Petitioner in disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family blames the CBI for it double standards. Sheela Bhatt reports.
The second part of the interview with Achyut Yagnik, the Ahmedabad-based social activist, writer and political analyst, in which he discusses the electoral winds in Gujarat, with Sheela Bhatt.
'It is very difficult to be an honest politician in a country where the system is absolutely corrupt. Jaipal Reddy is one up even on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is considered clean and honest. Reddy has gone a step ahead by playing an active role in stopping corruption. He has put things on record; he has walked the extra mile to ensure that public money is valued highly. One must recognise Reddy's efforts, and make it an example for India's younger generation.'
Sheela Murthy, founder, president, and managing attorney of the Baltimore County, Maryland-based Murthy Law Firm, will be honoured by the Children's Guild with its 2012 Sadie Award for her philanthropy and humanitarianism.
Arvind Kejriwal speaks out on Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Robert Vadra and the Gandhi family in this exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
The battle to win the minds of around 37 million Gujarati voters will begin soon after the monsoon. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is at the centre of this crucial electoral battle that is as politically important for Modi as the Uttar Pradesh assembly election of 2012 was for Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.
During the Cabinet reshuffle, the "give and take" amongst the trio of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi has resulted in a new paradigm of power within the Congress and the government, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt's questionnaire for all those boys, teenagers, young chaps, middle-aged-men and aged men to tick before they step out at India Gate or Jantar Mantar to speak up for women.
Nearly 70 Indian students in the US continue to remain in limbo after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided the University of Northern Virginia and the Customs and Immigration Service subsequently rejected their transfer applications. Their attorney and counsel Sheela Murthy says that she has now advised them to file a class-action suit against the university.
Arvind Kejriwal and India Against Corruption have shown India that 'having power' is not really 'being powerful', says Sheela Bhatt
If Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Karunanidhi and the Left parties endorse the Congress's game-plan, it is difficult to see how Sonia Gandhi's choice will fail to become President, reports Sheela Bhatt
Shekhar Iyer, a familiar face on television's news analysis programmes and senior associate editor at the Hindustan Times in New Delhi, threw light on the politics behind the presidential polls as he answered questions from Rediff readers on Wednesday. Here's the transcript of the chat:
Didi drags Rashtrapati into electoral battle.
A Cabinet minister tells Sheela Bhatt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a gamble on the FDI in retail issue and insists that the Congress party is with him.
A Cabinet minister tells Sheela Bhatt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a gamble on the FDI in retail issue and insists that the Congress party is with him.
The government HAD to increase the price of diesel; it could not have allowed the Indian economy to commit suicide by November 2012, a former senior official tells Sheela Bhatt
As the race for the President reaches it non-exciting climax, it is clear that no political constituent is winning with dignity, says Sheela Bhatt.
Narendra Modi's supporters are not worried over the bitter divide in the NDA on the presidential poll. They also feel that Nitish Kumar is posturing over the prime ministerial post prematurely. The spin that they are giving over the various statements on the issue is that the 'RSS is batting for Modi'. Sheela Bhatt explains
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, who is travelling with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on his three-day tour of Pakistan, compares the new visa agreement to the old one
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, who is travelling with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on his tour of Pakistan, examines the relevance of the visa agreement that is bound to have significant impact on the relations between the countries
BSP supremo Mayawati may have used her plan to nominate a Dalit candidate for the post of President as a bargaining tool with the Congress, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Mulayam Singh joining the Cabinet will be good news for many who increasingly worried about the stability of the United Progressive Alliance government. Sheela Bhatt reports
'Does a secular nation not believe in its ancestry? The Constitution has a photo of Ram also.'
'Modi has to lead the BJP. There is no alternative,' a senior BJP leader tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
'The BJP has the torch and with that same torch, the BJP is trying to light up its house in Bihar.' 'The BJP is trying to burn Nitish Kumar's house with that torch.'
Narendra Modi may have won his battle with Nitin Gadkari in forcing Sanjay Joshi to quit the BJP national executive. But the BJP's political force has been diminished as personalities overtook issues, says Sheela Bhatt.
If the apathy towards the plight of Muslims in the north-east continues it will disturb the peace of the region for a long time to come, SP national secretary Kamal Faruqui tells rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
The Naresh Chandra report is the result of the first-ever focused exercise since the Kargil Review Committee, headed by the late K Subrahmanyam, of 10 years ago after which no such holistic review of all aspects of national security was taken up, reports Sheela Bhatt
Arun Jaitley, one of the BJP's seniormost leaders and a friend of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in an exclusive conversation with Sheela Bhatt.
'In any ministry headed by Rahul, we will see a lot of talk of accountability, meritocracy and efficiency. But all these things will impact Indian politics in a positive way if they are a means to an end, and do not become an end in themselves as it has with the revamp of the IYC and the NSUI,' Aarthi Ramachandran tells Sheela Bhatt
The Uttar Pradesh election has become like a proverbial elephant. The political parties are looking at it from different angles and their assessments are quite contrary to each other, but not necessarily incorrect. Sheela Bhatt shares the prevailing excitement about the UP election and the best case scenario that the Bharatiya Janata Party is looking forward to on March 6, when the results will be declared.
Sheela Bhatt followed the celebration of 60 years of Parliament from the Central Hall's balcony. 'It was undoubtedly a privilege to participate in the historic function to mark the 60th anniversary of Parliament,' she says, 'but in the end there were no new ideals, ideas or hope added to democracy's great history.'
If Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wanted to launch a new image or change his brand through his interview to me he will not be successful, Nai Duniya editor Shahid Siddiqui tells Sheela Bhatt
To know everything you about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet, join Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt on Monday, July 30, 2012 at 2pm IST.
Fine packaging is not desirable when the stuff inside is about the real India, says Sheela Bhatt of Aamir Khan's television debut.
Metres away from the pomp and regalia of Parliament's Central Hall, at the time the 13th President of the republic was being sworn-in, a bunch of battle-weary protestors were girding up to take on the might of the Indian State, reports Sheela Bhatt
Pradyut Guha, Pranab Mukherjee's personal assistant since the last eight years and one of his most loyal disciples of more than 30 years, tells Sheela Bhatt all you wanted to know about India's new President
The current crisis has forced the government to announce measures to ensure that India becomes self-sustaining for any kind of bulk drug. The government says India will not depend on any other country for vital key ingredients for drugs within six years, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt launches a special series where well-informed Uttar Pradesh residents discuss the psyche of voters, the personalities of its leaders and the socio-cultural lives of the people of the election-bound state.
The entire event suggests that in India democracy is decreasing and psephocracy is increasing, says Ashis Nandy, who spoke to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.