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...
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.
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.
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.
If Kasab's lawyer K P Pawar argued with vigour on Tuesday, then public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam was tenacious in seeking the highest possible punishment for the Pakistani terrorist. Nikam argued that it would be a travesty of justice if noose is not awarded to justice. Sheela Bhatt and Prasanna D Zore tracks Tuesday's court proceedings.
During Tuesday's hearings in the high-profile 26/11 case, key accused Ajmal Kasab's counsel K P Pawar went full throttle, steadfastly arguing why minimum punishment should be given for his client. Sheela Bhatt and Prasanna D Zore, who were in the court through the day, bring the dramatic day's proceedings alive.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is heading for the most crucial time of his political career. On Tuesday, no less than the Supreme Court dragged Prime Minister's Office in the massive telecom scam and that gives the hint of forming of the political storm which has the potential to damage PM Dr Singh.
The first thing that struck Sheela Bhatt, in Thimphu to cover the summit, was that whiff of fresh air -- opulent and serene. Here are her first impressions on the eve of the summit.
Yashwant Sinha on Elections 2009 and Narendra Modi's rise in the BJP.
Digvijay Singh's indictment of Home Minister P Chidambaram's strategy seems to be a preamble to the party's stance on Maoists which will differ from the government's plan, says Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt lifts the lid off a Gujarat government scheme, piloted by Law Minister Amit Shah, currently in the dock over the Sohrabuddin encounter, to offer prime plots cheap to judges
Former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra, during whose tenure India-China relations had improved significantly, has said that China's present threat to India is more dangerous than in 1962, when the countries clashed in a war, and that Indian politicians were to blame for India's weak defence position.
That there is something awry in the entire strategy is now established. Now, even moderate critics of the government are questioning the methods of the home minister and his ministry.
The tense atmosphere between India and China has changed for good after the Copenhagen summit, claimed a top-level source dealing with the Chinese in Indian government.
New Delhi's Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan hospital is the ground zero of COVID-19 treatment in India. It's an exclusive Covid-dedicated hospital with 2,000 beds. Nowhere in India are so many coronavirus patients being treated under one roof.
Sheela Bhatt reveals the inside story on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's revelations to India on the Headley-Rana case, and of how the findings have changed the 26/11 investigation in India.
The foreign ministers' talks failed just when progress seemed on the horizon, says Sheela Bhatt
The Centre has sought certain clarifications from Jharkhand on its recommendation to grant iron ore mining licence to ArcelorMittal, a move that will further delay the steel giant's Rs 50,000-crore (Rs 500 billion) proposed steel plant in the mineral-rich state.
A controversy -- described as climategate -- has broken out regarding the authenticity of the data provided by the prestigious East Anglia University of the United Kingdom that formed the basis of the United Nations report on climate change.
The Mumbai police was aware of its mistake much before it came to light. They knew that it was a highly sensitive issue so they made a tremendous effort to locate the jacket.
Former minister responds to Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com's questions.
India, says a senior diplomat in the Ministry of External Affairs who is a member of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's team to Washington, DC, is looking forward to the visit with anticipation.
'I am not minimising either the seriousness or the complex nature of the current situation.' 'Naturally, we have to do what it takes to secure our borders.' 'We are talking to the Chinese, both through military channels and diplomatic ones.'
'In fact, they work in tandem.' 'When it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings.' 'And not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally.'
'No political office anywhere in the world holds as much clout and influence over society as it does in India. I say that because the political office holder is the only person in the country whose influence is far more than his or her innate merit,' says L K Advani.
Director Shafi is back with his latest Malayalam offering.
Nearly a decade after Kutch faced its worst-ever earthquake, rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in a two-part series assesses the transformation witnessed in the Kutchi society since the time the calamity struck on January, 2001, and its implications.
Sheela Bhatt meets RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at a media interaction in New Delhi. She says that while he was rigid on his stand on the Ayodhya issue, he impressed with his simplicity and clarity of thought.
'In our country, there is a lot of checks and balances, the figures cannot go wrong.' 'Because they are being checked by not only the governments, but by doctors themselves.'
The February 25 India-Pakistan talks are bound to fail. India is acting under American and British pressure. The Americans and the British are just looking for an honorable excuse to flee from Afghanistan. And Pakistan will continue to undermine India till the Indian armed forces don't have clear superiority. This, in essence, is what former Indian national adviser Brajesh Mishra -- a vocal opponent of New Delhi's latest olive branch to Islamabad -- feels.
Sheela Bhatt explains why the judgment in the title suit in the Ayodhya case -- despite a delay of over half a century -- still comes at the wrong time for the Centre and several state governments.
Although Dr Manmohan Singh readily answered questions during his press conference, he gave the feeling that he is a secretive politician who doesn't reveal the story easily. More than 80 minutes of questioning failed to provoke him. He played a defensive game and didn't convey through anything new, writes Sheela Bhatt.
Rahul Bedi, who has been writing relentlessly on India's strategic and defence related issues, thinks this year will cement India-United States defence ties like never before. New Delhi-based Bedi is a correspondent for the prestigious Jane's Defence Weekly spoke to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
The message that emanates from China's denial of a visa to General B S Jaswal has multiple messages, says Sheela Bhatt.
Haiti reminds Indians of Kutch. The rescue, relief and rehabilitation of earthquake victims have local requirements that vary from region to region but, the story of how Kutch was reborn after the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2001 can became a useful template for Haiti.
No, the two stars are not getting married in real life. These pictures are from their latest Telugu film, Seetharamula Kalyanam (Lankalo).
The global heath body had earlier suspended the hydroxychloroquine arm of the clinical trials of experimental COVID-19 drugs over safety concerns.
Monday's verdict of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case was extraordinary in many ways. Reading Sheela Bhatt lists out 10 most important things to understand about the judgment.
Check out these Telugu films releasing this festive season.
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