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By Kalyani Shankar

BJP, CONGRESS STANDOFF UNDEMOCRATIC

POLITICS HOLDS PARLIAMENT TO RANSOM

By Kalyani Shankar

After a cordial meeting between the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, it was expected that the Winter Session of Parliament might run smoothly and the reform bills might go through. Modi began with a conciliatory note not only in his speeches in Parliament but also made a rare gesture of inviting the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for tea to break the ice. The Congress too climbed down and showed signs of supporting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which the Modi government desperately wants to push through this session. A week later, the Congress leaders are now talking of a “touch and go” scenario even though the government has responded positively to the Congress demands.

So what has happened to change this scena

NARENDRA MODI CONQUERS AMERICA ONCE AGAIN

FULL MARKS FOR DIPLOMACY AND SELF-ASSERTION   By Kalyani Shankar   Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned this week after a successful…

RAHUL’S SABBATICAL MANIA HURTS CONGRESS

BIHAR, ASSAM, BENGAL NEED URGENT ATTENTION   By Kalyani Shankar   The Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has gone abroad once again…

TRANSITION PROBLEMS ROCK CONGRESS

TOP BRASS FALLS BACK ON SONIA AGAIN   By Kalyani Shankar   This week’s Congress Working Committee resolution to continue its president…

SHASTRI’S PROPOSED VISIT TO WASHINGTON POSTPONED TWICE

INDIA-PAK RELATIONS TOPPED THE BILATERAL AGENDA   By Kalyani Shankar   It was a scheduled high profile visit to the United States…

GOVERNMENT SEESAW ON OROP DISHEARTENING

BOTCHED JOB COULD CHANGE CIVIL-MILITARY TIES   By Kalyani Shankar   Is the Modi government not paying enough attention to the ex…

SONIA’S LONG DALLIANCE WITH IFTAR PARTIES

HEADY CONCOCTION OF POLITICS AND SHOWBIZ   By Kalyani Shankar   Did the ‘Iftar diplomacy’ of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi this…

CONGRESS IS NOW UPBEAT TO FIGHT BJP OVER SCAMS

INFIGHTING IN SAFFRON CAMP CONTRIBUTES TO CRISIS   By Kalyani Shankar   The Congress Party is in a belligerent mood trying to…

MONSOON SESSION COULD BE A WASHOUT

OPPOSITION LIKELY TO STONEWALL HOUSE   By Kalyani Shankar   The combined Opposition proposes to target the Modi government in the ensuing…

INDIAN DIASPORA IS A BIG CONSTITUENCY FOR NARENDRA MODI

By Kalyani Shankar Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi wooing the Indian Diaspora? While Modi’s critics say that he is building up the brand Modi abroad, Modi is clear that with their support he could build a better image for himself. There are about 100 million Indians living abroad and he obviously feels that their power should be harnessed for the growth of India and for his […]

BJP IS PREPARING FOR SINGLE PARTY RULE WITHOUT ALLIES

By Kalyani Shankar   The 25-year-old Shiv Sena-BJP break up in Maharashtra confirms the long-term plan of the BJP to go beyond the allies and emerge a dominant national party eclipsing others. In election rallies in both Maharashtra and Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the end of the coalition era in Indian politics to stress this point.   Narendra Modi as well as the BJP chief […]

VASAN’S EXIT GIVES A BIG JOLT TO TAMIL NADU CONGRESS

By Kalyani Shankar   The Congress split in Tamil Nadu spells trouble for the 129 year old Congress party.  Although the Congress high command has described it as a result of factional fight, there is more to it than meets the eye as it has far reaching impact on the state as well as national politics.   With the state assembly elections scheduled for 2016, political parties […]

CAPITAL NEEDS WAY OUT OF LIMBO

By Kalyani Shankar   Will Delhi go for fresh polls or is the BJP in a position to give a stable government? After the people of Delhi chose a hung Assembly, the Capital does not have a popular government since 17 February when the Aam Aadmi party chief Kejriwal resigned as chief minister claiming he was not allowed to get the Jan Lokpal bill passed. Now grapevine […]

CONGRESS PARTY HAS TO UNDERGO DRASTIC RESTRUCTURING

By Kalyani Shankar The BJP is jubilant after its spectacular success in Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls this week. Coming as it does on the heels of the recent impressive Lok Sabha victory, the BJP can claim that the momentum as well as the Modi magic is intact. The Congress on the other hand is demoralized further after its humiliating defeat in both the states.  There is […]

BRACING FOR THE NEXT REFERENDUM

By Kalyani Shankar   Will the ensuing Assembly polls to Haryana and Maharashtra be seen as a referendum on the new Modi government?  No doubt stakes are high for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi who feels on the top of the world after his landslide victory and congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is suffering from the most humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls. It is […]

MODI CONQUERS INDIAN DIASPORA IN UNITED STATES

By Kalyani Shankar While there could be debate about the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five day visit to the US this week, there can be no doubt that he had conquered the 3 million strong Indian American community. The Madison square garden rock show on Sunday was a shining example to prove this.  Although his meeting with the US President Obama was spent on substantive […]

FROM GREEN HORN TO GIANT SLAYER

By Kalyani Shankar Prime Minister Modi’s honeymoon with the public continues even as he completes 100 days in office. There are mixed reports about his performance as the opposition is looking for loopholes while his supporters are jubilant. But if one has to sum up his 100 days in office it could be described as “so far so good” as he has not committed any big blunder. […]

BY-POLL RESULTS SEND WARNING SIGNALS TO BJP

By Kalyani Shankar   Just a week before the Modi government competes its 100 days, the by-election results have come as a jolt to the BJP. The saffron party, which witnessed a spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha polls, has faced a setback too soon.   No doubt by- elections are fought and won mostly on local factors, but the results have certainly punctured the feel good factor […]

PLANNING IN AN ERA OF LIBERALISED ECONOMY

By Kalyani Shankar Prime Minister Narendra Modi has junked the Planning Commission. His announcement on the Independence Day scrapping it was not a bombshell as speculations to that effect were doing rounds in the corridors of power. What was not expected was his invitation to the public to come up with suggestions for an alternate body. One would have expected the government to give a thought about […]

Can Kejriwal do a Delhi at Centre?

|By Kalyani Shankar| With the arrival of the AAP party chief Arvind Kejriwal in the national scene, after he quit his post as Delhi chief minister, the ensuing Lok Sabha elections seem to be interesting with one more player added to the confusing poll scene. The AAP is planning to contest more than 350 of the 542 seats. Don’t think Kejrwal is acting impulsively. He has taken […]