In a clutch of ice-cold words Dr Singh conveyed a great deal outright rejecting any third party mediation and disabusing any Pakistani notions to the effect that India was coming under US pressure over the Kashmir issue.
Dr Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur, President Obama, Michelle Obama, Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were seated at the lead table.
Sheela Bhatt on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's dinner for President Barack Obama.
Rahul Bedi, the New Delhi-based correspondent of Jane's Defence Weekly, tells Sheela Bhatt why the rapid American shift of the Indian military hardware is a dangerous development.
Indian Ambassador to Egypt Chinmaya Gharekhan, a former special envoy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for West Asia, tells Sheela Bhatt that India should welcome the changes taking place in Egypt and it should not be doubting the Muslim Brotherhood at all.
New kid on the block Nilesh Sahay talks about his debut movie, Angel.
Coalition governments aren't necessarily a negative for the economy, though they can result in negative outcomes in the stock market if not already priced in before elections.
The assembly elections will not be a big help for the Congress in New Delhi because even if it wins impressively, it will still be considered a local win with the help of local issues. It will not help the Congress find an apt response to the question of corruption at the national level, says Sheela Bhatt
The Congress fears of a loss of credibility, the dwindling fortunes of the DMK and a chance for one-upmanship over the Opposition, especially the BJP, meant that A Raja had to got to jail, says Sheela Bhatt
Since Osama's end at the hands of an American special forces team, the question uppermost in New Delhi is how will it impact the ties between the US and Pakistan. A S Dulat, former chief of RAW gives his take to Sheela Bhatt
The Indian establishment may get a leverage while talking to American officials on bilateral efforts of counter-terrorism while the media splashes scary details about what Headley did in India, points out Sheela Bhatt
Devinder Sharma, distinguished food security expert who has been with India Against Corruption since its inception, talks about their future plans and where he hopes the movement will go and what they hope to achieve.
Sheela Bhatt analyses the aftermath of the Anna Hazare fast in New Delhi and says that war has broken out at multiple levels over the Lokpal bill.
Sheela Bhatt in the second-part of an exclusive chat with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar, the man who is under the national scanner for serious, but, so far unsubstantiated, allegations of mentoring a group of terrorists.
The Election Commission and the Law Ministry have joined hands to draw up a list of electoral reforms that seek to bar corrupt and criminal leaders from contesting polls, says Sheela Bhatt
Whether the Congress takes a decision for or against a Telangana state, its strongest bastion Andhra Pradesh weakens. Sheela Bhatt looks at the tough choices before the party.
A look at the Telugu films this Sankranti.
Activist Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption gathered steam as he received support from scores of people across India. But for Hazare this fight is nothing new. He first raised his voice against malpractices in the system in the early 90s, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Karisma Kapoor walked for Neha Agarwal and all our dreams came true :-)
Although Omar Abdullah has survived as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister he has been unable to govern, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti tells Sheela Bhatt in an exclusive interview.
Does Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh want to capitalise over the craze between the high-voltage World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan? If high-level sources are to be believed the answer is a yes. One of the options that governments of both the nations is considering is to have more cricket matches between the two-arch rivals, sources told rediff.com.
"I am going to cheer for a good game of cricket," said Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a powerful voice in the world of Indian cricket, who is in Mohali to witness the mega semi-final between India and Pakistan.
The Congress is nervous about the PM penning his memoirs.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit gave India an opportunity to firmly put its concerns across the table. Though the major issues were not fully addressed, New Delhi will be glad that the Chinese are now, at least, willing to talk about them, observes Sheela Bhatt
Parmesh, brother of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, spoke to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt about his personal experience of natural calamities in a telephonic conversation from Tokyo.
The Chinese premier will try to boost the burgeoning trade between the two nations and strive to keep bilateral differences under control, explains Sheela Bhatt
'The theme of death seems to be a theme about which many of us, raised in Western societies, have almost completely removed from consciousness; it represents a theme that is suddenly and forcefully resurging now.' 'And for some, this is scary and destabilising.'
The latest Wikileaks revelations will make many believe that the UPA government mustered a majority in Parliament in July 2008 in an unscrupulous manner and the Americans were prime witness to that crime, says Sheela Bhatt.
'Mamata needs the Congress more than the Congress needs the alliance,' says a Congress leader. 'If the Trinamool and Congress fight the election together, a party survey claims the Trinamool will get around 165 out of 294 seats, but without us, the Trinamool could get somewhere around 130. It will be a few seats less than a majority.'
The big question today is, who represents the movement. We don't know who represents the movement for a separate state. We do not even know if there is a leadership that will do right by Telangana and do right by the Indian Constitution, says Jyotirmaya Sharma, scholar
Could Jairam Ramesh's frank comments work to the BJP's advantage?
'Look at the impropriety of the Anti-Corruption Bureau giving Ajit Pawar a clean chit!'
Is blood thicker than party loyalty for Varun Gandhi?
Shreyas Iyer slammed 178, while captain Siddhesh Lad made a responsible 130, to power Mumbai to an imposing score of 439 for eight against Baroda, on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy match.
It took six months' hard work and more than a dozen visits to-and-from both sides for Washington and New Delhi to make President Barack Obama's visit successful.
While the arrest of Kanimozhi in the 2G scam is a good development, there is still a long way to go for the CBI in the case. Sheela Bhatt on the repercussions of the arrest.
'President Obama bahut dhanyavad, we should say! He gave an outstanding speech to Parliament on Monday. His address to lawmakers and the people of India was balanced and profound.'
K K Mohammad, who took the US First Couple around Humayun's Tomb while explaining its history, tells Sheela Bhatt that the tour was a crash course in architecture and history for the Obamas.
Even though stocks may remain volatile in the run-up to the polls, as political parties stitch up alliances, the long-term trajectory for the markets remains bullish.
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