News for 'aakar-patel'

Why the WhatsApp hack must scare all of us

Why the WhatsApp hack must scare all of us

Rediff.com4 Nov 2019

'The Modi government did not deny it had acquired the NSO platform, and did not deny it was spying on its citizens by hacking into their phones,' says Aakar Patel.

No defence against the false patriot who peddles slogans

No defence against the false patriot who peddles slogans

Rediff.com30 Oct 2019

'The facts have become unimportant and useless.' 'What is important is the constantly shouting of patriotism even as one undermines the interests of the people.' 'And the abusing of rivals as being traitors,' says Aakar Patel.

Why India has not made a world-beating global invention

Why India has not made a world-beating global invention

Rediff.com15 Jul 2019

'If Indians are as smart as their counterparts in university, and have equal opportunity, then what is the reason that we cannot produce inventions of quality that are recognised by the world?'

How our lives will change in 10 years

How our lives will change in 10 years

Rediff.com25 Oct 2019

'Even for those of us who are not driven or hardworking, life will be much more interesting and vastly different from the way life is today,' says Aakar Patel.

Why an Indian hero's statue was unveiled in Pakistan

Why an Indian hero's statue was unveiled in Pakistan

Rediff.com10 Jul 2019

'In Pakistan there has been no problem about the installation of the statues of these men, unlike the Jinnah portrait or other controversies that seem to be present in India these days quite regularly,' says Aakar Patel.

As long as we fix Pakistan we are happy

As long as we fix Pakistan we are happy

Rediff.com4 Mar 2019

'The intensity with which we are focussed on Pakistan, particularly our government and our media, ultimately harms us and reduces our greatness,' argues Aakar Patel.

Why Dalits feel left out from Modi's 'sabka saath'

Why Dalits feel left out from Modi's 'sabka saath'

Rediff.com12 Apr 2018

'The government says it will file a review petition against the Supreme Court, but there is no conviction here.' 'It is doing this purely because it is worried.' 'It comes from the same sentiment as asking BJP MPs to spend two nights in a Dalit village,' says Aakar Patel.

Is 9% growth possible? The answer is yes

Is 9% growth possible? The answer is yes

Rediff.com25 Sep 2019

'The goal is achievable. What is stopping us from getting there?' asks Aakar Patel.

Do you know why India is protesting against CAA/NRC?

Do you know why India is protesting against CAA/NRC?

Rediff.com24 Dec 2019

'The NRC is aimed at rounding up and permanently jailing Indian Muslims who cannot produce the documents to satisfy a government which punishes those individuals who do not declare maximum number of Muslims foreigners.' 'It is for this reason that we see so many Indian Muslims protesting these laws and it is for this reason that so many non-Muslims cannot stand by and watch what is happening in their country,' says Aakar Patel.

India only home for followers of dharma

India only home for followers of dharma

Rediff.com14 Sep 2015

It is mischievous to imply that the proposed bill to grant citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists from other nations implies that Muslims and Christians are not Indians, says Sanjeev Nayyar.

Let us have a trade Akhand Bharat

Let us have a trade Akhand Bharat

Rediff.com16 Sep 2019

'We have not been able to use the potential of our location in the region and the world and our strength as a nation and an economy to establish an EU-like structure in South Asia,' points out Aakar Patel.

Has Modi given up on the economy?

Has Modi given up on the economy?

Rediff.com5 Mar 2020

'The government has given up its focus on economic growth because it it not something Modi has been able to fully understand.' 'This explains the extraordinary focus on divisive politics by the BJP even at a time when the world's most important man in visiting India,' notes Aakar Patel.

What are Modi-Shah's plans for Lok Sabha polls?

What are Modi-Shah's plans for Lok Sabha polls?

Rediff.com17 Jan 2019

'The party will keep to the script that its core supporter understands: temples, statues, Muslims and cows.'

Why I Voted

Why I Voted

Rediff.com22 May 2019

'There will be millions of us who will feel fear and insecurity because of the menace of majoritarian ideology.' 'It is for the wellbeing and security of those of my fellow Indians, who are affected and who I care for, that I have voted,' says Aakar Patel.

Why hope is running out for the Congress

Why hope is running out for the Congress

Rediff.com28 Mar 2017

'The Congress in 2017 stands for nothing positive, not even secularism.'

Trump has no real affection for India

Trump has no real affection for India

Rediff.com23 Feb 2020

'The best thing that Modi can hope for in this visit is that he is able to mobilise Indians in America to vote Republican and try and help Trump return to power,' argues Aakar Patel.

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

What is a decisive and strong leadership?

Rediff.com28 Aug 2019

ially powerful ones, usually find themselves surrounded by people who will not oppose them. 'This is because those who are cautious and of a different view will not find satisfaction serving an individual so different from them, producing results they do not agree with,' says Aakar Patel.

Removing Gandhi's SPG cover is a dangerous game

Removing Gandhi's SPG cover is a dangerous game

Rediff.com28 Nov 2019

'If there is a vulnerable family anywhere in the world, it is the Gandhis,' notes Aakar Patel.

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

What the Kashmir masterstroke will mean for our soldiers

Rediff.com19 Aug 2019

'More members of the Indian Armed Forces have died in Kashmir, North East and Naxal areas than in the 1962 and 1971 wars against Pakistan combined. These deaths are the result of political failure and not war.'

