Why I voted for Narendra Modi

Living in Gurgaon, Haryana, I voted for Narendra Modi last week. I am no diehard BJP supporter or Modi fan, ideologue, Hindutva advocate or Pracharak. But, I do weigh my vote carefully every five years. I usually look at two aspects, one nationalistic, other selfish — whether the party (or person who sets the agenda…

An interview with Rahul Gandhi

(Re-posting a piece I had written in March last year in the context of the Congress party deciding that Rahul Gandhi will not be PM candidate for 2014 elections) The following is an imagined, though candid and freewheeling, interview of Rahul Gandhi, by yours truly, following the Congress leader’s categorical statement that he neither wants…

Records of sorts in India

Records are meant to be broken. In India, if you ask me, world records are most frequently broken by stock markets — the fastest rise, fall in 24-hours, change in a week, month, etc etc. Indian stock exchanges should be in the Guinness book for the instances that current highs or lows are scaled for…

Reading Rahul Gandhi’s “nonsense”

Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi has a reputation of appearing without warning and also disappearing without a trace, which is not easy given ubiquitous 24-hour news channels, citizen reporters, conspicuous Z+ security, CCTV cameras, social media activists, etc. Still, Gandhi manages to parachute (not literally) into a Dalit household from nowhere especially when UP…

The case of Durga Shakti Nagpal (IAS)

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal as she dared to take on the sand mafia operating under her jurisdiction. Inspired by her, there  are going to be some doubly divinely named daughters born hereon, though I am not sure parents would encourage them to study hard for a career…

A disaster code for India

The floods in Uttarakhand have destroyed lives, devastated homes and local populations for generations ahead. Our armed forces have once again stood out for their valor, gallantry and sacrifice like they did during the Kargil war or later the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, both orchestrated from Pakistan. The integrity and rapid response of our jawans and…

Modi versus Advani

The Congress government under Manmohan Singh has scored so many self-goals that it has lost credibility – there are allegations of massive corruption in telecom and coal block allocations to private companies, while growth has dipped due to lack of economic reforms. The de facto Prime Minister of India Sonia Gandhi is on a quixotic…

No touching, feeling Indian VVIPs

We have yet another instance of a VVIP, this time Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan being questioned by security officials at an American airport. Apparently Khan was gently quizzed by a lady official for ten minutes, the time normally taken by disembarking passengers to visit the loo, if there is a bit of rush. Usually,…