News for 'foundation of democracy'

How Modi plans to deal with China

How Modi plans to deal with China

Rediff.com7 Jul 2017

How Modi plans to deal with China

When regional parties start off a no-trust move against Centre

When regional parties start off a no-trust move against Centre

Rediff.com16 Mar 2018

It is possibly the first time that a regional party with not even enough numbers to move a no-trust motion has taken the lead, and others are following it. The hints of a no-trust move first came from the YSR Congress, and the ruling TDP could not have stayed on together when the question is another version of 'Telugu atma gouravam' - an issue that fired its founder N T Rama Rao in the 1980s, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

BJP's national executive becomes Modi-Shah show

BJP's national executive becomes Modi-Shah show

Rediff.com8 Apr 2015

While PM Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dominated the national executive, senior chief ministers and 'margdarshaks' LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi were ignored

'GST is the Brahmastra for the Indian economy'

'GST is the Brahmastra for the Indian economy'

Rediff.com14 Jan 2016

'2017-2018 will be one of the best years for the country.' 'The wheel has finally started moving in the right direction. It should pick up momentum in the next 8 to 9 months to have a positive impact on the economy'

P A Sangma's life is a narrative of faith and affirmation

P A Sangma's life is a narrative of faith and affirmation

Rediff.com8 Mar 2016

'His contagious smile and peal of laughter, his affirmative approach to national challenges, his faith and conviction in India's future and his profound attachment to the welfare of the northeast attracted anyone who came in touch with him,' says Dr Anirban Ganguly.

Dr Murthy spells out his plans to improve America's health

Dr Murthy spells out his plans to improve America's health

Rediff.com5 Feb 2014

'My grandfather was a poor farmer who fought for democracy and freedom in India and who could have never dreamed that his grandson would have the opportunity to sit before you today and be considered for the position of Surgeon General,' Dr Murthy told a US Senate Committee

The most crucial Indo-US defence issue that Modi-Obama need to discuss

The most crucial Indo-US defence issue that Modi-Obama need to discuss

Rediff.com25 Jan 2015

'Implementation of the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative is as much a test for the Modi government to direct its bureaucratic processes, as it is of US commitment,' says Lieutenant General Anil Chait (retd).

'We refuse to be bullied into silence'

'We refuse to be bullied into silence'

Rediff.com10 Jan 2019

MUST READ: The speech Nayantara Sahgal was not allowed to give.

Modi@1: The 'acche din' sarkar delivers a farrago of hope and fear

Modi@1: The 'acche din' sarkar delivers a farrago of hope and fear

Rediff.com26 May 2015

Meaningful devolution of spending power to states could spread more confidence on the ground and stir precisely the sort of change Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised.

Modi takes the flight to Chinese Prez Xi's hometown

Modi takes the flight to Chinese Prez Xi's hometown

Rediff.com13 May 2015

Modi, who is undertaking his first visit to China as prime minister, will reach the ancient city of Xi'an, the home town of President Xi Jinping, for a summit meeting, an unusual departure from normal protocol and seen as a reciprocal gesture by the Chinese leader who was hosted by Modi in Ahmedabad when he visited India in September last year.

Why the Parivar wants Dr Ambedkar

Why the Parivar wants Dr Ambedkar

Rediff.com30 Apr 2015

'The Parivar's ideology and politics was and remains the very opposite of what Dr Ambedkar stood for.'

India's national jobs hunt

India's national jobs hunt

Rediff.com6 May 2014

The government is by far the largest employer; job security is guaranteed for government employees, and their wages are set through once-in-10-year Pay Commission.

Some fan the fire of communal tension: Nitish at NIC meet

Some fan the fire of communal tension: Nitish at NIC meet

Rediff.com23 Sep 2013

Cautioning against forces which fan communal tension in order to polarise the situation in their favour, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday voiced concern over the Muzaffarnagar riots and said such violence cannot be allowed to spread.

FULL TEXT: 'Much of India that we dream of still lies ahead of us'

FULL TEXT: 'Much of India that we dream of still lies ahead of us'

Rediff.com13 Nov 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday address Members of the British Parliament in London where he promised to open more doors of cooperation between the two countries and delved on issues like terrorism and United Nations reforms.

