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Friday, October 10, 2025
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Sharp Edge

If parties co-opt judges into political system, the last bastion of Indian democracy will fall

We live in an age when the whole country looks to the judiciary to keep the legislative and the executive branches in check. Should we allow political parties to win judges over to their side?

Ideology is dead. Rajya Sabha cross-voting shows politics is a livestock market now

I believed that getting rid of secret ballots ended the menace of money-fuelled Rajya Sabha elections. But this week’s polls show that we overestimated the dignity of some of our legislators.

Don’t expect Supreme Court to be India’s Opposition. Its job isn’t that

I’m glad the Chandigarh farce was called out. I’m pleased too that the SC went back to constitutional first principles in electoral bonds case. But don’t expect it to act as a force against the govt.

Congress is drowning. Some heading for the door, others taking note of the emergency exits

We hardly remember politicians who opposed Roosevelt, Thatcher. They weren’t useless, but it became nearly impossible to fight their popularity. I suspect the Modi phenomenon is something like that.

To understand Uttarakhand live-in rules, learn how authoritarianism & totalitarianism differ

Each time we allow the state to take control of our lives, we are following the path of Mao Zedong, Mullah Omar. It always starts small. But it’s a slippery slope. It never stays small for long.

BJP sent Shivraj Singh Chouhan packing. Why would it make Nitish Kumar CM again?

The chaos at the inconsequential Chandigarh Mayoral election shows the absurdity of Indian politics today.

Is Ram a symbol of a united India or of Hindu victory? The answer will shape new India

Gandhi, Advani, now Modi—all of them mobilised people in the name of Ram. So, when did India’s liberals begin to be embarrassed by references to Ram?

Only person in Congress who recalls Rajiv’s contributions to India is Mani Shankar Aiyar

Just like BJP supporters don't praise Vajpayee enough because of his refusal to fully embrace Hindutva, Congress supporters fret when asked about Rajiv Gandhi’s achievements.

Retaliating against terror is tricky. But India’s message after Balakot has worked so far

Since the 2019 Balakot air strike, we have been free of any major terror incident on the scale of the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

If Rajiv Gandhi had listened to Arun Nehru, Ayodhya politics would look very different

Arun Nehru, who sought to be Court Chamberlain in the Rajiv Gandhi-era, argued to continue with Indira Gandhi’s policy of playing the Hindu card in a subtle way that did not alienate Muslims.

On Camera

In Great Game for Kabul, India plays a patient hand. Multi-alignment to compartmentalisation

Pakistan’s reported air strikes on Kabul last night, coinciding with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, seem intended to send...

60% increase in India’s carbon emissions by 2050, coal to remain top energy source: BP Energy Outlook

The country will account for 12 percent of global energy demand by 2050 from 7 percent in 2023, adds BP report.

India, UK sign £350 mn deal for Martlet. What are these Lightweight Multirole Missiles

In service with the British military since 2019, it is also known as the Martlet missile. Ukrainians have also deployed these missiles against Russian troops.

How Pakistan thinks: Army for hire, ideology of convenience

Pakistan’s army has been a rentier force available to a reasonable bidder. It has never come to the aid of any Muslims including Palestinians or the Gazans, except making noises here and there.