The great Indian political circus: Part – I
There are many similarities between the economic situation that India faced in the early 1990s and the one Pakistan currently faces. Last year, I wrote a series of articles that…
The great Indian political circus: Part – II
In January 1990, tensions in Kashmir allowed the BJP to capitalize on it to fan its extremist agenda. Immediately after coming to power, the VP Singh government introduced the 62nd…
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…
Time to take a stand
Rahul Gandhi and Chandrababu Naidu standing together, shoulder to shoulder and in a single frame, waving to incredulous, rapturous crowds? Who would have thought this would ever be possible? After…
Doklam: ending faux machismo
The campaign that led to Modi’s elevation as the prime minister of India created quite a few neologisms, stirred political tattlers and provoked praise and pillorying. During one of the…
Peace after UP elections?
India is up for a grand polarisation on communal and secular lines as all eyes are now focused mainly on the elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Bihar might not be…
21st century’s ‘defining’ partnership?
On June 8, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly applauded while addressing the US Congress; this was in sharp contrast to the almost decade-long ban imposed on his entry…
Bihar win was the easy part
In hindsight, Bihar was a straight fight between India’s native secular instincts and NRI-fuelled Hindutva communalism. Full marks to the rustic winners although they were savvy enough to cite Barack…
Janata Parivar 2.0: hope or illusion?
Among the more interesting political developments that India has recently witnessed is the attempt to regroup fragments of the former Janata Party (which arose in the 1970s in opposition to…
Secularism as a joke
NDTV’s Barkha Dutt wrote a fine piece for Hindustan Times last week. Bemoaning the continuing degeneration of Indian politics coupled with the rise of the Right, she voiced eminent jurist…
