Amarinder Singh & Navjot Singh Sidhu, two of the Congress' most prominent faces in Punjab, have been at loggerheads since the week before Punjab voted on 19 May.
Forget comparing it with classics like Hrithik’s Ek Pal Ka Jeena or the slick title track of Dhoom 2, Janaab-e-Aali does not even come close to Ghungroo.
India’s industrial output growth saw a 10-month low in June, with Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growing by mere 1.5% as against 1.9% in May 2025.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
All is not lost for Congress. The dynasty is needed to keep the party together. Priyanka should be made the party president and given the task of reviving the party on a war-footing, from booth level upwards. Rahul can tackle the government in parliament and on policy matters.
The immediate task should be to strategise for the coming assembly elections and be ready with the candidates by July so that they can campaign door to door. Priyanka should be the main campaigner for these elections so that her effectiveness as a full-time leader can be checked and corrected. There has never been any doubt that Priyanka is a better communicator than Rahul.
Why does the Print not yet have the story on the VVPATs abd EVMs matching cent per cent in the sample of over 20,000 EVM machines as confirmed by EC?? (Print has a story on Dunlopillo as “aspirational” — overused word these days — brand of yesteryears).
Other media has buried this story….and for baseless EVM allegations they would put screaming headlines.
Election Commission should immediately call a press conference to release this FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT and forever silence the doubters (one of the EC commissioners may object to the presser, let his objections be recorded).
Correct. Only India Today and Economic Times carried the story. NDTV – the ‘serious’ channel – that would have gone to town like a bard in the event of mismatch, didn’t carry it either. Then they talk about media credibility.
RR, loved that ‘serious’ channel bit.
1. This is a good analysis of 2019 Lok Sabha (LS) election results. Congress, Communists and other opposition parties would be feeling uncomfortable as they are not able to contain growth of BJP and so-called pro-Hindutva forces. In a democracy this is understandable. If in future all these parties come together it may be possible to defeat BJP, but would such alliances benefit our country? 2. Obviously, all these parties would have to find a new leader who will bring all of them on a common platform with a realistic agenda that would reassure voters that their alliance would deliver good governance, even better than of BJP led NDA government. 3. It was being said that if BJP wins, India will become Hindu Pakistan. Obviously this argument was an immature response to popularity of PM Narendra Modi. This kind of argument would possibly attract newspaper headlines but would not be taken seriously. I feel that all political parties who claim that they are secular must be ready to do some critical self-examination to find out reasons of growth of BJP in many States where BJP had very little presence about a decade ago. 4. Incidental observations: Congress and regional parties like SP, BSP Trinamool Congress, RJD JD(S), NCP and the Communists, who all claim to be opposed to the fundamentalist BJP, have still not shown willingness and courage to oppose the fundamentalists in India Muslim community. These Muslim fundamentalists have ensured that the poor Muslims remain uneducated and are not exposed to modern education or democratic practices. That I suppose is one major reason why the educated middle class has moved closer to BJP. Are the opposition parties ready to learn any lesson from 2019 LS election results?
Based on 2019 results, it appears that voters have voted for Modi cutting across caste, religion, region,gender etc. Modi comes up as honest,sincere and decisive leader who may make mistakes but tries hard to deliver. If this new phenomenon becomes the basis of our politics in next 5 years and Modi indeed delivers almost as promised, then India would have buried ghost of caste divisions in Hindu society and along with that, politics of secularism and Mandal. The millennial voter seems to have a new political preference based on promise and performance by the leader. This transactional nature of choice will do well for rapid development of the country in next 15 to 20 years. This puts a big onus for delivery of promises on Modi who must succeed at all costs in next 5 years. Else ghosts of left, liberal, pseudo secular and tukde tukde gang, will return to haunt us. Shekhar is missing them today and is hoping for them return soon!
In the last few minutes I have been trying to locate that number by Habib Wali Mohammed, on Google and YouTube. If someone can please find a link, kindly do share it through this article itself. I could locate the lyrics but not the singing of HWM. The first line of that song is
RAHE TALAB MEIN KAUN KISIKA, APNE BHI BAIGHANE HEIN.
Thanks
There’s a line of a song sung by Habib Wali Mohammed : “Apni zaat se ishq hai suchchaa, baqi sab afsaane hain”. Zaat here means SELF, or self interest. It does not mean “caste”. HWM was a Pakistani singer, and this is a very old song – – possibly… I don’t know, maybe 1950s, or even before that? Caste system was never an issue in those parts. It cannot be of any importance in a Muslim milieu anywhere. Islam doesn’t recognize caste system.
I’m drifting. What I wanted to say is, that even in these elections, Modi has managed to APPEAL TO VOTERS’ SELF INTEREST. He is, by his gift of the gab, STILL able to spin dreams for gullible Hindus who, having been brought up on the oratory of Ramlila characters, or verbosity of neighborhood “sadhus”, are NOT YET ABLE to sift the grain from the chaff. Modi ji spins yarn, and a typical Indian voter gets all tangled up!
The caste factor has not faded, Shekhar, the hope is struggling to remain “jawaan” against all odds.
The author as usual is silent about the wide spread corruption that is prevalent in the Congress and all the caste based parties that is one of the most important reason that our country’s progress was retarded, the prevalence and flourishing of interest lobbies who in promoting their own selfish interests harmed the common man the author himself is I believe accused to be part of such a cabal so I can understand his defeaning silence in this regard
Mr Gupta Congress vote share has gone up because of DMK in Tamil Nadu. Everywhere else, other than Kerala and Punjab Congress vote share has gone down…
What is needed is a strong central figure to take on Modi. The issues of economy and unemployment were very much there this election, just that nobody understood them or had the character to raise them in an effective way.
Just try to define the characteristics of the strong central figure to take on Modi. You’ll soon realize that it’s not that easy.
There are many, just that the king size egos of old guard won’t allow them to come up.
At least this perceptive column puts an end to the fallacy that the Congress is “ dying “. With almost 120 million votes, the time to call the priests is not just now. If one compares the votes polled by the two national parties, as opposed to seats won, there would be a case to confer LoP status, make an effort to secure its consent to important legislation in Parliament. Not because it’s numbers are required but because it represents the views and wishes of so many Indians. What toppling three of its important state governments will do to bipartisanship is something to consider. 2. If an entire political era is to be defined by one great leader, that might lead to a future vacuum. No one who reads this column will consider Minister Nitin Gadkari as being in the same league.
Article full of lies and half-truths. Will Shekhar Gupta be honest to his readers and tell them how the Ayodhya Mandir movement of LK Advani came about?
Shekhar Gupta is totally silent on the diabolical role of Rahul Gandhi’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, in opening the locks of a totally forgotten, nondescript mandir in a place most people thought existed only in mythology.
And the cynical ploy of opening mandir (and doing a ground breaking ceremony just days before the 1989 Lok Sabha elections) was Rajiv Gandhi’s way of making amends for the total capitulation to Muslim obscurantists in the Shah Bano case — where a Supreme Court judgment ordering an alimony to a divorced old lady was sought to be overturned).
READERS: please read this background or do further online reading to try and understand where and how LK Advani got an opportunity to launch the Ayodhya mandir movement.
With due respect to you, Shekhar Gupta has discussed these issues in many of his earlier articles.
thats absolutely correct. Mandir issue wouldnt have popped up if Rajiv Gandhi would not have attempted the opening of temple locks to appease the Hindus for his role in Shah bano case.
Shekar, we readers are fed up with you guys talking about Hindu Muslim dalits etc. when will you grow up to address as Indians ?
The life line of those who wear secular mask gets their oxygen from caste and religious divide. They might have temporarily gone into coma but their worldwide spread is still breathing fine and active which can been from coverage in international media. It’s a matter of time when Lutyians gang or Khan market walas come out of the coma and resume their anti Modi strategy by resurrecting the secular mask again. I can’t say what will be the shape and color of the new secular mask but I think it will keep Modi on his toes for his second term also. It will take a generation’s time when the current Lutyans gang completely decimated. For Modi the fight with secularists is still not over.
Awesome, brilliant article. It’s important, Shekhar Gupta, for extraordinary editors/ journalists like you to enlighten the Gen Next about the history of politics and to hand a lesson or two about columns to the new kids on the block (I refer to the Fourth Estate). Best wishes Sir, to you and our great Nation.
Mr Gupta has concluded that a new political environment has emerged.. However, for ordinary people, the only real and good change will arrive when Indian politicians will have the courage get rid off the invented tags they have bestowed on Hindus and which determines their rights.
Currently, in India there are only two sets of people – one with preferential and highly subsidised access (irrespective of position & wealth) to all resources due to the tag and the rest who must accept that they their chances of education, progress, prosperity and participation are practically NIL, example Maharashtra, where NR class students with highest marks have got almost NIL seats in PG Medical, because invented categories have captured everything on offer.
