The Congress Party is sinking. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should make way for Rahul Gandhi, says Congress MP from Gurudaspur Sardar Partap Singh Bajwa. Sheela Bhatt reports
The Constitutional (116 amendment) bill, which will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of Parliament, is the enabling bill that would enable the law-makers to grant the Lokpal constitutional status. If that is not passed, it will also mean the end of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill. Sheela Bhatt reports.
The Constitutional (116 amendment) bill, which will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of Parliament, is the enabling bill that would enable the law-makers to grant the Lokpal constitutional status. If that is not passed, it will also mean the end of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill. Sheela Bhatt reports.
'If the older generation of SP leaders come back to power, it will ruin the opportunity. They will misgovern, they will be stale. UP and the SP's destiny is inter-linked right now,' Professor Rajesh Misra, head of the sociology department at Lucknow University, tells Sheela Bhatt.
'It is so mired in internal conflicts that no one knows who is making decisions. Pranab Mukherjee? The prime minister? Or someone else?' Arvind Kejriwal breaks his silence on Team Hazare's negotiations with the government in an exclusive interview with Sheela Bhatt.
'It is so mired in internal conflicts that no one knows who is making decisions. Pranab Mukherjee? The prime minister? Or someone else?' Arvind Kejriwal breaks his silence on Team Hazare's negotiations with the government in an exclusive interview with Sheela Bhatt.
"Our party has always maintained that Chidambaram's victory was through fraudulent means. His continuance in the Union Council of Minsters is untenable," Jayalalithaa said in response to a query from rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt on the issue.
Irrespective of the results of the UP assembly election, a senior Congress leader tells Sheela Bhatt that Rahul Gandhi has established himself as a leader to reckon with.
The hope for a better image for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led government has diminished drastically with realism setting in that 19 members of its principal ally Trinamool Congress will stall every such move which can be dubbed by Mamata Bannerji as 'anti-poor' or 'anti-farmers', says Sheela Bhatt.
The UPA government hopes the logjam in Parliament over FDI in retail will end on Wednesday with the move to 'hold back' the Cabinet's decision on the issue. But things may not be that simple. Sheela Bhatt reports on the possible scenarios that may emerge.
According to a senior source in the Intelligence Bureau, when a minor blast occurred outside the Delhi high court on May 25, an intelligence input was received that a Sikh militant group may try to do something in New Delhi to bring attention to Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar's mercy please before President Pratibha Patil.
Ahmedabad witnessed some of the most gruesome incidents during the communal riots that rocked Gujarat in 2002. Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt travelled to Ahmedabad to get to know more about the ethos of the city, which has seen it all in its 600-year-old history
Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni spoke to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt briefly on the current logjam in Parliament over the government's decision allowing 51 per cent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail trade.
Intelligence veteran Anil Choudhary gives insight into why NTRO, which reports to the prime minister's office, failed to come up to expectations. He also suggests how India could tighten its security apparatus.
Intelligence veteran Anil Choudhary gives insight into why NTRO, which reports to the prime minister's office, failed to come up to expectations. He also suggests how India could tighten its security apparatus.
Defence Minister A K Antony expressed his displeasure to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in presence of their Cabinet colleagues on Thursday, for permitting 51% Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
Sheela Bhatt traces how Parliament's Standing Committee on the Lokpal Bill is giving final shape to its report, finds out what the key clauses could be and discovers the political difficulties in finalising a complex legal issue before the winter session ends.
The second part of lawyer and brain behind the Anna Hazare campaign, Prashant Bhushan's interview to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
The UPA government has been facing a lot of flak for not doing enough to unearth the black money kept by Indians in banks abroad. Sheela Bhatt reports.
'They have been compromised, have taken favours, have other interests and are the people who have betrayed the profession,' legendary editor Vinod Mehta tells Sheela Bhatt.
The Indian army will have to wait four to five years to acquire Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-5, which was successfully tested on 19 April by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Sheela Bhatt reports
'Holding elections in UP is a challenging task. If UP had been a country, it would have been the sixth largest country in the world! This is the scale at which we hold the elections,' says Umesh Sinha, the chief electoral officer, Uttar Pradesh.
Senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi are sulking because they have a grouse against party president Nitin Gadkari, reports Sheela Bhatt.
The talks between S M Krishna and Hillary Clinton covered important bilateral issues like Afghanistan, nuclear waiver, defence purchases, terrorism, cyber security and US demands for market access, particularly in insurance and retail trading. Sheela Bhatt reports.
'We are confused because the UPA government has cheated us. The question before us is, should we request the people to not vote for the UPA or should we not? Shall we not hit the streets again at all? There are many options before us. Each option has many implications for our movement,' Arvind Kejriwal confesses to Sheela Bhatt.
Is the leak of Army Chief General V K Singh's letter the last straw that faces the government to take action? Sheela Bhatt explains the factors at play.
In an exclusive interview with rediff.com Gopalan replies back to the critics of the Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
In New Delhi, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will sign the first-ever strategic agreement with India. Sheela Bhatt analyses the importance of Karzai's visit and India's budding relationship with its neighbour.
Trivedi played a smart one, but not a very intelligent one, on Mamata, but she is likely to have the last laugh on the issue, reports Sheela Bhatt
Rahul Gandhi has received a setback because he has been rudely reminded that a two-third majority in the Lok Sabha is against his first political endeavour, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Rahul Gandhi has received a setback because he has been rudely reminded that a two-third majority in the Lok Sabha is against his first political endeavour, reports Sheela Bhatt.
If quota in Lokpal is taken off the Yadav leaders will object it, and if it remains, the BJP will oppose it. This situation is advantageous for the Congress to take credit and pass the blame, reports Sheela Bhatt.
An overwhelming majority of MPs think that in less than five years the Lokpal will become the most corrupt institution in India. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Since Pakistan is in the middle of an intense regional and internal issue, the Rao-Bashir talks are not the "major attraction" in Islamabad, reports Sheela Bhatt from the Pakistani capital
'India doesn't want any fights with China. We want to develop a relationship further and faster, but we want to assure that our pride is not hurt in the process because China has risen and India is, still, rising. This, in a nutshell is India's policy on China.'
Two powerful businessmen ganged up against the Congress. Starling revelations from a source close to Rahul Gandhi. Sheela Bhatt listens in. Exclusive to Rediff.com
'This is the vote against the Congress's Muslim appeasement policy. The OBCs in Uttar Pradesh has understood how the Congress to gain Muslim votes wants to give away a pie of the quota, which is legitimately theirs.'
Sheela Bhatt analyses the Supreme Court directive to a trial court to hear a case against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the killing of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri during the 2002 riots, its implications on Modi's future and politics in the state.
Because there is no calm before Lakme Fashion Week begins! :-)
Sheela Bhatt analyses the implications of the Supreme Court's landmark verdict on Thursday, trashing the appointment of PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner