Nitin Gadkari as CM is floated as solution to Maharashtra political stalemate
Union minister Nitin Gadkari has emerged as a possible dark horse for the post of Maharashtra chief minister amid the Shiv Sena-BJP stalemate. The RSS is said to be backing Gadkari to take over in Maharashtra, and Sena is not averse to the union minister, reports Haima Deshpande.
There is much anxiety in India about Imran/Pakistan Army/ISI moves and intentions over Kartarpur Sahib. They all might be — and probably are — as diabolical as we suspect. But they aren’t particularly bright. Even if they had such a genius idea of subverting India’s Sikhs and reviving separatism through Kartarpur Sahib, Imran Khan has ruined their “operation” by offering freebies to only Sikhs, writes Shekhar Gupta.
Saudi Arabia can’t help solve Kashmir issue because it now lacks legitimacy in Muslim world
Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Saudi Arabia again this week — his second trip in four years that many see as having the potential to solve India’s Kashmir issue. The problem, however, is that the new Saudi Arabia is very different from even the pre-2010 one, writes Ayesha Siddiqa.
Delhi’s air pollution masks a class war that nobody is willing to talk about
There is a class angle to the war against pollution in Delhi. And nobody is ready to talk about it. It is being waged every day — in media, judiciary, law enforcement, pollution masks and in AQI data, writes Dilip Mandal.
Mizoram has a wild animal that’s rarer than the tiger but is thriving
A significant number of dholes, also known as Asiatic Wild Dogs, have been spotted at a tiger reserve in Mizoram where the big cat is believed to be extinct. An international team of researchers working at the Dampa Tiger Reserve say they camera-trapped at least one dhole a day for four months in an area just 80 sq km wide, writes Adam Saprinsanga.
Pakistani singer who threatened Modi has sexually explicit videos leaked, ISI suspected
Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada shot to internet fame after posting a video on 2 September threatening to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi with snakes and other reptiles for his government’s decision to repeal Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. Now she’s battling a leak of nude images and sexually suggestive videos. Read this report by Nandita Singh to know more.
Beyond religion, there is an intellectual argument for a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya
India’s Marxist historians have told us many times that Islamic conquerors took control of Hindu temple sites for wealth. However, they have conveniently suppressed the fact that it had a lot to do with Islamic religious zeal. So, trying to reclaim ownership of such temples is not an act of conflict, writes political science professor Shankar Sharan.