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Aakar Patel is a columnist who has edited English and Gujarati newspapers. He has worked with several Indian media organisations.
The foreign hand
Leaders in trouble have often blamed the outside world
Freedom and the big freeze
When it becomes clear that criticism is difficult without trouble, the circle of one's freedom of expression shrinks
The perennially ruling party
The BJP's narrative has strengthened over the past three decades, and it's easy to see why its dominance will continue
A familiar script along the border
There seems to be a desire for opacity when it comes to confronting China, which has been coded into the Indian establishment. But India would benefit from transparency
Six months that make a leader
As time goes on, most elected leaders run out of ideas. It seems to hold as true for the world as for India
The new face of authoritarianism
It is different from the uniformed and jackbooted fascism of a century ago, but only in appearance
BJP's allure: The lack of a clear ideology
The party is comfortable with the current Constitution and laws of India, which are sufficiently flexible
A glimpse into India@100
What the five resolutions to make India a developed nation in 25 years really mean
Creating a bit of space for freedom
Governments have no incentive to secure the civil liberties of citizens
A worm's eye view of the media
Some of the material is tedious and one is not sure why reproducing the email exchanges leading up to his exit would interest anyone
It hurts to be intolerant
India's engagement with the world is now coloured by what it is doing internally
Gyanvapi mosque: The situation in Varanasi portends a replay of 1992
This is a reminder of the lesson that the most effective tool for mass mobilisation in India is to march against the minorities
An erosion of basic norms
As India drifts away from secularism, undermining the principles of equality enshrined in the Constitution seems to be the goal in and of itself
Ideas that harm
A nation thinking as a mob, in unison and marching in lockstep, is a dangerous thing for itself and for others
The mirage of economic recovery
The prospects for the middle class in India are dwindling
Going down the wrong path
India slips on indices of freedom and the government has not even acknowledged there is a problem
The space race is getting harder
A vast technological gap is opening up as humans race to colonise the solar system
India's pledge of good behaviour
Its endorsement of the G7's Open Societies Statement will give the world a larger say in human rights violations in the country
The confidence that proved disastrous
The government has been inept in all that was required of it
Hindutva: A word of suspense
The ideology that forms the basis of BJP's sociopolitical initiatives is not an ideology at all
 "Aakar Patel")
