'Assam is not a dumping ground for Bangladeshi Hindu refugees,' says Assamese actor Ravi Sharma who joined the BJP in August and quit the party on December 10 in protest against the Citizenship Act.
'There is no peace in the Kashmir Valley.'
'They said that my leaving for the Quit India Movement event would be a threat to law and order so I should not leave the police station and to be stationed there till the time they do not get permission.'
'In low-profile cases, if there's a small quantity (of drugs involved), you get bail on the first day.' 'In high-profile cases, it depends on the judge.'
'I am not the Manas Deka who attacked Kanhaiya,' says the BJP activist who shares the same name with the man who allegedly tried to 'strangle' the JNUSU leader.
'The BJP will not win a single seat in Punjab.'
'A very large part of this would have come from opium.'
Hamid Nihal Ansari, a software engineer from Mumbai, returned to India in December 2018 after spending six years in a Pakistani jail for illegally entering the neighbouring country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. He was arrested in 2012 and lodged at Peshawar jail after Pakistan had slapped espionage charges against him. The decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi and Sushma Swaraj, who was the external affairs minister and was personally monitoring the case. Speaking to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Ansari recalls the time he spent with her and says that if it wasn't for her efforts, he would still be rotting away in a Pakistani cell.
Raju Hirani, Ranbir and Deepika react to the Dutt's release!
'People have got into the habit of sitting at home (and watching films).' 'They don't want to watch movies in theatres because they do not want to waste as much as Rs 1,000 on tickets.' 'They feel there is no point in watching a film on the big screen because it will anyway come on OTT in a month's time.'
'Jockeying for that position has possibly started at this time.'
'The government does not want to be transparent or accountable. Therefore, they do not want to appoint information commissioners.'
'Party workers sit outside polling booths and they know everything that is happening.' 'Besides, as a voter when you push the EVM button to vote there is a paper slip that comes out showing you who you voted for.'
'All restaurants and pubs must treat the issue seriously and appoint safety officers. This chalta hai attitude cannot work.'
'This government has done positive things, we got the Transgender Persons (protection of rights) Act under this government. Dheere-dheere hota hai.'
Thalaivii proves Kangana is the Queen of Bollywood, asserts Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'The reason I am not anxious about the opponent facing me in the front (Ajit Pawar) is because of who is standing behind me like a rock (Sharad Pawar).'
'Nowhere does the CAA state that Muslims will be deprived of their Indian citizenship.'
'Who are Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to issue certificates?'
'They made so many toppers in NEET that automatically the paper leak issue got exposed.' 'The first mistake they did was announcing 67 toppers in NEET. No way this figure was possible.' 'The maximum numbers of toppers that you can have are two or three at best every year.'
'I approached the ministries for a response, but they did not respond on time, so I had to approach the court.'
'And once someone is dead in a family the ritual is to shave your head.'
'Shivakumar is an andhbhakt of Congress ideology and principles.'
'The Congress didn't win elections only on soft Hindutva.'
'Political narrative in our country today is tilted towards Hindutva orientation and so Kejriwal becomes very dangerous to the BJP.' 'For them, he is a leader to watch.'
'Akhilesh Yadav made voters think why is the BJP asking for 400 paar.' 'They understood his words and believed the BJP wanted 400 paar only to demolish the Constitution and end reservations.'
'The Indian Army and paramilitary have to land more in Assam as the situation is very bad, especially in upper Assam,' says BJP MLA Binod Hazarika whose home was burnt down by mobs.
'Nobody wants to run an exploitation factory.'
'The people of Jharkhand know that Modi is not going to become chief minister, so why should they vote for the BJP?'
In his second term in office, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has retained 34 portfolios.
'With the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Hindus from Pakistan can come to India. They have got a way,' says Gurumukh Jagwani who came to India on his honeymoon, loved the country so much that he stayed back and got Indian citizenship.
'Modi will do himself a favour if he starts studying about Mahatma Gandhi.' 'I feel pity that we have a PM who has no idea of our own history.'
'Not disclosing information to the public indicates that there is something wrong with Project Cheetah.'
As Narendra Modi and his ministers vigorously campaign for a shift to a cashless society, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf reports on what is really happening on the ground.
'I want to ask the Congress only one question: What is more important than election management in politics?'
'We had to respect the sentiments of the people of Jammu as our party was elected from Jammu.'
'Akhilesh did politics like Rabi and Kharif crop which come once a year. Politics is not seasonal, you have to harvest your field all through the year and only then you get a good crop' Political analyst lists 12 reasons why Akhilesh Yadav lost the UP elections.
'If Kejriwal is adamant on running his government from jail, then his government could be dismissed and Article 356 imposed on Delhi, in other words President's rule in Delhi.'
'Under this amendment, in any dispute over Waqf properties, the Waqf Board cannot approach the court.' 'This is very surprising because the government instead of protecting Waqf properties they are snatching it away and not allowing them to go to court.' 'The third biggest landowner in India is the Waqf Board after the Indian Army and Indian Railways.'