MY marriage will most like be an intercaste one. Here goes the caste politics (& netas) deep in the bin
Shekar ji is at his best when writing historical analyses. Key sentence in article: “you may take the Congress lightly, Modi and Shah won’t.”
All is not lost for Congress. The dynasty is needed to keep the party together. Priyanka should be made the party president and given the task of reviving the party on a war-footing, from booth level upwards. Rahul can tackle the government in parliament and on policy matters.
The immediate task should be to strategise for the coming assembly elections and be ready with the candidates by July so that they can campaign door to door. Priyanka should be the main campaigner for these elections so that her effectiveness as a full-time leader can be checked and corrected. There has never been any doubt that Priyanka is a better communicator than Rahul.
Why does the Print not yet have the story on the VVPATs abd EVMs matching cent per cent in the sample of over 20,000 EVM machines as confirmed by EC?? (Print has a story on Dunlopillo as “aspirational” — overused word these days — brand of yesteryears).
Other media has buried this story….and for baseless EVM allegations they would put screaming headlines.
Election Commission should immediately call a press conference to release this FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT and forever silence the doubters (one of the EC commissioners may object to the presser, let his objections be recorded).
Correct. Only India Today and Economic Times carried the story. NDTV – the ‘serious’ channel – that would have gone to town like a bard in the event of mismatch, didn’t carry it either. Then they talk about media credibility.
RR, loved that ‘serious’ channel bit.
1. This is a good analysis of 2019 Lok Sabha (LS) election results. Congress, Communists and other opposition parties would be feeling uncomfortable as they are not able to contain growth of BJP and so-called pro-Hindutva forces. In a democracy this is understandable. If in future all these parties come together it may be possible to defeat BJP, but would such alliances benefit our country? 2. Obviously, all these parties would have to find a new leader who will bring all of them on a common platform with a realistic agenda that would reassure voters that their alliance would deliver good governance, even better than of BJP led NDA government. 3. It was being said that if BJP wins, India will become Hindu Pakistan. Obviously this argument was an immature response to popularity of PM Narendra Modi. This kind of argument would possibly attract newspaper headlines but would not be taken seriously. I feel that all political parties who claim that they are secular must be ready to do some critical self-examination to find out reasons of growth of BJP in many States where BJP had very little presence about a decade ago. 4. Incidental observations: Congress and regional parties like SP, BSP Trinamool Congress, RJD JD(S), NCP and the Communists, who all claim to be opposed to the fundamentalist BJP, have still not shown willingness and courage to oppose the fundamentalists in India Muslim community. These Muslim fundamentalists have ensured that the poor Muslims remain uneducated and are not exposed to modern education or democratic practices. That I suppose is one major reason why the educated middle class has moved closer to BJP. Are the opposition parties ready to learn any lesson from 2019 LS election results?
Based on 2019 results, it appears that voters have voted for Modi cutting across caste, religion, region,gender etc. Modi comes up as honest,sincere and decisive leader who may make mistakes but tries hard to deliver. If this new phenomenon becomes the basis of our politics in next 5 years and Modi indeed delivers almost as promised, then India would have buried ghost of caste divisions in Hindu society and along with that, politics of secularism and Mandal. The millennial voter seems to have a new political preference based on promise and performance by the leader. This transactional nature of choice will do well for rapid development of the country in next 15 to 20 years. This puts a big onus for delivery of promises on Modi who must succeed at all costs in next 5 years. Else ghosts of left, liberal, pseudo secular and tukde tukde gang, will return to haunt us. Shekhar is missing them today and is hoping for them return soon!
In the last few minutes I have been trying to locate that number by Habib Wali Mohammed, on Google and YouTube. If someone can please find a link, kindly do share it through this article itself. I could locate the lyrics but not the singing of HWM. The first line of that song is
RAHE TALAB MEIN KAUN KISIKA, APNE BHI BAIGHANE HEIN.
Thanks
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=znRT9KrPxhI
Ash, you are a genius, boss! Thanks a lot
There’s a line of a song sung by Habib Wali Mohammed : “Apni zaat se ishq hai suchchaa, baqi sab afsaane hain”. Zaat here means SELF, or self interest. It does not mean “caste”. HWM was a Pakistani singer, and this is a very old song – – possibly… I don’t know, maybe 1950s, or even before that? Caste system was never an issue in those parts. It cannot be of any importance in a Muslim milieu anywhere. Islam doesn’t recognize caste system.
