Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt analysis what Rahul Gandhi's elevation to number 2 position means to a struggling Congress party and a government facing a credibility crisis.
Sheela Bhatt, who attended the dinner to celebrate UPA-II's fourth anniversary, sensed a deep unease in the ruling echelons.
The real assessment of the actual diplomatic gains out of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's three-day India visit can be made only after promised actions are initiated, but surely it has yielded some political dividend for the beleaguered United Progressive Alliance government, notes Sheela Bhatt.
As another murky saga of betting in cricket surfaces, Sheela Bhatt raises some frequently asked questions on the subject and provides answers.
His provocative comments are the first political steps taken by the Congress to handle the coal scam and its fall-out, says Sheela Bhatt
Sheela Bhatt blames the Delhi gang-rape and its aftermath on the dreadful transport mafia, the offspring of the nexus between politicians, crooked bureaucrats and shady operators.
The Kumbhkarna has woken up and the prime minister can now rest easy. Sheela Bhatt presents the ten new trends set by the Uttar Pradesh elections
But it's nice to see the CBI telling the truth overtly and exposing the government that it serves covertly, says Sheela Bhatt.
Says a senior BJP leader: "If the AAP had Congress or BJP-type polling agents they would have easily got three-fourth majority in Delhi, there is no question about it. It was not Kejriwal or the AAP that got the vote. People went all out with a resolve to defeat what we call 'the system'." Sheela Bhatt reports on how the AAP's cornering of the anti-establishment vote has forced the BJP to rethink its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections.
The verdict from the assembly elections is not the best possible result for the BJP with two states seeing neck-to-neck fights, but in view of the clear anti-Congress vote the BJP has got an edge, says Sheela Bhatt.
'It is the first time since Independence that there is a leader who claims to be completely self-made.... Although he is in the BJP, frankly, it is now Modi who is defining the BJP's persona than the BJP defining him as it were.' Pratap Bhanu Mehta, arguably India's finest political thinker, speaks to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in an eloquent interview.
'In the early 2000s, mid-2000s, one of the big changes in India was the sense that India was finally going to make it. With all its flaws and faults, the relatively high growth rate gave you an opportunity to do other things and so forth. Right now, there is nervousness about whether India can actually make it.' The second part of political thinker Pratap Bhanu Mehta's eloquent interview to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, who is travelling around Gujarat, lists the factors that will help Chief Minister Narendra Modi likely win the state election.
Asif Ibrahim's appointment as Director of India's Intelligence Bureau has stirred considerable interest. Observers believe the UPA government has chosen the new heads of the IB, the Research and Analysis Wing and the Central Bureau of Investigation, keeping in mind the next Lok Sabha election, reports Sheela Bhatt.
'The idea was not just to kill those hundreds of people,' historian Ramachandra Guha tells Sheela Bhatt, 'the idea was to provoke people against Muslims. It is really shocking that Pakistan is in denial about what happened in Mumbai.'
Sheela Bhatt reports how Ajmal Kasab's execution is significant for the central government and for the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra.
Opposition parties are wary that any such attempt that is likely to fail or is even potentially risky will end up helping the Congress eventually, says Sheela Bhatt.
The Congress knew that Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh are lost for a long time as Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's leadership is taking deep roots. It also knew that if the next government is formed by the NDA then Telangana will definitely be created depriving them any credit. This pushed the Congress to finally endorse the new state. But the huge risk behind the decision and the uncertainties that go with it are making Congress nervous, says Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt who traveled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the BRICS summit in Durban, reports on what transpired during Dr Singh's first meeting with China's new leader Xi Jinping.
A senior government source explains to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt why India cannot pre-judge a rivalry with China.
'The Congress will get exposed more and more. My case will not stand a judicial trial. I am confident that in any case against me, the charges will not be framed. All cases against me are baseless.' BJP leader Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Once the tremors of Mamata Banerjee and Mulayam Singh Yadav's political shock dies down, they will return for fresh negotiations with the Congress, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Sheela Bhatt speaks to BJP insiders and those privy to Modi's thinking to piece together the Gujarat's strongman plan/journey that aims for the biggest prize in Indian politics.
By asking Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to move the resolution authorising the Congress president to select the party's presidential nominee, Sonia Gandhi has strengthened her political position. Sheela Bhatt analyses
According to the CBI charge-sheet in the encounter case, which leaves out some important questions, five Gujarat cops fired 70 rounds on the four persons they branded as terrorists. Sheela Bhatt presents a summary of the CBI charge-sheet of the "extra-judicial" killings that are haunting the Gujarat government.
Sheela Bhatt spoke to various members of Parliament to elicit their opinion about Finance Minister P Chidambaram's last Budget before the general elections, and found them lukewarm in their reaction. 'Political nuksaan nahi, lekin faida bhi nahin. Bach nikle,' about sums it up
For a man revered for his probity, Defence Minister A K Antony was caught napping when bribes were paid over the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. With the UPA government staring at another scam, nothing it seems will change, writes Sheela Bhatt.
The real effect of the so-called 'weak-allegations' against Robert Vadra is that the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is shaken to its core, even if temporarily, says Sheela Bhatt.
K Alan Kronstadt, an expert in South Asian affairs at the US Congressional Research Service, speak to Sheela Bhatt on why India-US bilateral relations are getting cold.
Congress is wary that state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and New Delhi to be held in December will impact its prospects in the 2014 general elections. Sheela Bhatt reports
Neither Swami Vivekananda nor his guru Ramakrishna Paramhans is Modi's "monopoly", is the message that Sonia Gandhi sent out on Wednesday, reports Sheela Bhatt
The more Narendra Modi tours the country with his 'vikas purush' card, the more the Congress will refresh his image as the poster boy of Hindutva. The irony is that the Congress's political reaction suits Modi! He won't complain at all, says Sheela Bhatt.
L K Advani had no option but to strike now to ensure that Modi is not announced as the prime ministerial candidate under any circumstances before the general election, says Sheela Bhatt
These decisions were unavoidable because India was at real risk of 'downgrading of its sovereign ratings.' That would have meant more stringent terms and conditions of borrowings, investments and international bargains in projects and trade.
Will the dithering government buckle under pressure from Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to save itself from sinking into oblivion? Sheela Bhatt examines
Sheela Bhatt analyzes how Sonia Gandhi's leadership has failed her party, and how India has suffered
Surat's businessmen and citizens collect funds to help the police build a state-of-the-art surveillance system that will provide real-time video coverage of the city. Sheela Bhatt reports.
'I don't think Modi is PM material... Because of his nature, because of his arrogance... A prime ministerial candidate is one who can carry others with him. The quality of statesmanship which ought to be there is missing,' Ahmed Patel, the most powerful man in the Congress party after the Gandhis, tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in a rare and exclusive interview.
What most people don't know is that the emotional flourishes and notes, the memories about Rahul's father Rajiv Gandhi and grandmother Indira Gandhi, the point about his mother Sonia coming into his room late on Saturday night and weeping, in the speech were added by his sister Priyanka Gandhi.
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