In an exclusive column to Rediff.com, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat explains what is wrong with the Union Budget 2011-12 that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented in Parliament on Monday.
If and when India and Pakistan bilateral talks take place any issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir will not be on the table. Any future talks with Pakistan will be only about PoK, tactically or otherwise.
Sheela Bhatt provides a ringside view to the hectic political developments after yoga guru Baba Ramdev landed in New Delhi to start his fast against corruption.
With the political class ranged against them, the civic representatives of the panel drafting the Lokpal bill face an uphill battle. Sheela Bhatt reports from New Delhi.
The National Democratic Alliance and the Left is likely to corner the United Progressive Alliance on issues pertaining to price rise and black money on the first day of the winter session, which starts on Tuesday. Sheela Bhatt reports
Sources in the government have claimed that if most political leaders are in favour of withdrawing the government's Lokpal Bill -- at the all-party meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday afternoon -- the government may agree to withdraw it. The all-party meet will be held on Wednesday at 3.30 pm at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence at 7, Race Course road.
Prashant Bhushan is a lawyer and one of the senior leaders and brains behind the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement for a stronger Lokpal bill. The movement is set to add a historic, new chapter in India's parliamentary democracy.
Prithviraj Chavan 'will resist the obvious temptations of cutting deals that comes our way, daily.'
Chavan had to resign because the party will have to make serious efforts to correct the public perception about the party's soft attitude to corruption, a senior Congress leader told Rediff.com
The team that is forming the strategy to take on Anna Hazare is so confused and incoherent that in spite of Team Anna's few missteps, the UPA government is unable to counter them. Says a senior minister and a leader with political sense, "We are worried about losing the battle for minds." Sheela Bhatt reports.
'It is very, very mystifying that somebody who is a potential prime minister of this country and someone who is such a prominent leader in such a big political party lacks clear public engagement on the big issues of the day,' says Dr Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president, Centre for Policy Research.
'He is not as starry eyed about India as George Bush was. But within some limits he would like to do good to India,' says political thinker Ashis Nandy.
While tackling the differences over the Lokpal Bill with social activist Anna Hazare and his team, the Manmohan Singh government has landed in a bigger mess by sending Hazare to Tihar jail. Sheela Bhatt explains why.
Sushma Swaraj has nothing to say about NaMo. Neither has Shivraj Chouhan.
With just one move, the highly anticipated shift of power to the next generation of the Nehru-Gandhi family has come about, albeit silently, explains Sheela Bhatt
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's low-key visit to Kabul on Thursday is a visit for "reassurance", said a diplomat who is one of the most well informed officials on Afghanistan in New Delhi. "When PM Singh will meet Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai he is likely to say that India is a friend of Afghanistan and Indians are standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghan's endeavour for peace and development."
Jason Burke, the Guardian newspaper's South Asia correspondent, tells rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt that there is no need to go hammer and tongs at Pakistan unless there's sufficient evidence to back up claims about its complicity in harbouring Osama bin Laden.
What will an NDA government do with the UPA's secretaries?
Sheela Bhatt says the only logical question to be asked after the listless Cabinet reshuffle is: Has Congress President Sonia Gandhi started losing her grip over the political situation?
Sheela Bhatt in an exclusive chat with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha leader Indresh Kumar, tries to get to know the man who is under the national scanner for serious, but, so far unsubstantiated, allegations of mentoring a group of terrorists.
In an exclusive interview with rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, RSS's executive council member Ram Madhav emphasised on using the judgement for strengthening national integrity but avoided agreeing to building a mosque and a temple at the same site.
Sheela Bhatt traces the fascinating life journey of India's new Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.
The mid-sized ministerial reshuffle will not lead to better governance and has only kept the window open for another reshuffle after the UP election, says Sheela Bhatt.
Even as the UPA is struggling for credibility and ways to fight corruption, the BJP is merely waiting in the wings hoping to earn votes by default. But that is not likely to happen, says Sheela Bhatt.
Team Rediff.com asked veterans Congress watchers all over India to give their opinion about Congress's weaknesses and strengths in the states and how people perceive the local leadership. The opinions outline the perception that the party is suffering from terminal cancer. Only a miracle can save it.
India and Pakistan met again to decrease the huge trust deficit. There was no breakthrough as expected, but, it was not a bad news because both sides are talking, and talking a lot, says Sheela Bhatt, while reporting from Islamabad.
A senior non-Congress MP, while briefing about their focus in the JPC on the 2G spectrum scam, said, "This JPC is very important. We understand the issue and we will fight tooth and nail to corner the government. My question is: can you sell petrol, milk or even vegetables in 2009 at the price of 2002? This government did it in the name of continuation of NDA's policy. How can you sell a new product at the price of an old product, at old rates?"
In the wake of the nuclear emergency in Japan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should have ensured a 'check-up' of safeguards at nuclear power plants before declaring 'Everything is fine' at those sites, Dr A N Prasad, former director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Sudheendra Kulkarni tells rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt that he feels vindicated after a Wikileaks expose on the alleged 'buying' of MPs during the 2008 confidence vote of the United Progressive Alliance.
Experts tell the PM that India's nuclear power plants are designed differently from the ones in Japan, so a similar crisis is unlikely to happen here. Also it seems certain that events in Japan are unlikely to dampen India's nuclear energy plans. Sheela Bhatt reports.
The government of Egypt and Dubai has complained to India about the excessive media coverage given to relatives of the kidnapped Indian sailors by Somali pirates. According to them, the hype by the Indian media is not helping negotiators who are trying to strike a deal with pirates for the early release of the sailors.
Arvind Kejriwal, member of the panel drafting the Lokpal bill, responds to criticism that civic society is trying to usurp democracy and also explains the need for stronger Lokpal bill to tackle corruption.
The Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance is back on track, with the re-opening of communication channels between the two parties. Sources said the Congress is set to agree to contest 60 seats, which was the DMK's final offer after three rounds of hard bargaining.
Leaving the United States is the only solution left, felt Sheela Murthy of the Baltimore, Maryland-based Murthy Law Firm, for students of Tri-Valley University, who have been running from one university to another and from one attorney to another since federal authorities raided and shut down the college on January 19.
Should Kanimozhi be spared from imprisonment in the 2G spectrum scam because she is a woman, as Sonia Gandhi implied on Tuesday? Sheela Bhatt presents the counter-argument
Sonia Gandhi kept off the media, Rahul Gandhi was basking in his UP foray, while other Congressmen showed little exuberance when they were not sniping at each other. Sheela Bhatt reports on UPA II's dinner to mark two years in office
Morgan Stanley attributes the strength in the domestic rally to local flows.
The entire CBI investigation is veering around how, when, why and under which terms and conditions Shahid Balwa became a frontman for A Raja!
Ambani remained at the CBI headquarters for nearly two hours in connection with the agency's investigation into the 2G scam. The media was told he went to the CBI HQ because the Bureau had sought clarification on certain documents relating to Swan Telecom -- one of the companies allegedly involved in the 2G scam. But couldn't one of his company directors have gone instead to explain?
China's increasing presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was not discussed, but both nations did discuss Pakistan, China and other issues related to maritime disputes and the security situation in the Indian Ocean.
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