Opposition parties in the country – the Left, the Right and the rest – are united, for a noble cause we are told, of fighting corruption of Congress. Read more

Disrupting parliament is the worst infliction on democracy. The opposition parties, by not allowing parliament to function, are running away from their most fundamental duty of holding the government accountable. Read more

In the beginning of 2010, a senior member of the union cabinet listed three biggest challenges before the government in the new year – Telengana, Maoism and price rise. Read more

A fundamental theme of this blog has been the idea of ‘rule of law,’ and its link to democracy and governance. I am back at it again. Read more

Most of us instinctively react to suggestions that occasionally crop up suggesting a dress code for women in educational institutions.

Dress is a matter of personal choice and any interference in that autonomy should be considered unacceptable in a liberal milieu. Read more

As India turns 62, some see it as a case of glass half full and others see it as a case of glass half empty. Both sides have strong reasons.

India could have done better, no doubt. Here I am concerned with two specific points usually raised by people who believe that India could have done better. Read more

Everyone seems to like Sach ka Samna, but politicians as a class are opposed to it. Can there be a reason?

All of us like to hear the truth and secrets of other people but few among us would like to be answering those probing questions truthfully. All truths cannot be told. In statecraft, information is shared among power-players on a need-to-know basis. Talking too much can only bring you peril. Perhaps the same applies in all human interactions. Read more

The genocide of Sikhs in 1984, in which more than 3000 people were killed, remains a big blot on India’s secular character. So does the Gujarat progrom against Muslims in 2002.

Congress was in power in 1984 in Delhi and BJP was in power in Gujarat in 2002. In a rather strange twist of logic, 1984 is often cited to deflect the outrage over Gujarat riots. Criticism of 2002 is often countered with the argument that 1984 was worse and Congress is no better than the BJP. Read more