Posts Tagged ‘UPA’
Is ‘trust deficit’ the real issue between India and Pakistan?
Almost twelve hours after P.M. Manmohan Singh addressed a ‘rare’ press conference in New Delhi, I felt uneasy on reading the headline of the WSJ article, “Singh Seeks To Fix Pakistan ‘Trust Deficit.’” My first reaction was that WSJ had got it wrong. I logged on to the website of the Prime Minister’s Office to read the transcript of P.M. Singh’s press conference. Surprisingly, the P.M.’s responses to all questions relating to Pakistan did give an impression that the onus for improving bilateral relations was on India.
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Indian Democracy has Many Sides: Enlightening Gideon Rachman
There is a myth that intellectual insight gains greater credence if one attempts to counter popular perception. For most scholars in this age of info boom the best way to gain visibility is to project a view that runs contrary to what the mainstream is saying. Though variety of opinion is always enriching opposition merely for the sake of it can prove injurious to serious intellectual discussions. Gideon Rachman’s recent commentary on the weaknesses and limitations of Indian democracy is one such example of intellectual opposition. All opposing views are not necessarily relevant. This is not an exercise in criticizing Gideon but enlightening him!
The Curious Case Indian Election Results
The morning of May 16, 2009 marks the high point of the Great Indian Tamasha; counting for the 15th Lok Sabha Elections gets underway. The pre-results phase is not only marked by subtle alliance making in the political circles but also by speculations among analysts and the intelligentsia. Election results in India, the largest and most diverse democracy, could even send Sherlock Holmes’s insights into a spin. But being an Indian how could I resist the temptation of putting forth my own analysis of the possible political combinations and permutations likely to gain shape by Saturday afternoon. So here is my take on 2009 General Election results. Click to continue…