The nutty Right and the illiberal Left

The nutty Right and the illiberal Left

Rediff.com8 Nov 2015

'The new generation voter is hyper-nationalistic, but it isn't essentially illiberal.' 'They will find the rants of Adityanath as laughable as Irfan Habib's. They will also find the BJP's polarising approach to vote-gathering unacceptable if it fails to deliver jobs and growth,' says Shekhar Gupta.

Why Modi's approach to financial inclusion is better

Why Modi's approach to financial inclusion is better

Rediff.com30 Aug 2014

Within two weeks of the speech, the prime minister flagged off the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, and the day was marked by announcing its outcome on the very first day of its implementation.

A lot in the offing in DC before Modi lands in New York

A lot in the offing in DC before Modi lands in New York

Rediff.com18 Sep 2015

Days before Narendra Modi arrives in the US to speak at the UN, meet Barack Obama, gupshup with the likes of Nadella, Pichai, Zuckerberg, and address desis in Silicon Valley, his ministers will help set the commercial and strategic tone for the prime minister's visit.

FULL TEXT of PM Modi's I-Day address

FULL TEXT of PM Modi's I-Day address

Rediff.com15 Aug 2019

Following is the full text of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 73rd Independence Day.

IAS vs IRS officers: The fight for supremacy

IAS vs IRS officers: The fight for supremacy

Rediff.com10 Aug 2016

In July, IRS officers in Mumbai held an incendiary meeting where they criticised the alleged interference in 'operational matters' by the department of revenue.

'4 men, a dog and a tent are no military threat'

'4 men, a dog and a tent are no military threat'

Rediff.com8 Oct 2014

'We don't want confrontation; we are trying to build a cooperative relationship in which both sides have stakes in producing an improving climate of relations and responsible behaviour.' What does Shiv Shankar Menon, one of India's most brilliant diplomats and the former National Security Advisor, think of the Modi visit to the US, the Chinese stand-off in Ladakh and the situation on the LoC?

General Rawat knows the challenges his men face

General Rawat knows the challenges his men face

Rediff.com18 Feb 2017

'The scope of cordon and search operations has changed drastically.' 'Operations are now more focused, intelligence driven and involve very small cordons with minimum inconvenience to the people.' 'This has been the humanisation of conflict.' 'It has come to be institutionalised in the army's concept.' 'General Rawat has been schooled in this thinking and when he makes a statement it is with full consciousness of the institutionalised concept,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), the former GOC 15 Corps in Srinagar and the officer acclaimed as the 'People's General'.

False Swaraj and fake Mahatmas

False Swaraj and fake Mahatmas

Rediff.com3 Mar 2014

Arvind Kejriwal's every posture and mudra is carefully choreographed to resemble those of the original Mahatma, but the vision is stunted, the hidden agendas often leak out, says Dr Anirban Ganguly.

Why SC order on Jaya may dash Vijaykanth's hopes

Why SC order on Jaya may dash Vijaykanth's hopes

Rediff.com27 Apr 2015

Vijaykanth on Sunday kickstarted the first major political move in Tamil Nadu, and against the ruling AIADMK, ahead of the 2016 assembly polls. But what if Jayalalithaa were to win the 'wealth case' ultimately? N Sathiya Moorthy explores the scenario arising from the Supreme Court's order in the Jaya case on Tuesday.

Google has made teachers less awe-inspiring, grandparents more idle: Modi

Google has made teachers less awe-inspiring, grandparents more idle: Modi

Rediff.com27 Sep 2015

'If Facebook were a country, it would be the third most populous one and the most connected.'

'There is a big game plan to defame Modi'

'There is a big game plan to defame Modi'

Rediff.com27 Oct 2015

'The dirt in the Indian Ocean must be less than the abuses Narendra Modi got from secular forces.' 'If you are going to put the blame on the central government and the RSS for every wrongdoing, then it is not going to serve any purpose, rather it will complicate the issue instead of resolving it.' 'There are fringe elements in every society, but for an ideal State it is important to finish off the fringe elements.'

Mufti is no stranger to controversy

Mufti is no stranger to controversy

Rediff.com4 Mar 2015

'Abrogation of Article 370 is not legal because it is the legal basis of Kashmir's accession to India.'

'Aadhar is a national security threat'

'Aadhar is a national security threat'

Rediff.com31 Mar 2017

'The government that is talking all the time about national security and national interests should be concerned.' 'When national interests are jeopardised by their own project, they should pause and listen.' 'Whether it is the BJP or the Congress, they all want control over the people.' 'They don't give a damn if anything happens to the people of the country; they are only interested in what they can get out of the data.'