I’m drifting. What I wanted to say is, that even in these elections, Modi has managed to APPEAL TO VOTERS’ SELF INTEREST. He is, by his gift of the gab, STILL able to spin dreams for gullible Hindus who, having been brought up on the oratory of Ramlila characters, or verbosity of neighborhood “sadhus”, are NOT YET ABLE to sift the grain from the chaff. Modi ji spins yarn, and a typical Indian voter gets all tangled up!
The caste factor has not faded, Shekhar, the hope is struggling to remain “jawaan” against all odds.
The author as usual is silent about the wide spread corruption that is prevalent in the Congress and all the caste based parties that is one of the most important reason that our country’s progress was retarded, the prevalence and flourishing of interest lobbies who in promoting their own selfish interests harmed the common man the author himself is I believe accused to be part of such a cabal so I can understand his defeaning silence in this regard
Mr Gupta Congress vote share has gone up because of DMK in Tamil Nadu. Everywhere else, other than Kerala and Punjab Congress vote share has gone down…
What is needed is a strong central figure to take on Modi. The issues of economy and unemployment were very much there this election, just that nobody understood them or had the character to raise them in an effective way.
Just try to define the characteristics of the strong central figure to take on Modi. You’ll soon realize that it’s not that easy.
There are many, just that the king size egos of old guard won’t allow them to come up.
At least this perceptive column puts an end to the fallacy that the Congress is “ dying “. With almost 120 million votes, the time to call the priests is not just now. If one compares the votes polled by the two national parties, as opposed to seats won, there would be a case to confer LoP status, make an effort to secure its consent to important legislation in Parliament. Not because it’s numbers are required but because it represents the views and wishes of so many Indians. What toppling three of its important state governments will do to bipartisanship is something to consider. 2. If an entire political era is to be defined by one great leader, that might lead to a future vacuum. No one who reads this column will consider Minister Nitin Gadkari as being in the same league.
Article full of lies and half-truths. Will Shekhar Gupta be honest to his readers and tell them how the Ayodhya Mandir movement of LK Advani came about?
Shekhar Gupta is totally silent on the diabolical role of Rahul Gandhi’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, in opening the locks of a totally forgotten, nondescript mandir in a place most people thought existed only in mythology.
And the cynical ploy of opening mandir (and doing a ground breaking ceremony just days before the 1989 Lok Sabha elections) was Rajiv Gandhi’s way of making amends for the total capitulation to Muslim obscurantists in the Shah Bano case — where a Supreme Court judgment ordering an alimony to a divorced old lady was sought to be overturned).
READERS: please read this background or do further online reading to try and understand where and how LK Advani got an opportunity to launch the Ayodhya mandir movement.
With due respect to you, Shekhar Gupta has discussed these issues in many of his earlier articles.
thats absolutely correct. Mandir issue wouldnt have popped up if Rajiv Gandhi would not have attempted the opening of temple locks to appease the Hindus for his role in Shah bano case.
Shekar, we readers are fed up with you guys talking about Hindu Muslim dalits etc. when will you grow up to address as Indians ?
The life line of those who wear secular mask gets their oxygen from caste and religious divide. They might have temporarily gone into coma but their worldwide spread is still breathing fine and active which can been from coverage in international media. It’s a matter of time when Lutyians gang or Khan market walas come out of the coma and resume their anti Modi strategy by resurrecting the secular mask again. I can’t say what will be the shape and color of the new secular mask but I think it will keep Modi on his toes for his second term also. It will take a generation’s time when the current Lutyans gang completely decimated. For Modi the fight with secularists is still not over.
Awesome, brilliant article. It’s important, Shekhar Gupta, for extraordinary editors/ journalists like you to enlighten the Gen Next about the history of politics and to hand a lesson or two about columns to the new kids on the block (I refer to the Fourth Estate). Best wishes Sir, to you and our great Nation.
Caste politics will prevail under all circumstances. Every single MP/MLA ticket is given on the basis of caste. Nothing is going to change.
Mr Gupta has concluded that a new political environment has emerged.. However, for ordinary people, the only real and good change will arrive when Indian politicians will have the courage get rid off the invented tags they have bestowed on Hindus and which determines their rights.
Currently, in India there are only two sets of people – one with preferential and highly subsidised access (irrespective of position & wealth) to all resources due to the tag and the rest who must accept that they their chances of education, progress, prosperity and participation are practically NIL, example Maharashtra, where NR class students with highest marks have got almost NIL seats in PG Medical, because invented categories have captured everything on offer.