Shekhar Gupta

Why India shouldn't go to Pakistan: Broken ties go beyond cricket disputes

Broken cricket relationships in the subcontinent aren't about any disputes over the game, nor Hindu-Muslim issues. They are about the state of the nations, and what goes on between them

Adani's reckoning: Sebi probes, political uproar, and foreign capital woes

Sebi may now launch fresh inquiries. Parliament will open to uproar, and Adanis' access to foreign capital will become impossible. The damage this time will be deeper and longer-lasting

Two-front deterrence: India needs a strong stance against China, Pakistan

India needs clear deterrence against both likely adversaries. With China, it lies in raising costs of aggression to levels it should find unaffordable. For Pakistan, it has to be punitive

Trump, Modi, Rahul: The three-pillar formula for a successful campaign

Trump has just followed the formula, as did Modi in 2014 and 2019, but not in 2024

After LAC disengagement, India needs to increase defence allocation

We talk much about our military but do not put our national wallet where our mouth is. While nobody is saying we double our defence spending, the current declining trend must be reversed

Survival or revival? How 2004 win, 99 seats in 2024 shaped Congress

Congress is silently acknowledging it overread the verdict of the last general election. You can see it in easy concession to SP. It will likely be more reasonable in Maharashtra & Jharkhand

Sikh separatists' violence should concern host countries, not just India

If Sikh separatists are a nuisance, it should worry their host countries. Should it bother India if they keep killing their own in gang rivalries and making their neighbourhoods unsafe?

Why is Indian public opinion so indifferent to Gazans and Palestinians?

We must avoid the temptation to see Indian indifference to Palestine as usual "enemy's (Muslim) enemy (Jew) is my friend". Reason is the changed reality of Islamic world & India's equation with it

Victory, defeat and vindication: Twin poll verdicts a huge positive for BJP

A leader's charisma is a big plus. But don't underestimate the craft of mounting an election campaign. Haryana is BJP's reward for mastering it

BJP focus in Haryana shifts from Modi, returns to upper castes and Punjabis

The fight now can be defined as between the BJP's anti-Jat coalition and the Congress playing down the Jat domination that urban castes fear

Why is democracy so fragile in both of our large subcontinental neighbours?

How come Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka remain constitutional, democratic, and stable despite Islam and Buddhism, respectively, but Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar don't?

How some nations manage upheavals successfully and others go to pieces

The Sri Lankan transition was smoothly managed. Check Bangladesh for contrast. They forced their incumbent into exile, and installed a mostly unelectable govt of non-political people

BJP's muscular approach in NE falters, but party sticks to its strategy

Manipur represents the BJP's unique ideological approach to governing Northeast by playing identity politics jiu-jitsu. It hasn't gone well yet and is getting worse, but party insists on continuing

We, the prickly people: Why has Kangana's 'Emergency' run into trouble?

You can still put words in Indira Gandhi's mouth and get away with it. But if you garnish your pretence of fact with so much fiction, you might end up messing with Bhindranwale

Who speaks for Bangladesh Hindus? This necessitates raising questions

Do we remember when an Indian PM last called his American counterpart for help in protecting Hindus in our neighbourhood? Does India want to be the OIC equivalent for Hindu interests?

Can Modi 3.0 beat the 3C trap of caste, coalition and Constitution?

Modi govt preparing for Census leads us to examine a new reality, marked by 3 Cs - caste, coalition and Constitution. The BJP machine could take all 3 in its stride, but this election has changed that

Bangladesh crisis: India should junk victimhood and excessive religiosity

Bangladesh is just the latest example of disquiet in India's neighbourhood. We need to show renewed respect to our neighbours

When underdog pushes top dog

The third Modi govt has quickly moved away from dismissing all Congress ideas as unimaginative and is now implementing several of them. Think poll-bound Haryana and Maharashtra

Great coaching scam & abomination

How broken our governance and how incredible our hypocrisy must be that we cannot make profits from educating young Indians, but can earn thousands of crores by giving them tuitions?

What the middle class isn't

What the Modi govt got wrong: Moving away from its generally upbeat messaging of 'India is on the rise, growth will get steeper, and markets are red hot and will get hotter'