakar Patel.

Why Pulwama won't get Modi more votes

Why Pulwama won't get Modi more votes

Rediff.com24 Apr 2019

'The narrative that is the ruling party is using on Pulwama is not productive.' 'I do not think Modi and the BJP will get more votes because of that incident and the response to it,' says Aakar Patel.

Who is a terrorist?

Who is a terrorist?

Rediff.com10 Oct 2019

'There is no acceptable definition of what terrorism is and who a terrorist is.'

What every Lok Sabha candidate must know

What every Lok Sabha candidate must know

Rediff.com25 Mar 2019

'We would do well to encourage all Indians to participate in democracy by contesting and laws that prevent or deter individuals and parties should be relooked at,' says Aakar Patel.

When will this climate of hate end?

When will this climate of hate end?

Rediff.com19 Mar 2019

'The sentiment against immigrants and particularly against Muslims is produced by the climate of hatred and bigotry we see all around us.' 'It is produced by the politics of division and spread by a reckless media around the world including unfortunately in India,' says Aakar Patel.

What the first Indians tell us about ourselves

What the first Indians tell us about ourselves

Rediff.com13 Mar 2019

'India is a strange place.' 'On the one hand we have the most advanced science working on our origins and our ancestry.' 'On the other we are at war with ourselves over a temple to a god whom our first ancestors knew nothing of,' says Aakar Patel.

Why all parties want to give out money in cash

Why all parties want to give out money in cash

Rediff.com4 Feb 2019

'In India, we are very far away from the per capita incomes of the West. And so the need to support many more people with much more money will come sooner in India than in other nations,' says Aakar Patel.

Why dance bar judgment is absolutely right

Why dance bar judgment is absolutely right

Rediff.com25 Jan 2019

'The same instinct that thinks that women should remain at home and not be at the workplace, objects to the dance bar.'

'Made on Earth by humans'

'Made on Earth by humans'

Rediff.com1 Aug 2019

'How will someone who has stood on Mars and looked at Earth, only a tiny blue dot in space, then see the idea of nations and religions and all of our divisions?' says Aakar Patel.

Ranji: Tamil Nadu settle for draw against Delhi

Ranji: Tamil Nadu settle for draw against Delhi

Rediff.com30 Dec 2022

In an act of gamesmanship, pacers, right-arm quick Harshit Rana (1/27 in 3 overs) and left-arm seamer Kuldip Yadav (2/27 in 3 overs) also wasted time, either faking cramps or tying shoelaces or not delivering the ball even after completing the action.

If Rahul was really the Congress boss...

If Rahul was really the Congress boss...

Rediff.com18 Dec 2018

'If Rahul Gandhi's authority was absolute, he could have picked his man.' 'Compare this with the ease with which outsiders like Adityanath, Khattar and Fadnavis were picked.'

Why India fails to extradite Mallya, Modi, Choksi...

Why India fails to extradite Mallya, Modi, Choksi...

Rediff.com5 Dec 2018

'What is the problem in getting the UK to extradite our citizens?' asks Aakar Patel.

Can the Opposition pick itself up?

Can the Opposition pick itself up?

Rediff.com28 May 2019

Nobody understands the deep causes of defeat and victory better than the defeated. The defeated have been to all the battlefields. They have looked into the eyes of their soldiers and those of the opponents, says Aakar Patel.

Can the Opposition take on BJP's incompetence?

Can the Opposition take on BJP's incompetence?

Rediff.com23 Oct 2018

'There is no shortage of material for the Opposition to develop and deploy a campaign against the government.' 'Are we seeing signs that it exists? I confess that I do not see it,' says Aakar Patel.

Indian politics needs to watch out for Ravan

Indian politics needs to watch out for Ravan

Rediff.com18 Sep 2018

'It is only when those who are oppressed stand for themselves that society is forced to create space for them,' says Aakar Patel.

How Modi taught Advani a lesson

How Modi taught Advani a lesson

Rediff.com8 Apr 2019

'When he has been retired against his will, Advani appears to have found the merits of tolerance.' 'It took his one-time pupil to teach the old man his own lesson,' says Aakar Patel.

Only two MPs stood up for India's gays

Only two MPs stood up for India's gays

Rediff.com10 Sep 2018

'It would have been much more appropriate if a law such as this, which all of the civilised world has given up, was struck down through democratic politics rather than five individuals sitting in judgement,' says Aakar Patel.

Kerala should not be denied foreign aid

Kerala should not be denied foreign aid

Rediff.com27 Aug 2018

'To deny our people help in the time of their greatest need is cruelty,' says Aakar Patel, winner of the 2018 Prem Bhatia Award for Political Reporting.