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Columnists
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Bloggers
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Opinion | It's Time India's Parliament Had A Calendar
This time around, the Parliamentary bulletin announcing the starting date (January 31) of the Budget Session, was announced on January 17. Abysmal. Fifteen days notice!
- Derek O’Brien
- Jan 20, 2025 10:27 am IST
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Blog | To Pritish Da, The Poet Who Never Stopped Loving Calcutta
During the call I remember asking him what he would most like to be remembered aspoet, publisher, editor, movie mogul, pet lover, or media personality. He was very clear: being a poet topped them all.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jan 10, 2025 09:09 am IST
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Opinion | The Modi Government's 25 Things-To-Do in 2025
Youth unemployment rate has been at 10% for the last two years. As per the Economic Survey, half of all individuals are not ready to be employed after graduating from college.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jan 02, 2025 08:48 am IST
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Opinion | Parliament Session: BJP Don't Want To Answer Some Hard Questions
Why are the prices of onions, tomatoes, and garlic so high? Why are four out of ten youth unemployed? These are just some of the hard questions the BJP refuses to answer on the floor of Parliament.
- Derek O'Brien
- Dec 03, 2024 09:13 am IST
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Opinion | India Is Failing Its Young. But Happy Children's Day, I Guess
To support her family, Sulekha has been forced to drop out of school. One in every five students is compelled to do so.
- Derek O'Brien
- Nov 14, 2024 09:12 am IST
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Opinion | Big Poll Promises From Maharashtra To Michigan - But Where Are The Jobs?
Eight thousand miles away, across an ocean, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have desperately tried to woo youth and women before election day.
- Derek O'Brien
- Nov 04, 2024 09:34 am IST
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Opinion | Trump To Bolsonaro To Many More, The Death Of Decency In Politics
Last year, an MP from the ruling dispensation used communal slurs on the floor of Parliament. The Home Minister, in 2018, termed illegal immigrants as 'termites'.
- Derek O'Brien
- Oct 28, 2024 10:00 am IST
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Opinion | When Will Centre Understand That India's Malnutrition Problem Is Real?
Uttar Pradesh tops the list in zero-food children. Madhya Pradesh allocates a meagre Rs 12 daily to tackle malnutrition. An elderly disabled woman crawls in Odisha to collect her pension and rations.
- Derek O'Brien
- Oct 07, 2024 09:01 am IST
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Opinion | One Nation One Election (ONOE) Is Oh Noe!
Under Article 368(2) of the Constitution of India, ratification by not less than half of the states will be required to carry out amendments to Article 324A to facilitate simultaneous elections of Panchayats and Municipalities.
- Derek O'Brien
- Sep 20, 2024 12:42 pm IST
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Opinion | 12 New Opposition MPs India Should Watch Out For - Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part column: 12 new MPs in the Opposition to watch out for. In the first part, Derek O'Brien wrote about six of the 446 new MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
- Derek O'Brien
- Sep 09, 2024 11:21 am IST
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Opinion | 12 New MPs To Watch Out For - By Derek O'Brien
Of the 543 MPs in Lok Sabha, 280 are spanking new - into their first few months as Members of Parliament.
- Derek O'Brien
- Sep 02, 2024 10:21 am IST
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Opinion | Here's To Tribals And Their Endless Fight For Jal, Jungle, Zameen
As the world observes International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Adivasi communities in Hasdeo, Singrauli, Talabira, Gare Pelma, Chhindwara, and elsewhere are resisting the takeover of their jal, jangal, and zameen.
- Derek O'Brien
- Aug 09, 2024 11:37 am IST
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Opinion | The 12-Letter Word Giving The Government Sleepless Nights
A recurring theme in many of the powerful interventions on the Budget was a 12-letter word giving Modi and his coalition sleepless Delhi nights: unemployment.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jul 29, 2024 11:38 am IST
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Opinion | Amitabh Bachchan To Suchitra Sen, Derek O'Brien's Favourite Reel Politicians
Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien lists his top politician characters from Indian films.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jul 12, 2024 15:20 pm IST
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Opinion | Here's An Unlikely Combination: Narendra Modi and Billy Joel
The verdict after India Elections 2024 is that the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha must not be allowed to be turned into a deep, dark chamber. Turn the Lights Back On.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jun 28, 2024 10:28 am IST
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Opinion | Bengal Has Lessons For India In Sending More Women To Parliament
India ranks 145 out of 185 countries in terms of women's representation in the lower house of parliaments.
- Derek O'Brien
- Jun 18, 2024 11:47 am IST
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Opinion | My Home Is The Nation - Notes From A 12-Year-Old On Vote 2024
"When the TV is switched on, there are angry people shouting at each other. I want this Vote 2024 to end."
- Derek O'Brien
- May 30, 2024 10:46 am IST
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Opinion | Know Your Alphabet: A Random A-Z List For 2024 Lok Sabha Polls
'A' is for appointments, namely, the new rules for selecting Election Commissioners; 'B' is for Brij Bhushan Singh; and 'C', for Constitution.
- Derek O'Brien
- May 17, 2024 10:38 am IST
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Opinion | Labour Day: Remembering A Four-Letter Word Missing In BJP's Campaign
A pre-poll survey by a prominent think-tank revealed that three out of five respondents believe unemployment is the single most important election issue.
- Derek O'Brien
- May 01, 2024 08:19 am IST
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Opinion | Election Commission: Four Questions To Ask India's 'Neutral' Umpire
Independent, non-partisan, effective, fair, efficient, are adjectives that must fit snugly into the pockets of the black and white coats of this neutral election umpire. But do they?
- Derek O'Brien
- Apr 20, 2024 09:58 am IST