While attempting to provide an alternative to the political system, the Aam Aadmi Party risks becoming a clone of one of the existing parties

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay: AAP's road to politicisation

Business Standard

Lord Ram stopped being a major draw in contemporary politics of Uttar Pradesh from the day that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani described as the "saddest day" in his life. December 6, 1992, made many Muslims in India realise - as a journalist friend wrote at that time - what "it meant to be a Muslim". In the past two decades, this point became a narrative following a path of progression. The same cannot be said about the dispute over Ayodhya, and about Lord Ram, the mythological idol that is also considered an ideal by large sections of Hindus. Despite laborious attempts by the Sangh Parivar, people in Uttar Pradesh do not take to the streets in the name of Ram with the kind of hostility they once displayed. The first thought that crossed my mind when the book under review landed on my desk was whether the title was a tad dated.In the introduction of his book Region, Nation, "Heartland": Uttar Pradesh in India's Body Politic, historian Gyanesh Kudaisya drew atte

A UP roller coaster

Reviving the 2002 discourse suggests Narendra Modi is unsure if the Gujarat Model will work at the all-India level

The doer as demagogue

His action after the Godhra train violence doesn't support the picture of an effective and no-nonsense deliverer of good governance

That stubborn stain on Modi's record

The author of this book was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. A former journalist and son of veteran BJP leader Jaswant Singh, he lost the election in 2009. He had previously failed in his maiden attempt at electoral politics, in 1999. He contested all three elections from Barmer, the desert constituency on the edge of India that borders Pakistan through the Thar desert. The seat includes the iconic town of Jaisalmer, besides huge rural and inhospitable tracts.There was a sense of excitement at picking up the book for review. Since it has been written by a former journalist - and an accomplished one at that - one was guaranteed a good read. Beyond that, the book also appeared promising because it was probably the only one of its kind, at least in India: in which a candidate in a parliamentary poll maintains a diary and thereafter makes it available in book form. What would the book contain? Would there be candid disclosures about the games that a

Chronicle of an election untold

Their differences underscore a major transition point in the political evolution of the saffron party

Modi and Advani: The two faces of BJP's Hindutva

A set of essays examines the rise of activism in India outside the framework of the political party system

We the activist people

This is one book that every Ayodhya reporter probably wanted to do but never had the opportunity to return to the temple-town with time in hand. More than a quarter of a century has passed since Ayodhya emerged as one of the core concerns of India. Since that fateful day in February 1986, when in a haste rarely exhibited by the Indian judiciary the lock on the disputed shrine was opened for Hindu devotees, this small city has periodically grabbed headlines.

Ayodhya's confusions confounded

Here's a quick capsule of the best of Business Standard's opinion pages today for your quick reading.

high risk

Britain's Opposition Conservative Party is leading calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to scrap government plans for an official definition of Islamophobia over fears it would restrict free speech and action against wrongdoing.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said this weekend that a "false label" of Islamophobia had hampered investigations into the child abuse grooming gang scandal involving men of Pakistani heritage.
It comes as The Daily Telegraph newspaper claims that the Labour Party government is considering a formal definition of anti-Muslim discrimination.
The government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia, Jenrick told the newspaper.
Throughout the grooming gang scandal the false label of Islamophobia was used to silence people. It appears that the government has learnt nothing and is determined to press ahead with a definition that will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech, he said.
In a social media post, the Tory M

Keir Starmer, UK PM, Prime Minister Starmer

JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest US bank, looks to be next in line

Bank

Bangladesh's interim government on Sunday cancelled a planned training programme for 50 judges and judicial officers in India, scrapping a previous notification.
The notification has been cancelled, a law ministry spokesman said without elaborating.
The Daily Star newspaper, however, reported the cancellation came in compliance with a directive from Bangladesh's Supreme Court.
The cancellation order came a day after the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that 50 lower judiciary judges would undergo a one-day training programme from February 10 at the National Judicial Academy and the State Judicial Academy in Madhya Pradesh.
The trainee judges selected under the programme were district and sessions judge or its equivalent officers, additional district and sessions judge, joint district judge, senior assistant judge and assistant judge.
The Indian government was supposed to bear all the expenses for the training programmes.
India and Bangladesh have witnessed strained

