Who will form the next govt?
So surprised ― and stung ― were political parties and pundits by the 2004 results that delivered a largely unforeseen upset victory to Congress that analysts and netas are being extra careful this time...
View ArticleWhy we should not forget Mr Q and Bofors
All of sudden in the middle of the week, the 19-year-old Bofors story came back to life. It hit newspaper headlines after it was revealed a key accused in the arms kickback scandal, Ottavio...
View ArticleAre elections 2009 the semi-final for 2011?
Going by the response to Who will form the next government , it is heartening to note that not all of us are cynical about politics. After all, politics directly impacts our lives in terms of security,...
View ArticleHas Rahul Gandhi come of age?
A few weeks ahead of the elections, the hoardings appeared in Delhi, particularly near Congress's 24, Akbar Road headquarters. "Ateet ki neev par bhavish ka nirman (on the foundations of the past the...
View ArticleUPA’s thank you to voters, promises to do an India shining
After Congress scored an upset victory in 2004, it became quite commonplace to put NDA’s cop out down to its mis-timed India Shining campaign. BJP and its allies were believed to have been undone by a...
View ArticleSometimes, racism can be old fashioned crime
There is something about desis abroad that can make them a vulnerable lot. They are usually not physically tough, there are few “Indian” gangs unlike Pakistanis and Bangladeshis apart from some Tamil...
View ArticleHow BJP lost the plot
The mess in the BJP boggles the mind. It takes me back to Mumbai in 2004 after the NDA lost power. For a party that has had a fair record of frank self-analysis — its national executive meets regularly...
View ArticleSave the Hills before it's too late
A hillside getaway is a perfect prescription to beat the summer heat. So when a friend kindly extended the use of a cottage perched near the village of Majkhali, looking down on the Ranikhet valley,...
View ArticleDid Jassu ask for it?
I must confess that this is a question that may not be altogether easy to answer. There is something about Jaswant Singh, lately a member of BJP's highest decision-making body, that makes the old...
View ArticleAir India crisis over for now
The Air India crisis has blown over for now. But the carrier's problems are not going away in a hurry as it continues to post losses and is badly in need of new ideas. The indications are that the...
View ArticleA "limited" mandate cannot fight an all-out war
The dread of an overreach, an unintended shooting, a moment of madness in the heat of battle, is the constant companion of any counter-insurgency operations. In the thick forests of Jhargram or...
View ArticleOn the path of fiscal consolidation
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi could hardly have imagined that UPA 2 would be so engulfed by controversy when the party won a handsome 206 Lok Sabha seats in 2009. As...
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