Did you know Nehru was first PM to address US Congress?

Did you know Nehru was first PM to address US Congress?

Rediff.com1 Jun 2016

'India may be new to world politics and her military strength insignificant in comparison with that of the giants of our epoch.' 'But India is old in thought and experience and has travelled through trackless centuries in the adventure of life.' 'Throughout her long history she has stood for peace and every prayer that an Indian raises, ends with an invocation to peace.' Jawaharlal Nehru's memorable speech to the United States Congress.

'Obama and Modi can build on what Bush and Vajpayee began'

'Obama and Modi can build on what Bush and Vajpayee began'

Rediff.com25 Jan 2015

Ashley J Tellis, a leading authority on Indo-US relations, tells Archis Mohan in an emailed interview that it is time Washington and New Delhi agreed on the contours of their 'strategic partnership', and that India's elite could learn from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in how he has put India's interests first and his own sentiments about the Americans second.

'Had New Delhi trusted us, Kashmir would not have been in this mess'

'Had New Delhi trusted us, Kashmir would not have been in this mess'

Rediff.com21 Dec 2015

'The root of the Kashmir problem lies in Partition. To solve the issue, we have to begin from there and settle it forever.'

5 things Modi can and must do to skyrocket to fame

5 things Modi can and must do to skyrocket to fame

Rediff.com13 Jun 2014

he has to demonstrate the ability of his government to take a quantum leap, almost tantamount to setting the Ganga on fire, in the next six months, if not in 100 days, if the people were to take seriously the cascade of commitments spewing out of the President's address to both Houses of Parliament on June 9, says B S Raghavan. B S Raghavan suggests five practical propositions through which the Modi government can bring in paradigm changes.

Full text: PM Modi's address in Sri Lanka Parliament

Full text: PM Modi's address in Sri Lanka Parliament

Rediff.com13 Mar 2015

PM Modi addressed the Sri Lanka Parliament on Friday.

Narendra Modi's prime ministerial speech!

Narendra Modi's prime ministerial speech!

Rediff.com28 Feb 2014

Narendra Modi's speech at the India Economic Convention was the best such oration since Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the nation from the Red Fort in the aftermath of Kargil, feels Shreekant Sambrani.

They all had the same answer: 'Amazing'

They all had the same answer: 'Amazing'

Rediff.com29 Sep 2014

10 takeaways from Modi@Madison show

President Pranab's address to Parliament: The transcript

President Pranab's address to Parliament: The transcript

Rediff.com9 Jun 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday addressed the first joint sitting of Parliament as mandatorily required under the Constitution after the general elections. The address is the political, economic and foreign policy road map of the Narendra Modi government and covers virtually all crucial areas.

The battle is now for the Tipping Point in Kashmir

The battle is now for the Tipping Point in Kashmir

Rediff.com14 Aug 2015

'How does one get to weaken all those pillars on which the Deep State of Pakistan and the Separatists rely to prevent the situation reaching that point; how must this stage of the proxy war be countered? In many ways the strategy being followed by the adversaries is a smart one, acting within threshold and avoiding overpitch,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).

Coalition conundrum cuts into candidates' campaign time in TN

Coalition conundrum cuts into candidates' campaign time in TN

Rediff.com17 Mar 2016

The deadlock over finalising alliances has had a deleterious effect on the candidates of every party. The delay in alliance conclusion has also sent out confusing signals to the grass-roots who are unsure who will be their party candidate, or which party within an alliance will be allotted a particular constituency, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Modi's foreign policy: Tough on Pakistan, China at arm's length

Modi's foreign policy: Tough on Pakistan, China at arm's length

Rediff.com26 Jun 2014

From early indications, the Modi government's foreign policy seems to be pragmatic and reciprocal, says K G Suresh.

'BJP may get an upper hand as far as Dalit votes are concerned'

'BJP may get an upper hand as far as Dalit votes are concerned'

Rediff.com19 Jun 2015

'It is difficult to imagine the BJP becoming the legatee of Ambedkar. Whichever way one looks at it, Ambedkar's thought and Hindu nationalism are not easy to reconcile.'

Is stopping Modi the West's new priority?

Is stopping Modi the West's new priority?

Rediff.com8 Apr 2014

The West has always preferred a timid, half intelligent and a dependent India rather than a decisively independent and self-reliant one. A pliable Indian leadership suits the West best, says Tarun Vijay.