India through the years – Part VII
While in opposition, Indira Gandhi continued her politics undaunted but faced dissent within the party. In 1978, the annual session of the Congress in Bangalore – now Bengaluru – saw…
India through the years: Part – VIII
One of the most remarkable meetings I had in India in 1984 was with comrade Somnath Chatterjee of the CPI-M, who had been an MP since 1971. He was quite…
India through the years – Part VI
Although the state of emergency in India made Indira Gandhi extremely unpopular, she still decided to hold elections in March 1977, released political prisoners, and removed press censorship. Soon after…
India through the years – Part III
No discussion about the first 20 years of independent India can be complete without talking about B R Ambedkar – an economist and jurist who became more of a social…
India through the years
Part - V The mid-1970s presented interesting – or rather depressing – times for India. It was interesting because the country had won a war and Indira Gandhi was comfortably…
India’s intentions for AJK and GB
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a bizarre statement recently in Srinagar regarding Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that India’s northward journey of development would be complete after…
Part IV – India through the years
Just before 1970, there emerged two factions in the Indian National Congress: Congress (Organisation) that some senior leaders were spearheading; and, Congress (Requisitionist) that PM Indira Gandhi formed. Congress (O)…
India through the years
Part - II In India, 1957 was an eventful year as the country held its second democratic elections with Nehru coming back to power with a thumping majority and the…
India through the years – Part I
In Pakistan, articles and essays about India that appear in journals and newspapers mostly paddle a hackneyed narrative that the state sponsors. There is hardly any serious attempt to understand…
Elections in India: key takeaways
As expected, the Modi-led hardline Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won four out of the five state assembly elections and has succeeded to retain power in Uttar Pradesh…
