Ahead of the elections, a lot had been spoken of the large number of leaders defecting from the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena. In fact, a month before the polls, more than two dozen Congress-NCP leaders quit and joined the BJP in hopes of riding high on the Narendra Modi wave. While for some the shift has brought in good fortune, for others it has brought loss. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com analyses how these defectors have fared.
'Look at the aggressive way in which a campaign against Friday namaz is going on in North Indian cities.' 'Even the Union home minister is part of this vicious campaign.'
'This is a crisis which did not happen overnight. It was happening slowly.' 'Now we are mining very fast and this crisis won't last long.'
'The most important thing is that medical aid reaches people whenever required.'
'Congress and BSP are in the fray, but not in the contest.'
Can Nawazuddin Siddiqui bring Bal Thackeray's powerful personality to life? Syed Firdaus Ashraf watches the Thackeray trailer to find out.
'If he gets bail, he will bounce back.'
The new government order to review the service record of employees who have completed 30 years in the job to identify inefficient or corrupt staff and retire them prematurely has invited the ire of labour unions, who believe that this is a step towards privatisation.
'It could take at least a couple of years for his case to go through the entire run of the British judiciary.'
Dr Rajendra Bharud has done what no other district collector in India could do as the pandemic ravaged the nation. He not only made Nandurbar district oxygen surplus, but ensured that the supply of life-saving oxygen remained uninterrupted for patients -- something even Delhi and Mumbai hospitals have not achieved yet.
'The Government of India could aggressively promote developmental projects that will alleviate poverty particularly in communities where South Africans of Indian origin and our black brothers and sisters live as neighbours.'
'If the Congress party wants to take on the BJP it cannot do it in this fuddy-duddy, grand old party, style.'
'Even if the BJP does not come to power, the system has changed.'
'Change was very much needed for the Congress to win the 2022 assembly elections.'
'It is not the duty of government to protect minority religions or promote it.'
'I have great friends in film industry but professionalism and friendship are two different cups of tea. When it comes to producing a movie, every producer thinks of saleable actors,' says Dino Morea.
'This is not the right way to speak about farmers. How can Kumaraswamy call farmers goondas?'
Chandrashekhar Sawant halted the train by applying the emergency brake when he saw the debris falling as the train was approaching the collapsing bridge.
'When there is so much anxiety, the Government of India should assure people on the vaccine issue and help the states demanding more supply that they will be provided the required quantities.' 'Any Centre-state conflict at this point of time is counter-productive and enhances people's anxieties that should be avoided.'
'There is a cost to war.' 'The West knows that and so does Putin.' 'The point is, how much of the cost are both sides willing to pay?'
'No action will be taken against Ajit Pawar. I am sure.'
'If a politician asks the policeman to do something which is not correct, then why blame the politician?' 'If you do it, then you are equally liable.'
Within four years of winning a single party majority in the Lok Sabha with 282 seats -- the first time it has happened in 30 years -- the BJP has lost it.
'The Covid situation is like demonetisation.' 'People were upset with the government initially, but eventually they voted for the BJP again.'
'God knows what kind of charges were framed against him and Kallu Gujjar, as both of them came out of jail the very same evening of their arrest.'
'After the Parliament election results many people are confused and that is why this crisis has erupted
'A country cannot be run on lines that everyone should be in agreement and those who disagree should be silenced.' 'If this is how they look at democracy, then I can only wish good luck to the future of parliamentary democracy in India.'
'We moved out just in time. The fire spread so fast.'
'Gogoi will be remembered as someone who recovered Assam as a state, as a people and society from the fear of insurgency that had struck the state from the 1980s till 2000.'
Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala explains why he thinks Modi should be at the helm of India.
'If the minister does not resign, then it will be the darkest incident of Indian democracy where power prevailed over the people.'
'If Modi-Shah had not changed the leadership, one section would have parted ways with the BJP for sure.'
Onkar Singh, a valuable member of the Rediff.com team over the years, breathed his last on January 13. Syed Firdaus Ashraf, who knew him intimately, remembers the ultimate newsman.
'PM Modi is not taking Kashmir's stance as far as the Naga issue is concerned.'
'Many BJP MLAs and ministers tell us the police does not listen to them.'
'The PM says he believes in discussion and debate, then why are discussions and debates not being allowed in Parliament?'
'Sidhu's suggestions regarding formation of the new government were completely ignored, so he stepped down.' 'Channi's government is walking on the same path as Amarinder Singh's.'
