Most politicians and even non-politicians have been honoured because of what they were purported to be electorally worth for the ruling party of their time, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com decodes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech after the Pran Prathistha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodha.
'Bharat is the core value that has to be lived by and if you deny it, then the people will discard you.'
lanked by US President Joe Biden and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi planted a tree at the Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai mangrove forest in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Has Ajay Mohan Bisht, the ruler of UP, fallen out of favour with Narendra Damodardas Modi, the emperor of India?
In nearly 100 seats, the BJP stands almost no chance of winning. In 200 seats, it is a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress where the BJP has an upper hand. In 243 seats, the BJP is pitted against regional parties and it is not going to be easy. That is why 400 seats may end up as a pipe dream, states Ramesh Menon, author of Modi Demystified: The Making of a Prime Minister.
The prime minister's insistence that his voice cannot be suppressed left me both puzzled and amused. He has at his call, the government's official news dissemination/publicity channels, the pliant newspapers and television channels that were eager to prostrate themselves before a powerful government and yet, the dominant voice thinks it is in competition with other voices! exclaims Shyam G Menon.
'Rama is Lord God of maryada. Today's maryada is the Constitution.'
Rajasthan is reeling under a huge financial burden with the state's debt having gone beyond Rs 5.59 lakh crores. Rajasthan has increased expenditure on education by 203.4 percent, by 105.4 percent on health, by 227.14 percent on housing. Its expenditure on social welfare schemes has increased by almost 2,475 per cent.
'Despite being Bihar chief minister twice and an MLA for over three decades, he and my mother used to stay in a jhopri in our village.'
Everyone knows who will win the election to succed Sonia Gandhi as Congress president. But who would YOU prefer?
'Now the political boss decides, and the ED acts.'
Glimpses of what some of our leaders were up to on Monday, September 26, 2022.
At a time when the BJP's stars are at the top on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, the Puri-Joshimath Sankaracharyas may have kick-started a row whose efforts might be to divide Hindus, not in the name of castes, but on what passes for greater belief, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The scaling up of the India-US strategic partnership to the level of non-NATO ally with defence deals, sharing and transfer of defence technology, interoperability, joint collaboration and joint production of defence equipment has exacerbated Moscow's anxiety, notes Rup Narayan Das.
Hundreds of farmers were seen offering sweets to each other at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border to celebrate the 'half victory' of their almost year-long protest.
Dominic Xavier wonders whether resolution of the farmers's grievances will have to wait till the construction of the new Parliament building.
Ever since he won a second term in office last month, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath -- whose stern face rarely betrayed a smile during his first term -- seems to be more relaxed these days.
Several BJP leaders including Prime Minister Modi called on Lalji at his home in New Delhi to wish the former deputy prime minister.
The rulers of the day need to be sensitive and involved in managing the identities of sacred spaces and the ongoing dialogues about the past in diverse societies, suggests Colonel Nikhil Apte (retd).
There was not a dry eye in sight as 3,024 beneficiaries of a slum rehabilitation project were overwhelmed by emotion as Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi handed them the keys to their new homes at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
'How come the BJP won even in the Muslim belt? I am 100% sure that the BJP would not win in the Muslim belt.'
Putin made these remarks on Thursday at a forum in Moscow organised by Russia's Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI).
Dominic Xavier offers his cheeky take on Monday's event when government ministers feliciated the Tokyo Olympic medalists.
What some of our leaders were up to on Tuesday, December 13.
Will January 22 mark a point of no return for our Constitutional secularism? asks Shekhar Gupta.
'In the short term the relationship will get worse.'
'They are happy for the Hindu community as Ram Lalla is consecrated in Ayodhya.'
India laid out the red carpet and accorded a ceremonial reception for one of this country's most valued allies, Sheikh Hasina
'We should not underestimate the power of Hindutva.'
In Bali, Indonesia's Hindu majority province, attending the convention of Group of 20 leaders are two men who also share the Hindu faith -- Narendra Damodardas Modi, the prime minister of India, and Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Why did Modi single out the Congress and its leaders for the most pugnacious verbal assault while sparing other regional adversaries? If he is trying to get some parties to break the Opposition ranks, it means that the BJP's present bravado is for effect. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times, begins a new column for Rediff.com.
The BJP enters challenging times where it has been given a task to hold onto the values of Ram in running the country as defined by Narendra Modi in Ayodhya, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Wouldn't it be better to join the celebrations with the vast Hindu majority while at the same time criticising Mr Modi/BJP/RSS for politicising it? notes Shekhar Gupta.
Dominic Xavier wonders what's more important for India: A new house for the prime minister or protecting the lives of every Indian through efficient and urgent healthcare.
'Everyone is so excited. There is a lot of excitement everywhere. This was a long time desire of many people.'
'The people of Kota will show Om Birla his place.'
The finance minister's assertion that industry should not expect any spectacular announcements in the 2024 interim Budget suggest that the electoral imperatives of more tax concessions or higher expenditure on welfarist programmes could be far less pronounced than they were before the 2019 interim Budget, expects A K Bhattacharya.
On Friday, an attempt by the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed to carry out a suicide attack ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's visit was foiled after two suspected Pakistani terrorists were killed in Jammu in an encounter in which a Central Industrial Security Force officer also died.
With the spate of businesses turning their attention to Ayodhya, land rates have shot up, in some pockets by as much as 10 times. Whether one walks into a hotel lobby or sits down for a meal, land deals are being discussed at every other table -- one on one or among groups.
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