'The distrust of traditional political parties in Punjab is an advantage for AAP.'
'You can't go on creating division and rhetoric of hate.' 'It comes to roost. We are seeing the first glimpses of that in the state elections.'
'India would not like to see Pakistani domination and tutelage of Afghanistan against Indian security and economic interests.'
Parvathy Nair's poem about the little girl who went to graze horses and never returned has moved many Indians to tears.
'70 years back, Dalits used to be abused, scolded, slapped, but killing a Dalit was rare because a Dalit was somebody's property.' 'Now that they are free, they are facing violent attacks.'
'One provision in the Act -- immediate arrest (of those accused under the Act), made this act different from all other sections of the IPC.' 'With that provision snatched, the Dalit Act has become toothless because caste criminals feared this provision of immediate arrest the most.'
'Not everybody gets the opportunity of having a working desk inside a helicopter from where you can control torpedoes and weapons.'
'The leverage created by the Indian military must not be lost.'
'The party in the present form cannot pose a challenge to the BJP and Modi.'
'The biggest danger is that majoritarianism is getting normalised, insidiously and overtly... We are bringing the worst, not the best in us... We are looking for new enemies - Muslims, urban Naxals, tukde tukde gang, some enemy or the other which keeps this majoritarian wheel turning,' says journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.
'Respect the pledges you have made to the people of Kashmir.' 'Jammu and Kashmir is not like any other state of the country.'
'There is dissatisfaction and disaffection for the BJP, but there is no anti-incumbency against the government in UP.'
Major Ruchi Agarwal is commander of the United Nations Female Engagement Team in the conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo.
'In normal procedure, policemen wear helmets to protect ourselves from lathi, sticks, poles, bamboos of a rampaging mob - but how do we protect ourselves from bullets?'
'Chanting slogans, chest thumping, calling us big nationalists, but you don't stop at traffic lights.' 'What nationalism are you talking about?'
'The BJP would like to capitalise on Yogi's tough image on criminals, law and order situation, and hands-on CM.' 'Modi will be an additional advantage, but it is primarily a contest between Yogi and Akhilesh.'
'I used to be scared because operating in Kashmir is always fraught with danger.' 'His absence will be felt lifelong.'
'The Chinese are retaining geostrategic pressure on India by keeping troops there and building infrastructure continually.'
'Mumbai is at a peak, from here it can only be a downward trend.'
Captain Shikha Surabhi is the first woman to lead a formation of 36 men and 9 Royal Enfields of the Indian Army's motorcycle display team on Republic Day.
'India has given assistance that we required, otherwise we would not have been able to survive this far.'
'The Rajapaksas have been in active politics for decades and survived many challenges, but they seem to have misread this one.'
'Eeit ka jawab patthar se denge.' 'We will do whatever it takes to ensure that such a loss does not happen again.'
'Is China's intention not clear?' 'Do we still think that if we are nice to China, it will be good to us?'
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami met a hero's end battling Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists in the jungles of Kashmir. His valour earned him the nation's highest gallantry award in peacetime this Republic Day. Archana Masih/Rediff.com travelled to Lal Kuan, Haldwani, to find out who this hero was.
'To deal with a bully, you have to deal from a position of strength, not a position of weakness.'
'In AAP, those who are in charge of a particular state provide information to Arvind Kejriwal. 'In the BJP, several organisations convey what is happening on the ground to the top leadership.' 'There are so many channels through which issues are being understood.'
Bathinda is the only district in Punjab to start a movement to find out what the actual drug situation on the ground is and aims to address it.
Winner of the 1996 Jnanpith and 1997 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Mahasweta Devi firmly believed that 'real history is made by ordinary people.'
'The government's August 5 decision has impacted India-China relations, but it is not very significant or very different. Things like this have happened in the past.'
'China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante of April 2020.' 'India will have to weigh its options based on this premise.'
'They are aware that they have been unable to bring about any change in the security situation in Kashmir and have failed to internationalise the Kashmir issue.'
'When people who are safe in their homes think that everything is peaceful -- 'kuch nahi ho raha hai' -- it is because a band of soldiers has already stopped that from happening and the anti-nationals have been neutralised.'
Having lost her job as a stage dancer for film award shows in the pandemic, Smita Soni learnt how to make organic bath and body products. Archana Masih/Rediff.com met her as she sold her handmade items from the boot of her car with baby on her hip.
'When the Indian Army carries out anti-infiltration ops, the Pakistan army willy-nilly will get involved in some way. So, it is imperative for the Pakistan army to act against militant groups.'
Kubbra Sait's role as a sexy transgender is the heart of Sacred Games.
'... so that the hospitals do not get overwhelmed. We have to avoid it at all costs.'
'There is a strong possibility that the BJP's seats are going to be much higher compared to the JD-U and this would be the turning point for the BJP.'
'Unless the State is a welfare State, unless the State has more welfare measures, it will not be able to deal with these kind of sudden situations.'
'Washington appears to be playing the long game, and making the argument to India that over the longer term, Russia -- sanctioned, cash-strapped, isolated by the West -- will no longer be a viable defence partner for India'
