We hear haughty talks of decentralization and “power to the people” through the Panchayati Raj but it seems that the MNCs and even the Indian courts think otherwise. I had referred to a High Court order that allowed Coke to resume production at its Plachimada, Kerala plant despite of the village council objections. It is [...]

JK is happy with the recent High court ruling that allows Coke to resume production at its Perumatty plant in Kerala even if it does not get a license. There is always the “other side” to the story. Unfortunately, commie bashing has become such a fashion that we offer our prejudiced view even before we [...]

“Mushu Mushu haasi deo” must be the song on the lips of the Indian diplomats who were all gaga over the recent paltry visit of the Pakistani Dictator. I think if it achieved something, it was the dilution of the tough stance against cross-border terrorism, the existence of which was gradually being acknowledged publicly by [...]

The maverick dictator plans to vist India with the characteristic razzmatazz. The author of Kargil who wants the world to believe that he is a visionary and a worthy contender for the Nobel Peace prize. Null Pointer joins the blogdom in condemning his proposed India visit on the behest of cricket diplomacy.

It has the razzmatazz, the chutzpah, sans anything you would expect on the website of a President. I am talking about the glitzy website of President Musharraf. For an armywallah, that he is at heart, it's difficult to give up the true colors, the paki belligerence towards India is there, savor this: There was the [...]

Visibly annoyed with its aging dinosaurs and amidst the aspiration scuffles taking its toll in the party, BJP's old turk Govind Govindacharya is scratching the wounds again. The Babri mosque demolition was the “failure of the saffron leadership..to gauge the mood of the karsevaks…a glaring example of contradiction between cadre-based and mass-based politics”, says the [...]

It is difficult not to raise voice against this seemingly undemocratic move, the recent return of monarchy in Nepal, yet if King Gyanendra's motive of curbing the Maoist showdown holds any truth, I would invest my support for such a move. When the elected representatives are capable to do little, it is futile to justify [...]

These are election times in Maharashtra and a reader of TOI wrote in his letter to the editor that he supports a petitioner who demanded that the pavement encroachers be debarred from voting. This, they think, apart from saving the city would prevent politicians from cashing on their vote bank. There are lacs and lacs [...]

Manohar puri made an interesting point in his article*. Should voting be made compulsory? Though I don't entirely agree with his view that one should snatch away the rights of an individual to criticize government policies and performance if he has not voted, right for expression being one of the foundation stones on which our [...]

Readers of this blog would recall that I predicted that the Congress (and Sonia Gandhi too) would show some prudence in electing any seasoned politician from its camp (and there are many) to be the next Prime Minister. Sonia could still be the party supremo to act as the “source of inspiration” for the party [...]