India Bangladesh, India, Bangladesh

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Sunday said the signing of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework agreement with China during his recent trip and his meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly were important in strengthening bilateral relations.
The 72-year-old Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) leader said these meetings and visits have made meaningful contributions in strengthening Nepal's relations with neighbouring countries.
Oli said this while presenting a political report at the central committee meeting of the party in Lalitpur.
A balanced foreign policy based on mutual interest and equal benefits will be pursued keeping the national interest in focal point to further strengthen multi-faceted diplomacy, economic, social, cultural and trade relations with both the neighbours as well as all the friendly countries, Oli said.
He also expressed his commitment to resolve the existing issues with the

KP Sharma Oli, Oli, Nepal PM

Jagdeep Singh, the former CEO of Quantumscape, has an annual salary of Rs 17,500 crore ($2.06 billion), which surpasses the revenue of several large corporations in the world

Jagdeep Singh

HDFC Bank's LDR was around 87 per cent pre-merger. Following the merger, its LDR went up to 110 per cent

HDFC Bank

Travel booking major OYO has launched a new check-in policy for partner hotels, starting from Meerut, introducing guidelines effective this year whereby unmarried couples will no longer be welcome to check in.
Under the revised policy, all couples will be asked to present valid proof of relationship at the time of check-in, including for bookings made online. OYO has empowered its partner hotels' discretion to decline couple bookings based on their judgment, aligning with local social sensibility, the company said.
OYO has given the directive to its partner hotels in Meerut to ensure this with immediate effect. Based on ground feedback, the company may expand this to more cities, people familiar with the policy change said.
"OYO has received feedback in the past from civil society groups especially in Meerut urging action to address this issue. Additionally, residents from few other cities have petitioned for disallowing unmarried couples to check-in at OYO hotels," they said.
Pawa

OYO, Oyo rooms, Oyo app, Oyo logo

Subsidy to support 72,300 fast charging stations across the country

EV, ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Adani Wilmar Ltd (AWL), India's largest edible oil company, is adopting a strategy similar to ITC's by leveraging its core business and extensive distribution network to drive growth in its high-margin FMCG portfolio after the Adani group exit, according to sources.
Just as ITC used its strong cigarette business to expand into FMCG, AWL is set to use its dominant edible oil business as a foundation for FMCG growth.
Following the exit of the Adani Group, Wilmar may further capitalise on this approach by introducing more global FMCG brands into the Indian market, sources aware of the matter said.
In the December quarter, AWL's FMCG business achieved a 24 per cent year-on-year growth in volume, underscoring its efforts to expand both its food and FMCG product offerings. Consequently, the share of food and FMCG in overall volumes increased to 20 per cent, while its share in total revenues rose to 9 per cent, up from 10 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in FY21.
This shift mirrors 

Adani Wilmar

IND vs AUS 5th Test full scorecard: Rishabh Pant was hit on the body 12 times as the southpaw curbed his natural instinct after reports surfaced Gambhir criticised him for rash shot at MCG

India vs Australia 5th Test Day 1 highlights and full scorecard

Though captain dropping himself has happened for the first time in India's cricket history, here are six notable examples in cricketing folklore.

Rohit Sharma

While the reports were flooding in a day before that Rohit dropped himself from India's Playing 11, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah revealed at the toss on Friday that Rohit thought about the team

Stock Market Today: The Nifty FMCG Index is currently trading within a crucial range of 58,050 - 55,675, and any breakout above or below this range will likely trigger significant directional momentum

stock market

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

economic growth

A lot has changed. Both nations are more than a little concerned about how they will revive slowing growth

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

Page 3 - Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay: AAP's road to politicisation

A UP roller coaster

The doer as demagogue

That stubborn stain on Modi's record

Chronicle of an election untold

Modi and Advani: The two faces of BJP's Hindutva

We the activist people

Ayodhya's confusions confounded

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Best of BS Opinion: Risks and Outcomes in an Uncertain Future

UK Oppn wants PM Keir Starmer to scrap plans for Islamophobia definition

Wall Street's top banks just quit a once popular net-zero alliance

Bangladesh cancels scheduled judges' training in India amid strained ties

Signing BRI framework with China, Modi meeting key to stronger ties: Oli

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Indian-origin CEO is world's highest paid person, earns Rs 48 crore per day

HDFC Bank's LDR falls below 100% for the first time after merger

Unmarried couples no longer welcome, OYO changes check-in policy

Govt to switch on massive subsidy to supercharge EV infrastructure

Adani Wilmar to expand FMCG portfolio, emulates ITC post-Adani group exit