Let us delay the introduction and implementation of the goods and services tax, but let us try and get it right substantially, as we will not get it right fully

Dorab R Sopariwala: GST is sacrosanct; April 1, 2016, is not

Business Standard

We do need more states but there needs to be some logic to their creation and they need the people's backing

Welcome Telangana - but what next?

The events of the past few months have left a terrible taste in the mouth. Dorab R Sopariwala comes up with a six-point plan to avoid such blushes in the future.


Dorab R Sopariwala: A prescription for the Presidency

Doordarshan is back to fighting for cricket rights it didn't bid for


Dorab R Sopariwala: A bad loser goes to court

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is in news these days primarily for two reasons: first, the enormous impact it could have on poverty alleviation in rural areas (and also in

Sopariwala & Chary: Employment guarantee: the mirage of numbers

Wake Up!

Our Constitution describes India as a sovereign, democratic republic. And we have a system of representative democracy.

Dorab R Sopariwala: NAC = Anna = Baba?

Exactly 60 years ago, &ldquo;We the People&rdquo; gave unto ourselves a Constitution. India became a republic with representative democracy of the Westminster type, where the parties or coalitions that constitute a majority of the legislature rule in the people&rsquo;s name until the next election, when the electorate makes a fresh choice. There are three strong constitutional pillars of a modern representative democracy &mdash; a parliament or legislature, an executive responsible to the legislature and an independent judiciary.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Barbarians at the gates

The recent goings-on in Karnataka only remind us how deep the rot in the system is. The institutions of the Governor, speaker and legislator are in a total shambles &mdash; and there is little hope in the offing, since almost the entire political class appears to be in cahoots with this system.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Of Governors, Speakers and Legislators

It is our duty to compensate those we have wronged.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Bhopal gas tragedy - Justice at our cost

In a couple of months, five states will be going to the polls and another seven in 2012. This is perhaps the right time to consider two ideas for electoral reforms that are in the air. First, simultaneous holding of elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas and second, state funding of elections.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Pressure points in poll reforms

Bihar went to the polls in February 2005. However, the elections resulted in a hung assembly. After a spell of President&rsquo;s Rule, the state went to the polls again in November 2005. The JD (U) fought in alliance with the BJP, as it has done since 1996. The RJD tied up with the Congress party and the fifth player in Bihar, Ram Vilas Paswan of the LJP, decided to go on his own.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Nitish once more in Bihar?

In the bad old days, English Sovereigns claimed to own all the land in the country and parcelled it off to their allies, to churches, to great warriors (such as Marlborough and Wellington), to their relatives and mistresses and so on. In fact, William the Conqueror (of 1066 fame) did not have much of an army. He persuaded friendly nobles from as far away as Southern Italy to join his campaign. And why would they do that? Because William promised them land and titles. However, over the last couple of centuries, these powers have vanished and Parliament has ensured that such gifts of national resources cannot be made either by the Sovereign or the Executive. Today, the Sovereign or the Prime Minister has the right to give out a small number of houses, fewer than a couple of dozen, during the lifetime of the person or during the holding of a particular office.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Public favours or plunder?

For several years, there has been a move to construct a second airport in Mumbai as it is believed that the present Santa Cruz airport will soon reach its saturation point. However, what has been conspicuous by its absence is the use of any method in determining the extent to which the current airport can be extended to serve the purpose and, in the event that it cannot, the relative merits of alternative sites. There has been little public debate; no public enquiry; no short-list of alternative sites; and no cost-benefit analysis of the sites in the public domain.

Dorab R Sopariwala: No way to build an airport

After many years of silence on the reorganisation of states, the Telangana issue has blown up in our face. There are arguments pro and anti and there are agitations pro and anti. The various governments at the Centre and in the states continue to lurch from one extreme to the other, and demands for creation of new states have come to the surface.

Dorab R Sopariwala: Power to the people

Did you know that the great state of Meghalaya has four chief ministers? One is sworn in by the governor and the other three are holding the rank and enjoying the privileges of a chief minster. You didn&rsquo;t know that? Well, then welcome to the world of Office FOR Profit.