Politics News - Page 3

The curious case of the voter ID card: Good for everything but voting
It is ironic that the ‘Voter’s ID’ as we know it, is actually an ‘Elector Photo Identity Card, which has been abbreviated by the Central Election Commission itself as EPIC.

Why Mumbai's middle class just lost its right to criticise the govt
By and large, Mumbaikars, except those who live in the slums, have lost the right to express displeasure on TV shows, Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else, over issues of governance.

Can high voter turnout disrupt the dynastic politics of Thane?
If you want to see even urban parliamentary constituencies which have a strong streak of dynastic politics, Thane may be the best example.

In defence of Shazia Ilmi: She was not being communal
She should not have used that expression ' you have to be communal' - even if she used it ironically, in jest or to convey a paradox.

Why AAP is the only viable alternative for India
When you say viable alternative, I don't see any alternative other than AAP. The alternatives we have — the BJP and the Congress — are proven incompetent and/or thieves. When the existing alternatives are sinking the ship, even a small boat is a life boat.

How both Modi and Rahul are likely to lose their 2014 battles
RaGa may not stay relevant in politics or in his party to lead a comeback. NaMo may not get to become the super-PM he so promises to be.

Navyana controversy: Why Left's intellectual bullying won't work now
The D’Cruz affair has shattered another myth - the left-of-centre intellectual brigade’s sanctimonious pretense that it is the sole defender of intellectual freedom against the right-wing.

BJP needs to ramp up efforts to counter Cong's bag of dirty tricks
The BJP should ramp up their marketing efforts even more, given that elections are on instead of just being satisfied with the current efforts.

BJP should think again before revising India's nuclear programme
Its manifesto says the “BJP believes that the strategic gains acquired by India during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime on the nuclear programme have been frittered away by the Congress.”

LS polls: Best indicator of voter reform efforts would be in the turnout
Since we hear it being said from every corner that this is a tightly fought election, the best indicator this voter reform efforts would be in the turn out. If more come out to vote, the more vibrant this democracy becomes.

Cong can no longer deny it: It's drowning under the Modi wave
Is there a Modi wave and is this an election different from others? Or is the imminent thrashing of the ruling party the result of an anti-Congress vote?

RSS view of Muslims as traitors, enemies is behind Modi's Pak agent comment
Modi cannot resist making this comment though he does not need to go the communal route in this election. The Congress is on the ropes beccause of its record on corruption, legislation and governance.

Forget personalities, why aren't we debating party manifestos
Why don't we talk about NDA's manifesto vs UPA manifesto vs AAP manifesto (which by the way does not exist because their committees could not come up with any policies).

Not just BJP, Sri Ram Sene: Medieval mindsets cut across parties
My point is that medieval mindsets cut across parties and if you're going to castigate politicians for it, reprimand them all.

Narendra Modi or not, opportunistic politics will govern India
In some ways the UPA had ceased being 'progressive', the quaint term used to allude to leftism, after the exit of the Communists.

Why the judicial system's fear of mobs is frightening
I do not understand what collective conscience is and how it is to be measured for extreme or moderate revulsion.

Modi's mentors: KK Shastri, the scholar who helped save the Gujarati language
KK Shastri was one of the greatest scholars of the Gujarati language. Shastri also led the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Gujarat, and died in 2006 at the age of 101

Why is the media blatantly targeting AAP and Kejriwal?
News outlets are judgemental, and adversely so, when it comes to the AAP.

When it comes to Modi as PM, the West can't preach to India
Because Modi represents an Indian identity, a unification of interests of weaker sections, a religion agnostic government, these people are afraid they won't win any longer in preaching to us that India is all about casteism, corruption and filth.

Open letter to AAP from a fence sitter: Why should I vote for you?
What will AAP do in a post poll scenario? Will it support the Congress, the BJP or will it go for a re-election?

Hate Modi but what other option do Muslims in India have?
I have never been able to fathom what makes the Gujarat riots so different from the hundreds that India has seen over the past decades.

Reading Narendra Modi: Pity a PM candidate is so full of himself
It is not easy to swallow the idea that someone so full of petty bombast is the prime ministerial candidate of the party most likely to win the next election.

After one 'interrogation', why is Rahul meeting the press off-record?
What should be interesting is the reason why Rahul Gandhi is meeting journalists but off the record.

From AAP to BJP: Protest politics is a case of serpent eating its own tail
Intellectuals, writers and commentators, who embraced the A-word to denounce AAP forgot it completely when Reddy, Kumar and Chouhan used the tool of dharna to express similar angst.

Modi's Mentors: Anantrao Kale, who gifted Gujarat many a school
Narendra Modi writes in this chapter of Juotipunj of Anantrao Kale, the educationist who set up many schools in Gujarat. Modi spent the mid-70s working with Kale to ensure the Janata Party's win after the Emergency, only to be disappointed by their subsequent attack on the RSS.

Modi's Mentors: Keshavrao Deshmukh, who revamped RSS in Gujarat
The RSS is an eight-decade old institution focussed on character-building. It is enough for a human to become humane, that is the mantra adopted.

After Deng-isms, some Teddy-isms for our next Prime Minister
Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt was also called the "trust buster", smashing America’s "robber baron" monopolies with ruthless reforms.

Why there's nothing wrong in releasing Rajiv Gandhi's killers
This “rarest of rare” business is something few really understand and the fact is that Indian courts keep sentencing so many people to death that rarest of rare has lost meaning.

Telangana creation: BJP failed in its opposition to Congress
If Andhra Pradesh is divided and humiliated like this, what about the rest of our states? We probably won't have a say.

Telangana fall-out: Who is running Andhra now?
Now that Lok Sabha has passed and Rajya Sabha concurred on conceding the demand for Telangana, who is running Andhra Pradesh now?