scorecardresearch
Friday, May 3, 2024
HomeOpinion

Opinion

Rahul Gandhi wants to directly elect mayors. But is it a workable idea for India?

After all, towns and cities in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand have directly elected mayors with fixed terms, but few would argue that they are better administered.

Narendra Modi didn’t need NaMo TV or biopics in 2014, he needs both now

Modi’s media messaging now centres on fear rather than NDA’s achievements, indicating need for an overarching narrative to whip up emotions.

Congress’ election manifesto is the right document at the wrong time: Yogendra Yadav

The priorities listed by Rahul Gandhi are arguably the issues India should focus on: poverty, farm distress, unemployment, health and the widespread sense of fear.

Pakistan-based Facebook pages posed as Kashmiri activists to push anti-India rhetoric

Posted in Urdu and English, the pages boasted a combined total of more than three million followers by the time they were exposed and pulled by Facebook.

Essar case shows Bankruptcy Code is another Indian law ruined by endless litigations

The right measure to evaluate the IBC is not the yardstick of what happened under SICA or DRT laws, but what is happening now – a 270-day deadline for resolving cases.

Congress reminds Modi govt what welfare looks like

The Congress’ manifesto is a reminder that the social-democratic party is always going to do better at promising welfare expansions than anyone else.

3 things Congress must explain before India’s poor believe in its minimum income support

While the Congress’ Rs 6,000 a month income guarantee is ambitious, there is no clarity yet on how the 20% poor households will be picked.

After Mission Shakti, declare a ‘No First Use’ policy in space as well

India’s role as a space power must be aimed at reducing the possibility of a space war.

Xi Jinping’s prized Belt & Road Initiative will look a lot less Chinese as it unfolds

Chinese banks do not have an endless supply of dollars to fund the Belt and Road project, opening up space for global competitors.

ISRO and IIT Madras can bring to life Sivakasi’s dying firecracker industry

Defence ministry too wants to indegenise ammunition production, and Tamil Nadu govt can use this to turn Sivakasi into a propellant manufacturing hub.

On Camera

How govt brought Vodafone Idea back from the brink & earned a neat profit in the process

In 2021, the government allowed telcos to convert interest on deferred spectrum payments and AGR dues into equity. This made it the single largest stakeholder in Vodafone Idea.

China builds road through Shaksgam Valley, India registers protest

New Delhi has, in past, too, objected to Chinese construction activities in Shaksgam Valley. Work in this strategic region gathered pace after the 2017 Doklam stand-off.

Frontrunner is letting the challenger define this poll campaign. Modi still hasn’t found a big theme

A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.