'Many fresh faces have come before him on both sides, and every sort of individual -- liberal, conservative, hardliner, dictator -- has come and gone.' 'I think we just seem to be happier when we hate one another,' says Aakar Patel.
'Syed Salahuddin and Muhamed Sayeed would not have survived so long if they were in the cross-hairs of Mossad,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday called Arvind Kejriwal a runaway "groom", as political parties hurled jibes at the AAP leader after he quit as the Delhi chief minister.
The BJP and its allies now rule over 70 per cent of the country's population, marking an unprecedented saffron footprint.
But could the information in these declassified reports just be tales of fantasy?
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wanted a government with the PDP (representing Kashmir), the BJP (representing Jammu) and the Congress (representing Ladakh), but he failed because the BJp and Congress were unwilling to make any exception to their national level inimical relationship, reveals Mohammad Sayeed Malik.
'India in 2020 is a lot better prepared than in 1962.' 'It is no longer a pushover; and anything other than a crushing Chinese military victory will be a major loss of face for China,' observes Rajeev Srinivasan in the first of a three part column.
'I am contesting elections to encourage and start a nationwide debate on the present nuclear policy.'
'New Delhi and Washington are now on the same page, on dealing with growing Chinese assertiveness, across the entire Indo-Pacific region,' notes Ambassador G Parthasarathy, Chancellor, Central University of Jammu.
Meets leaders from Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Jammu and Kashmir; party keen to form government in Delhi.
Modi-Shah BJP has resurrected dangers and the enemy from the past and built a scary jingoism. It's a great diversionary tactic but history shows it never ends well, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'Washington is well aware that the Haqqani group was responsible for terrorist attacks on the Indian diplomatic establishments in Afghanistan.' 'But today US self-interest dictates that Sirajuddin Haqqani's mainstreaming in Afghan political life and a potential elevation eventually to a leadership role at the national level is useful and necessary, since he can deliver peace,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'His secularism merely declared the equality of all religions in India under fundamental rights.'
Born in 1924, Vajpayee entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi. Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister.
'If the Singh government was characterised by policy paralysis, this one is afflicted by hyperactivism, sans a roadmap,' says Yogendra Yadav.
Seventy-one parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states voted in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Communalising law and order situations is fraught with danger; we need to tread cautiously. Interjecting a communal angle into what is purely a law and order issue does nobody good; it muddies the picture, fuels unrequited passion and distracts us from the core issue, says Vivek Gumaste.
Border Security Force on Monday said repeated ceasefire violations across the border in Jammu and Kashmir are being done at the behest of Pakistan to facilitate infiltration of "undesirable" elements into Indian territory.
Among Sensex constituents, HCL Tech suffered the most by diving 2.26 per cent, followed by HDFC shedding 2.10 per cent.
'After Vajpayee-Advani, Modi-Shah is the second best in India.'
'I am trying to make the political system more answerable to the people.'
"As the architect of Kargil, he must answer critical questions for sacrificing so many soldiers. I am sure Kargil would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life," he said, reacting to claims by Musharraf in his book.
"I think it's quite positive. They've both acted in a very statesman-like manner. They've expanded the range of discussions, and I think the depth of discussions as well," US Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said
'The Army must always be balanced in response.' 'Rabble rousers will demand that it be given a free hand against anti-national elements in the streets. That is exactly what the adversaries want.' 'Burning the Kashmir Valley through the summer is their desire; the Army will never contribute to enhancing their aim,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), who served as the General Officer Commanding 15 Corps in Kashmir.
There are limitations to milking national security, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
It is time to forge a credible New Delhi-Srinagar axis, says Ajai Shukla.
'India should stop claiming that a united Pakistan is in India's interests.' 'Pakistan's break-up is a necessity for peace and progress in the region,' says Major General Mrinal Suman (retd).
Any settlement with Pakistan won't last unless it comes with big power guarantees, says Shekhar Gupta.
With no signs of improvement in the situation in Kashmir, community schools are the only hope for students in the valley.
Claiming that the state has not changed a bit and the arrests and killings continued, the Hurriyat spokesman said a lot of noise has been made about the dialogue process.
'Good Earth was more a passion than a business for a long time,' Anita Lal tells Anjuli Bhargava. 'Today, I can assure you I know more about retail than most, but I learnt it all the hard way.'
Which of these talents impressed you the most?
'Politicians insist on focusing on the North even though the rest of India offers a better way of engaging with our Muslims namely, live and let live.'
Here are 15 things you should know about Bharat Ratna Atal Bihar Vajpayee.
'The separatist resurgence in Balochistan is thwarting Pakistan's plans to build CPEC projects to optimally utilise Balochistan's energy reserves,' points out Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
Bhartiya Janata Party leader and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has hit out at both Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as well as Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for what he termed as their "failure to deliver."
The BJP has been inducting leaders from the NCP and the Congress since the last few months to expand its footprint in the regions where the party lacks organisational base.
'Masarat Alam is today one of the the undisputed leaders of Kashmir's Islamists. And all he had to do was to get someone to hold up a flag. He has accurately placed us and we can look forward to many more years of this from him.'
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