Karnad's invective is not a fact based logical rebuttal of Naipaul's ideological variance. It lacks the grace or elements of an intellectual discourse, says Vivek Gumaste.
In a pluralistic society like India it is imperative that religious fervour be tempered to suit the common good, say Vivek Gumaste.
Continued negotiation is a futile and counter-productive proposition with no deterrent value serving merely as a ruse for Pakistan to mollify the world community even as it persists with its anti-India activities, writes Vivek Gumaste.
Is the focus on 'saffron terror' a deranged attempt at politically counterbalancing Hindus and Muslims with little regard for ethical impropriety? asks Vivek Gumaste.
The BJP is entirely justified in asking for Shinde's resignation. Shinde too must realise that when the likes of Hafiz Saeed endorse his remarks, it is time to wrap his tail between his legs and slink away from the national scene failing which the Congress party must dump him if it retains even an iota of national pride, says Vivek Gumaste.
The current wave of protest, like almost every public dialogue in India, has a tendency to invariably degenerate into a clash of personalities that usurps centerstage and relegates the issue at hand to the backburner, warns Vivek Gumaste
Pakistan has thrust itself into the equation, not by dint of moral virtue or legal principle, but by illicit force as epitomised by its shameless support of blatant terrorism. As long as Pakistan remains in the equation, a solution is impossible.
We need to take the bull by its horns and confront the Pakistan Army directly. However blasphemous and anti-protocol it may seem we must insist that General Ashfaq Kayani be a part of the dialogue process, says Vivek Gumaste.
When we seek a justification for dastardly terrorist acts where none exists, we weaken our resolve and embolden the terrorists, imbuing them with a false sense of righteousness. This is the biggest fallacy of our anti-terror drive, says Vivek Gumaste.
The war against corruption needs to be a three pronged attack: one that addresses personal frailties, rectifies systemic defects and roots out faulty leadership, says Vivek Gumaste.
India would find itself severely compromised if called upon to handle a border war with China and put down a staged Egyptian style uprising in Kashmir simultaneously, says Vivek Gumaste
Vivek Gumaste analyses whether the grandiose posturing of India's political leadership against China in the last few weeks is at odds with the present realistic capabilities of its armed forces.
Both Dr Singh and the Congress party are culpable for India's aimless drift. This crippling, self-destructive impasse of vacuous leadership cannot be allowed to persist for even a day longer. India demands and deserves better leadership, says Vivek Gumaste
We can wait with bated breaths for the Allahabad High Court verdict slated for September 24 but that is not going to put to rest this controversy, says Vivek Gumaste
Calling Modi a Hindu Fuehrer doesn't make him one unless one can substantiate the claim. The law demands hardcore evidence shorn of the dramatic and fantastical nuances of journalistic scribblings. That is where the campaign against Modi comes up short, says Vivek Gumaste.
Let us not expend our energies and waste our time pleading with the Pakistan government, an entity that is either helpless or not helpful. Let us focus on fortifying our internal security: a proposition totally under our control, says Vivek Gumaste
While security personnel and equipment are important, it is the mindset that is the pivotal tipping factor in the battle against the Maoists, writes Vivek Gumaste.
The manipulative syntax of the bill smacks of a furtive agenda to tilt the scales in favour of a specific community at the cost of the majority and violates the basic tenet of equality before the law, says Vivek Gumaste.
In simple terms all that the people of this country are asking for is honest individuals with sincerity of purpose to be their voices in Parliament. Is it wrong of us or is it too much to ask, wonders Vivek Gumaste.
If China keeps harping on Arunachal Pradesh and J&K, India must also rake up the issue of Tibet, writes Vivek Gumaste.
With one scam after another tumbling out of the closet, the head of state; titular or not, must accept responsibility for the happenings under his watch, says Vivek Gumaste.
My request to all politicians is: Please don't make me choose between the two or burden me with an identity crises when I have none. More important, please don't make a mountain of a molehill. Our nation has more important issues to address, writes Vivek Gumaste
Try as hard as the BJP might to whitewash or sugar-coat its Muslim-centric gestures, one cannot deny that they smack of appeasement. There is a real danger in this misguided approach. The BJP may end up looking like a poor B team of the Congress with disastrous results. In the real world people prefer originals not imitations, says Vivek Gumaste.
The current round of stone pelting in Kashmir is violent posturing that is provocative in design aided and abetted by anti-national elements. Let us not imbue these protests with even an iota of sanctity: they are undeserving of that, writes Vivek Gumaste.
Democracies also need to be wary. They are not immune to public ire. Elected governments cannot remain complacent with the nominal trappings of a democracy or seek refuge in constitutional jargon but must conform to the spirit of the concept if they do not wish to be swept aside by the rising tide of public fury, says Vivek Gumaste.
If India is not to be reduced to a Lebanon of yesteryears or another Pakistan we need to act with sense of urgency, marshalling our resources and spirits and acting with a single minded determination to eradicate the scourge of terrorism before it consumes us, says Vivek Gumaste.
It is time we moved beyond abstract wooly notions and formulate a sound plan of action that produces concrete results. For all the brouhaha that followed the Mumbai massacre we have let things slip into a state of ennui, writes Vivek Gumaste.
The Indian government needs to do more. India's responsibility towards the Hindus of Pakistan is not a matter of gratis; it is a political and legal obligation, says Vivek Gumaste
Advani now needs to play the role of an elder statesman and steer the fortunes of his troubled party, writes Vivek Gumaste.
When we can raise your voice for 2,000 Muslims (the official figures are much less) killed in Gujarat and we should, we must cry from the rooftops for 2.4 million Hindus killed in 1971 or the 250,000 Kashmiri Pandits forced out of their homes in Kashmir. Why do we not?
We cannot afford to continue expending our logistic resources on the riots of Gujarat, an exercise that has run its full course. The nation demands closure in the form of acceptance of the SIT report. To do otherwise is to indicate a lack of faith in the institutions of our country, in effect a lack of faith in ourselves, says Vivek Gumaste
Taking a cue from former prime minister Lal Bhadur Shastri, Dr Manmohan Singh should break free of the inhibitory shackles that bind him to fulfill the expectations reposed in him by the people of India, says Vivek Gumaste.
Rahul Gandhi must not be in a hurry. He must assume leadership of the party in the coming Lok Sabha polls, emerge victorious and then be elected as prime minister. Only then will his achievement be invested with legitimacy, says Vivek Gumaste.
Robust military preparedness along the entire perimeter of our nation is the only iron-clad permanent guarantee for our security, asserts Vivek Gumaste.
Pakistan has too much at stake to allow even an iota of rapprochement between India and the Taliban, says Vivek Gumaste.
The electoral bounty reaped by the Congress was nothing more than an ill-gotten gain of a casteist, divisive campaign; nothing to be proud of and certainly not a moral victory, argues Vivek Gumaste.
The government's predicament is a result of its own doing: That of not ensuring adequate buy-in by the stakeholders before passage of the laws, notes Vivek Gumaste.
'What this incident must do is provide a renewed impetus to urgently bring in police reforms; changes that will ensure that political patronage and extraneous pressure are reduced to a minimum and allow the police to function independently and honestly,' argues Vivek Gumaste.
The government and the farmers must come back to the negotiating table with only the interest of the country in mind, suggests Vivek Gumaste.
Pakistan must be deleted once and for all from the vocabulary of Kashmir-related negotiations with a finality that is irrevocable, asserts Vivek Gumaste.
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