I always thought Nitish Kumar, like Mulayam Singh Yadav, had an ear to the ground. But I have grown sceptic after watching last week’s developments in Bihar. Read more

The outpouring over Narendra Modi has deluged all other issues, it seems. If you look at Modi’s elevation dispassionately, it is just a development that is having a cascading effect in his own party. Read more

While travelling in a taxi in Mumbai, I broached the hot topic of discussion these days, ‘Modi as BJP’s prime ministerial face’. The taxi driver seemed a bit unsure about its overall outcome on BJP’s fortunes but was sure about his own vote going to Modi. Read more

“You don’t have to put in any special effort; the trick lies in simply putting yourself, your family and your work before everything that the Nation needs from you. It’s not a new thing …. It’s been there for 65 years and now we are very close to achieving this wily aim. This happens to be the most successful silent destruction charter adopted by the citizens of India after independence.” Read more

For decades Uttar Pradesh kept churning out prime ministers one after another for the country. Despite its acute backwardness, the state never lagged on that count. But after the death of Rajiv Gandhi that suddenly stopped and other states took the lead. Read more

Dramatics, antics come naturally to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav. Discuss roads and his comment on ‘building Bihar roads as chikni (smooth) as Hema Malini’s cheeks’ becomes the metaphor. Read more

A few months back, a senior BJP leader had confided how a political party had approached former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to field a weak candidate on the adjoining Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha seat. In lieu, they had offered to nominate a dummy candidate against him in Lucknow. Read more

Can the Prime Minister and chief ministers disown their responsibility for rampant corruption by their cabinet colleagues? What Manmohan Singh did, Mayawati is doing now — sacking ministers to shed some unbearable baggage. Read more

Somehow I fear or feel that Team Anna has shown unwarranted haste in taking a plunge into the political arena, even though their aim may have been to mobilise public opinion in favour of Jan Lokpal Bill. Read more

Can you guess the dilemma of the Congress candidates in Uttar Pradesh nowadays? Not Anna Hazare. Not his campaign against corruption. Read more