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Columnists
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Bloggers
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Opinion: Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget Rises Admirably To Meet Challenges
The revival of faith of the taxpayer and investor seemed the running theme of the longest-ever budget speech. Interestingly, there was a simplicity about the speech to make it connect.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Feb 01, 2020 17:48 pm IST
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Opinion: Modi's Popularity Undented But Regional Leadership Is Letting Him Down
The Jharkhand results show that it is not national issues but regional aspirations that finally work in a state election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still popular which allowed the BJP to put up a tough fight - its vote share increased.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Dec 23, 2019 18:06 pm IST
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Opinion: Student Protests And CAA Will Make BJP, Amit Shah More Popular
The agitation has also brought Home Minister Amit Shah to the centre stage of Indian politics, increasing his popularity, and sharpening the debate on the CAA. Any detailed debate will only help Amit Shah and the BJP.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Dec 17, 2019 19:23 pm IST
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Opinion: With CAB, Hattrick For Modi-Shah In Delivering Party's Promises
No government in history has achieved so much in redeeming the party's manifesto pledge in such a short time and in such quick sequence (within seven months of winning the people's mandate for a second term in office).
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Dec 13, 2019 19:35 pm IST
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Opinion: Karnataka Polls Will Motivate BJP To Get Revenge In Maharashtra
The victory of the BJP in Karnataka is bound to have its impact on Maharashtra, where, too, the state is governed by an unnatural coalition that has been trumped up in violation of the people's mandate.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Dec 10, 2019 17:46 pm IST
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Opinion: The Beauty Of The Ayodhya Verdict Is...
The beauty of the final verdict is that there are no winners and losers here. India has won. The court went entirely by evidence. It even said there was no religion to the five judges who delivered the unanimous verdict; for them the Constitution was supreme.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Nov 09, 2019 23:47 pm IST
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Opinion: Opinion: The Modi Appeal Is Intact; The Chief Ministers Should Worry BJP
The BJP can console itself with the thought that after a full five-year term, people have reposed their faith in the party and it has retained power. This is, however, only a part of the story.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Oct 26, 2019 19:26 pm IST
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Opinion: Why Modi's "Ab Ki Baar, Trump Sarkar" Helps India
The message from "Howdy, Modi" is loud and clear on all these aspects. Modi has got what India wanted. He has made Pakistan irrelevant in India's diplomatic engagement the US. This will also impact the Indian position globally.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Sep 24, 2019 13:39 pm IST
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Opinion: 100 Days Of Modi's Term 2 Are Thunderous
In the first hundred days, Modi has visited 12 countries. India's sterling performance on the diplomatic front became visible in the aftermath of the strategic air strike on Balakot and the abrogation of Article 370. Pakistan was isolated, India received universal support.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Sep 08, 2019 13:01 pm IST
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Opinion: Nirmala Sitharaman's Solid First Shot At Budget
The major beneficiaries are the salaried, middle-income group, farmers and the youth. The budget has tried to put more money in the common man's pocket. This will increase demand, help growth. Overall, a budget that means business.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Jul 05, 2019 18:06 pm IST
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Opinion: Amit Shah Will Turbo-Charge Modi’s New Cabinet
Amit Shah's five-year stint as party president transformed the BJP into the most combative, vibrant and winning political formation in the country. He exudes confidence, commitment and is an inspirational quotient with strategic edge. This is sure to help Modi achieve the ambitious goals of his second term.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- May 31, 2019 12:07 pm IST
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Opinion: What Rahul Gandhi And Opposition Got Wrong In Campaign vs Modi
Modi was the sole factor in the entire campaign. He was the Mega Messiah who steered the 2019 poll and the plank of decisive leadership, stable government and a booming economy. India's status as an economic power fascinated the Indian voter. Modi has emerged as India's answer to the challenges of the 21st century.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- May 24, 2019 12:18 pm IST
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Opinion: If Exit Polls Are Right, Narendra Modi Will Touch The Zenith
Reading between the lines, I am convinced that the verdict is clear and Narendra Modi is winning a massive win hands down. This has been the perception I gathered after visiting major states from south to north and east to west, where the only concern of the voter was "who else but Modi".
- Dr R. Balashankar
- May 20, 2019 12:17 pm IST
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Opinion: Modi Is Right On India Calling Pakistan's Bluff On Nukes
It would have been beneficial for the Congress party to cheer the valour of the Indian Army and the courageous leadership of PM Modi, who, for the first time, redefined India's terror engagement with Pakistan.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Apr 23, 2019 18:53 pm IST
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Opinion: The Budget Shows Modi's Confidence Of Retaining Power
No other Prime Minister has ever tried to make a vote-on-account or interim budget his manifesto for the election he is going to face. The assurance, wide sweep and gravitas in the budget that the government has presented shows how confident Narendra Modi is about his return after the polls.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Feb 01, 2019 17:45 pm IST
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Opinion: With Priyanka Gandhi's Entry, Family Welfare Model Returns
Sonia Gandhi as Godmother, guide and philosopher, Rahul Gandhi as party president and Priyanka Gandhi as party general secretary. Can Robert Vadra be far behind? The family welfare model is now in place. With this fantastic model of aggrandizement of family ambition, the Congress will fight the 2019 general election to save democracy from Prime Minister Narendra Modi,...
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Jan 24, 2019 10:41 am IST
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Opinion: Modi Appeal Intact, But He's No Longer Invincible
In the semi-final to the Lok Sabha 2019 polls, it is clearly a setback for the BJP, a comeback for the Congress and a big boost for Rahul Gandhi.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Dec 11, 2018 18:40 pm IST
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Opinion: How Congress And BJP Should Interpret Mohan Bhagwat's Comments
The RSS exercise simply was for those who genuinely wanted to understand it. The Sangh at the zenith of its ideological success will be magnanimous and reach out but is not likely to dilute or reinvent itself.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Sep 20, 2018 12:01 pm IST
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Opinion: BJP Dumps PDP To Boost Its Nationalist Plank
The end of the BJP-PDP alliance did not come as a surprise, but its timing and swiftness were unimagined. It was widely welcomed at the national level, and helped the BJP retrieve much of its lost ground with its traditional vote base upset with the unilateral ceasefire and brazen pandering to the separatists by the PDP.
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Jun 21, 2018 11:33 am IST
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Opinion: With Pranab Visit, BJP Smiles, RSS Gains, And Congress Seethes
Is the former President positioning himself as a statesman or more as an acceptable face representing a wider national ethos?
- Dr R. Balashankar
- Jun 08, 2018 11:33 am IST