"Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa comes back to power," were Rajinikanth's thundering words in 1996. That played a significant part in propelling the DMK-TMC alliance to power in Tamil Nadu that year, swaddling Jayalalithaa in ignominy. That was also the inception point of what became not just a state-wide but national fixation over guessing when the ac...

The third rail of Indian politics has always been agriculture. While the economy has been partly liberalized since opening up to the world in 1991, the process has largely bypassed the three-fifths of Indians who depend for their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, on farming.

The departure of leaders like Adhikari portrays Mamata Banerjee as a leader struggling to keep her flock together, unable to ward off the allure for her party members of the BJP. But if there is one thing she is known for, it is as a fighter. It would be foolhardy, at this juncture, to assume she is operating from a position of weakness.

We must welcome the deep structural reforms instituted by this strong government under the leadership of the Prime Minister.

While his concern for rightful protests is touching, using India's internal issue to further his own place in his nation's politics is unfortunate.

Justin Trudeau is of as much consequence as Justin Beiber. But the Indian responses to his statements have me worried.

Call it buyers' remorse. Those of us who thought that muscular leadership would revive India's dream of mimicking Chinese-style double-digit expansion are not just disappointed. For many of my generation, our long-cherished hope for a better, greater India is all but gone. We wanted to trade some of our democratic chaos for a little bit more growth. We ended up with l...

How to thwart the attempts of these sleeper cells is a special talent of the experienced leaders of the MVA government.

If you thought Hyderabad is hosting the political version of "Bigg Boss", I won't fault you. When it comes to threats, vitriol and taunts, the campaign for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election is giving the popular reality show a run for its money.

No election is too small to ignore. Not for the Modi-Shah version of the BJP. Each election is a chance to test, create or edge out allies. And to expand, expand, expand.

Farmers' protests over the hurriedly passed Farm Bills in the Lok Sabha's monsoon session have been brewing since September. The union government made half-hearted attempts to engage their leaders, failing initially when farmers' representatives objected to being received by bureaucrats and not the concerned minister. The distrust level worsened after the Akali Dal's ...

I have no idea how Patel felt about any of this because he was too discreet to say a word. But till the end, he remained by Sonia's side, low-key and loyal. Like the rest of us, he probably had no idea where the Congress is headed.

The UP Chief Minister has threatened violence against Muslim men married to Hindu women who had converted.

Patel was the last of the old-school leaders of the Congress - a big heart and broad shoulders which shrugged off minor issues but could tangle - or un-knot, as needed - complicated political threads. Patel was a "politician's politician" with a huge network of relationships across party lines, corporates and the media. A consummate back-room strategist, he knew both ...

The Congress dissenters have not asked the Gandhis to relinquish organisational/party roles - yet. But, after the loss in two general elections and serial defeats in state elections (most recently, the disastrous run in Bihar), it has come down to this - when, not if.