The urgency to understand and decode the possible impact of the Ayodhya verdict is so high that the Bharatiya Janata Party and many Muslim organisations are not even participating in public debates, reports Sheela Bhatt. They want to play it safe by not inciting the public before the verdict and they want to ensure that all options are kept open after the highly anticipated judgment.
Could Jairam Ramesh's frank comments work to the BJP's advantage?
'If Parliament had not been obstructed, even the Indian media would not have realised that such a monumental scam had taken place,' says Arun Jaitley.
Karisma Kapoor walked for Neha Agarwal and all our dreams came true :-)
Is blood thicker than party loyalty for Varun Gandhi?
The cable in which Rahul Gandhi tells the US ambassador Timothy Roemer that radical Hindu groups pose a bigger threat than the LeT could haunt the young leader, says Sheela Bhatt.
Nothing is going to dramatically open up on May 3. There will be too many ifs and buts and terms and conditions and guidelines in leading one's life in various zones, reveals Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt reports on the tortuous negotiations to form a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra.
No Indian function is complete without a sumptuous spread of food. Fortunately, the controversy-ridden Commonwealth Games Organising Committee will maintain that tradition when guests descend in New Delhi for the October 3-14 extravaganza.
Morgan Stanley attributes the strength in the domestic rally to local flows.
'The way Congressman feared her, they don't fear her now. That is why you see how she took time to take action in Andhra, Maharashtra and corruption in the Commonwealth Games,' says Arun Shourie.
Sheela Bhatt analyses the gameplan behind the Congress's decision to play hardball in Tamil Nadu, to the extent that it doesn't care if the DMK walks out of the UPA government at the Centre.
At the SAARC summit in Thimphu, India and Pakistan have, at last, found a mutually suitable language for public use and may have kickstarted a process that may eventually lead to a broader dialogue. Sheela Bhatt analyses the talks from Thimphu.
On location to cover the ongoing SAARC summit, Sheela Bhatt strolls through the valleys of this tranquil wonderland called Thimphu; and meets interesting personalities amidst ethereal surroundings.
There is a lot that the SAARC can do if only its two biggest countries, India and Pakistan, leave their disputes back home. Sheela Bhatt gauges the mood at the opening day of the regional summit in Thimphu, Bhutan.
'We should not worry too much about Indian capabilities, both military and otherwise.'
Sheela Bhatt explores the tangled web of deception, lies and money woven by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar and the UPA government.
'If the prime minister was really serious, then he should have removed Raja long back,' says Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt was in the courtroom at the Sabarmati Jail where the judgment in the Godhra train burning case was pronounced on Tuesday. She has also followed and written about the twists and turns in the historic nine-year legal battle. Her impressions and analysis of the verdict.
Amit Shah's fall has dented his boss Narendra Modi's eligibility to some day lead non-Congress centrist parties at the Centre. Here lies the real win for the Congress, as this will play as an advantage for its future leadership, says Sheela Bhatt.
'The overall India-US relationship is entering a mature phase where the two countries can have different perceptions or specific interests with regard to regional or global issues and can still talk about an enduring economic partnership to mutual benefit.'
The end of an 'ugly episode' revolving around Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui is a great relief for the country and the Muslim community, says senior politicians and powerful community leaders of Hyderabad city. Reports Sheela Bhatt.
India's 8 percent-plus growth has opened up opportunities where India is, for the first time, in a position to offer unprecedented opportunities to US businessmen in the nuclear power, space and manufacturing sectors.
'If India does not succeed in making the US recognise the combined threat of the China-Pakistan alliance, there is nothing left in the visit,' says Brajesh Mishra, the former National Security Adviser.
Sheela Bhatt analyses India's election to the UNSC after 19 years.
In the other matches, Manipur trounced Nagaland by 10 wickets in the battle of newcomers while Jammu and Kashmir defeated Andhra Pradesh by five wickets.
'The Emergency showed the Congress'level of commitment to democracy, freedom of the press and all the other attributes regarded as imperative for a sound democracy,' says L K Advani in a special feature to mark the 35th anniversary of the Emergency.
Slowly, the debate will shape up in such a way that support to the judgment will be interpreted as support to the Hindu cause and opposition to the judgment considered as identification with Muslim disappointment, believes Sheela Bhatt.
Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was restrained in his reaction to the Ayodhya verdict delivered by the Allahabad high court's Lucknow bench; but his joy was hardly hidden.
Sheela Bhatt speaks to Muslim leaders to plumb the emotions in the community after the court verdict in the Ayodhya title suit
The Congress-led government has taken a defensive position on the political battleground in the Ayodhya title suit.
In the current sordid saga, it is not the Indian people who have failed. It is India's political leaders who have failed the people, unforgivably, says Sheela Bhatt.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley on why it is important for the government not to bow to those propagating violence and offers possible solutions to the problems plaguing the valley.
It seems that realisation has dawned, at last, in New Delhi that the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir has become a national crisis. The government is waking up to connect to the state, which is under the wave of violence, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt presents an inseiders view of the Congress plenary held at Burari.
A series of allegations, scams and election setbacks and everyone is predicting that it's gloom time for Congress party in the season of Radiagate. But then few things are working in favour of the Congress party if looked at in a wider time-frame. Let's take a look at 10 of them...
Refusing to lay down arms, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Saturday said that it was open to talks with the Jharkhand government provided the ban over it was lifted along with the release of its cadres.
Sonia Gandhi was elected president of the Congress party for a record fourth time on Friday. Sheela Bhatt takes a look at the road the Italian-born leader has taken to political acceptability.
'See how he uses the CBI, allows telephone tapping, sustains corrupt ministers, ignores indisciplined ministers, had the cash for votes scam and used the Election Commission. Which institution has not been damaged by his government?' asks Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley.
Historian Ramachandra Guha on what the Congress means for India today, what could lurk for the party in the future and the importance of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
