(The article was originally published in Indian Express on August 17, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort this Thursday demonstrated that he is in full control of the government. Dispelling misconceptions, if […]
Ram Madhav
A Time for Healing
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on August 10, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) A week ago, nobody would have imagined that the world’s longest-serving woman prime minister, a leader who was once described as the Iron Lady of South Asia and credited […]
Rahul’s ‘Politics of Enemies’
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on August 03, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi appears to have chosen to be a destructive force in Parliament. His interventions in the Budget Session suggest that the Congress leader’s sole […]
Beijing, the moderator
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 27, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) In March 2023, China stunned the world by brokering an agreement between arch-enemies, Iran and Saudi Arabia. At a meeting hosted in Beijing by Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister […]
Vote For, Not Against
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 20, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) The current Lok Sabha will have the second-lowest number of Muslim MPs — just 24 — since Independence. The figure touched an all-time low in 2014 at 22 MPs […]
India and the Global Right Turn
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 13, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) Conservative parties are on the rise in Europe. They have captured power in several countries in recent years, including Italy, Finland, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic. They have […]
Towards a Conservative Consensus
(The article was originally published in OPEN Magazine on July 12, 2024. Views expressed are personal.) India is a deeply religious country. Conservatism is in its blood. A PEW survey found that nearly all Indians – 98 per cent – say they believe in God, and roughly 80 per cent among most religious groups say […]
Don’t Misread the Mandate
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 06, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) A month after the unexpected mandate delivered by the people of the country, its meaning and message are still sinking in. Both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDI […]
A Partnership of Democracies
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 29, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) India and the United States of America have been close allies for more than two decades. India recently elected the Narendra Modi-led government for the third consecutive term. In […]
Bracing for New Hurdles
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 22, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) It is a travesty that those who lost the election are in a celebratory mood while those who won are sombre. The Congress, that touched its lowest tally in […]