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Saturday, February 21, 2026
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Sharp Edge

Ajit Pawar’s death is another ‘what if’ moment in Indian politics

From Deen Dayal Upadhyay's mysterious death and Madhavrao Scindia's plane crash to the Gandhi family assassinations, so much of what happens in politics has little to do with calculations and much more to do with fate.

Indian judiciary is letting citizens down. When liberty is in danger, judges are looking away

If you are charged with a crime for which there is not a single scrap of evidence the judge will still send you to jail.

Lesson from gig workers, 10-min delivery row—the fuss is necessary

Just as some companies exploit gig workers only because they can, consumers make them run around needlessly only because we can.

Iran protests and the moral confusion of Liberals

The revolts in Iran are too massive to be ignored. But you have to ask yourself: why did it take so long?

MEA should stop living in dread of Trump. We’ve lived through Nixon before

Donald Trump seems to have rejected the old assumptions. He does not care that India is the world’s largest democracy. As for the Indian market, he wants access on his own terms.

BCCI has sabotaged India’s approach to Bangladesh

The BCCI decision has given new life to the lunatic fringe of the Hindu Right. It now has the confidence to force policy changes in accordance with its communal campaigns.

Dehradun, Bareilly, Tamil Nadu attack—Indians are turning violent. Don’t keep blaming politics

People who commit violence don’t fear the police. They know that they can harass others, attack shops or even commit murder without being apprehended.

Welcome to justice in India. Rules are different for Sengar, Asaram, Akhlaq’s killers

The new rule for powerful persons, or those who serve a particular ideology, is: So what if you have been found guilty and sent to jail? We will get you out in no time at all.

What the key political events of 2025 tell us about Narendra Modi and India’s future

From Operation Sindoor to India-US tensions to the EC controversies, a clear understanding has emerged about where the politics is headed now.

India wasn’t always like this. Things have never been as bad as they are today

Was the system in India always so lax that politicians could watch citizens being poisoned, stranded, or burned alive and get away with it?

On Camera

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.