J&K activist Khurram Parvez booked under PSA after court orders release

J&K activist Khurram Parvez booked under PSA after court orders release

Rediff.com21 Sep 2016

Parvez was arrested on September 16 and placed in administrative detention in a jail in Kupwara for allegedly posing an imminent threat of breach of peace.

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

What Chandrayaan-2 will do for India

Rediff.com22 Jul 2019

'In a part of the world where the government tells people what not to eat and what slogans to shout and not shout, it is beneficial to develop a mentality that is science minded and therefore open-minded.' 'That is possibly why the space programme has always had support from all sides of the political divide,' says Aakar Patel.

How Congress can redefine party politics

How Congress can redefine party politics

Rediff.com16 Jul 2019

'There is no meritocracy or at least there is none that is visible and transparent.' 'The Congress has two opportunities to change this,' says Aakar Patel.

What the hounding of Ram Guha tells us about India

What the hounding of Ram Guha tells us about India

Rediff.com5 Nov 2018

'We can make all the noise we want to about being a tolerant society, but the reality is in front of us.'

Who is a terrorist?

Who is a terrorist?

Rediff.com10 Oct 2019

'There is no acceptable definition of what terrorism is and who a terrorist is.'

India saw 19.8 per cent dip in awarding death sentences in 2017

India saw 19.8 per cent dip in awarding death sentences in 2017

Rediff.com13 Apr 2018

An Amnesty report stated that 109 cases of execution were reported in the country in 2017 as compared to 136 such cases in 2016.

Did Shahid, Kareena kiss in public?

Did Shahid, Kareena kiss in public?

Rediff.com15 Dec 2004

The two actors have slapped legal notices on Mid-Day -- a tabloid in Mumbai -- demanding an unconditional apology for publishing photographs that showed them kissing.

Why America hates Iran

Why America hates Iran

Rediff.com25 Jun 2019

India should do what we can to ensure that our two friends do not get into a confrontation that is meaningless and ultimately damaging to everyone including us.

What will we achieve by boycotting Pakistan in World Cup?

What will we achieve by boycotting Pakistan in World Cup?

Rediff.com25 Feb 2019

'Random displays of anger will end in punishment from the IOC and the loss of points in the World Cup, without achieving what we seek,' says Aakar Patel.

CAA: A message to the Indian Muslim

CAA: A message to the Indian Muslim

Rediff.com21 Dec 2019

'We are telling them we have isolated them and their religion as not only unwanted,' says Aakar Patel.

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Sword of State Tyranny is Upon Us

Rediff.com12 Feb 2019

'Once the prime minister and the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana pushed for this in 2014 and 2015, we have been trapped in a cycle of violence that gives India a bad name around the world,' says Aakar Patel.

How far will the Cybertruck go?

How far will the Cybertruck go?

Rediff.com12 Dec 2019

'The unveiling of the Cybertruck seems to me the turning point in the design and manufacture of automobiles in much the same way as American skyscrapers were the turning point of architectural design in the world,' says Aakar Patel.

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Modi prefers total control in his hands

Rediff.com5 Jun 2019

'Modi personally provides the higher direction of the ministry and the minister then works with bureaucrats on implementation,' points out Aakar Patel.

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Jaitley should practise what he preaches

Rediff.com29 Jan 2019

'The government should refrain from 'adventurism' and 'megalomania'.' 'But this should be true of reckless government action against every Indian, whether or not they are wealthy or have access to the finance minister even when he is in hospital,' says Aakar Patel.

How boringly good our team has become!

How boringly good our team has become!

Rediff.com27 Nov 2019

What has changed to make our team so much more lethal, asks Aakar Patel.

The Indian State is always up to mischief against citizens

The Indian State is always up to mischief against citizens

Rediff.com3 Sep 2018

'The individuals whom this government and its media call 'Urban Naxals' should not have been arrested.' 'In any civilised democracy (which India is not) this would not have happened,' argues Aakar Patel.

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Will India turn into a Hindu Rashtra?

Rediff.com14 May 2019

'It is only because of the Congress that we became a secular republic.' 'As we enter a period where another political force has became dominant, it will be interesting to see if this legacy of Nehru and the Congress is sustained or we are taken in a new direction,' says Aakar Patel.

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

UP will decide if Modi will remain PM

Rediff.com9 May 2019

2019 will be 'a match between the old caste politics and something new which we have not fully understood in UP,' says Aakar Patel.

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Ultimate victory in Sabrimala will be of women

Rediff.com7 Jan 2019

So long as no females were allowed to pray there, the strength of emotion kept the issue burning. As more and more women do this, the matter will fade.

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

What India can learn from South Korea, Japan

Rediff.com5 Jan 2019

'We have had 27 years of liberalisation and in the same period Korea and Japan and China transformed themselves forever,' says Aakar Patel.

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

What BJP has and Congress doesn't

Rediff.com3 May 2019

'One goal of the Congress would surely have been to rebuild its organisation so that it begins to match that of the BJP.' 'However, this has not happened, though Rahul Gandhi has been in the party for 15 years now,' says Aakar Patel.