-By Sanjay Jha I think this inane scrutiny of the Indo-Pak Egypt joint statement has gone too far really. Of course, there is no denying that given the highly sensitive nature of our political relationship with our fidgety and unpredictable neighbor, we have to not just be suitably calibrated , but justifiably circumspect. Having made that rational concession, PM Manmohan Singh has rightly stated that a mutual dialogue is the only prudent way forward. As experience has taught us, one joint … [Read more...]
Modi and Modi United
July 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Hamara Congress announces the launch of Modisattva working for - amongst other noble goals - high TRPs. Yes, we're not being entirely serious here: Narendra Modi : Well, for a party that calls itself right-wing, the BJP is getting too many things wrong. Our terrorism plank backfired. We tried Ram and got rammed. In fact, the elections results were such a joke that the party is now in splits. I believe it’s time to move on. No one can blame Hamara Congress for not having a sense of … [Read more...]
MESS MEDIA AND MALLIKA
July 28, 2009 By 4 Comments
-By Sanjay Jha " Mother Teresa never reads the newspaper, never listens to the radio and never watches television so she's got a pretty good idea of what's going on in the world". Malcolm Muggeridge I read this morning's The Times of India ( July 28th 2009)and choked in acute amusement ; outlined on page 18 of my regular daily newspaper ( along with Indian Express the best accompaniment with my morning Lipton Green Label) was a noticeable heading " Editorial content most trusted by … [Read more...]
OBAMA’S MARATHON RACE
July 27, 2009 By 4 Comments
-By Sanjay Jha Two world leaders of contrasting styles have been tirelessly hogging media spotlight over the last few weeks. First, US President Barack Obama was shown at various camera angles staring with perceptible amazement at a Latino butt of Jennifer Lopez-like proportions during a global summit . Even newscasters who were raising a massive brouhaha over the ungentlemanly sidelong and supposedly lusty glance of the popular Prez , seemed equally titillated. Or empathized with the … [Read more...]
The aftermath of a victory
July 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Amidst all the jingoistic reportage on Kargil, a first-person remembrance of reporting from the frontline: We would watch in awe as the foreign reporters/photographers clicked, downloaded images to their laptops powered by jeep batteries and mailed them using satellite dishes perched atop rusty jeeps or Maruti Gypsies. Maybe it was this thread of an inferiority complex that separated us from the international media and brought us together; made us willing to discuss and share stories, to … [Read more...]
PM, ‘Vijay Diwas’ and the Nuke Sub
July 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Recent events hold great potential for PM Manmohan Singh to rise above petty politics, says C Raja Mohan. The PM and the government have no reason at all to be defensive on either the Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement with Pakistan or the agreement on end-use of American defence equipment. More here. … [Read more...]
Indigenous submarine launch
July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will launch the country's first indigenously designed and built nuclear-powered attack submarine in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Read more here. It is the world's most powerful deterrent force -- a stealthy undersea platform with enormous nuclear firepower. For a country like India with a no-first use policy, it is vital because it prevents a potential adversary from launching a crippling first-strike to knock out all nuclear weapons, the doctrine says. … [Read more...]
Nilekani assumes charge
July 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani on Thursday formally assumed charge of his new assignment as the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and exuded confidence that the Authority would be able to roll out the first set of UID numbers within 12-18 months for the country's more than 1.7 billion population. The UID number will help in identifying targeted beneficiaries for specific Govt. schemes and will minimise the need for separate ID proofs. More here. … [Read more...]
Rural India must be part of growth story, says Pilot
July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
We've posted about MP and MoS for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor's tweeting and his tech-savvy campaign, and now here's another tech-driven Minister: this time it's part of his official calling. As MoS for Communications and IT, MP Sachin Pilot has his priorities clear - bridging the digital divide. "I don't want this ministry to be perceived as elitist. I want to blur the contours of that carve-up so that rural India can also be part of the big growth story," Pilot told IANS in an … [Read more...]
No more pocket money
July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In the Indian Express, I K Malhotra has a series of historical articles on modern India. Since the history of the Congress is so intrinsically linked to the evolution of modern India, it's appropriate that we first post a piece on how the Congress abolished privy purses. Though subdued, the Young Turks planned their “revenge” cunningly. Late at night when attendance at the AICC was thin and leaders, including the prime minister and her deputy had gone home, they sprang a surprise. The … [Read more...]
