Shekhar Gupta

The Gen Z protests have opened the door, just a crack, for the Opposition

Competitive politics up to 2029 now will be about filling the breach the GenZ has caused, or widening it

India's education crisis needs systemic reform, not bureaucratic reshuffles

Our education system is a destroyer of all talent by enforcing learning by rote, and then holding coaching classes to 'crack' competitive exams. And then, papers leak

Congress's opening in India's emerging one-and-a-half-party system

Even if it's a municipal election where the Congress is a cipher, you will find the BJP targeting it. It's an acknowledgement that Mr Modi sees the Congress as his only likely challenger

How the controversy over 'Satluj' could reshape Punjab's electoral politics

The Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj doesn't blame any political party or individual politicians. We only know the demographic in Punjab it's bound to trigger the most

How Congress lost nationalism: Rethinking the party's post-2014 path

The Congress party's abandonment of nationalism is the most intriguing aspect of its post-2014 politics. The real Congress was never a party of bleeding heart pacifists

Pulling Joe Sacco's book on riots is a joke on publishing, India's freedoms

Sacco's 'reporting' is incredibly granular but there are areas where he can be faulted. Don't let this undermine where his true focus is, in showing how local disputes led to riots

Ideology, not power: The glue that keeps political parties from splintering

The BJP has had some significant departures that need mention. The first was Balraj Madhok, the swayamsevak from Jammu who, as party chief, led the BJS to his highest ever tally of 35 in the 1967 elec

Modi's next test is not revisiting history but governing the future

Like any Prime Minister serving such a long tenure, Mr Modi has had his share of crises. Three of them were global: Covid, Ukraine, and the West Asia wars

India's flailing, failing cities are the biggest threat to Brand India

A deeper analysis will tell you that most of these disasters took place in what might be described variously as unauthorised, illegal or irregular buildings and areas

1973 and now: How Indira's self-destructive responses are instructive today

An oil shock, monsoon fears, rampant unemployment, and the seeming inevitability of inflation, are common to both eras. Indira Gandhi's self-destructive responses are instructive today

Pakistan history of tactical brilliance, strategic failure

The revisionist history of every war or skirmish is a popular subcontinental phenomenon

A Muslim voter's worth: Poll results show need for new model of secularism

These elections mark the completion of the BJP-secular party divide purely on a Hindu-Muslim basis. The BJP's rivals are increasingly looking like Muslim parties, though their leaders are all Hindus

BJP, West Bengal, Hinduised-nationalism and the X factor in politics

You'd err if you credit or blame the BJP success only on Hindutva. It's more than that. It is Hinduised-nationalism

Disquiet on the Eastern Front: Great Nicobar base key to maritime defences

Historically, and instinctively, India has seen threats emerging from the west and the north, from Pakistan and China

As the left fades from Bengal's landscape, BJP makes a fervent pitch

In West Bengal, the Left is in a dead heat with the Congress for the wooden spoon; Maoism in the tribal heartland has been entombed; and in Kerala, the Left fights double incumbency

Assassination and statecraft: US objectives unmet, Iran grows tougher

American objectives are unmet. They neither have the muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime hasn't just survived, it's now led by more radical individuals

India's 5-year opportunity: Stay disciplined in a shifting world order

We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pak sees as its moment in sun

All talk, no walk, China shock: Coal gasification edge becomes clear

China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won't move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest

Navel-gazing, in national interest: India balances both sides in war

It's easy to understand why the government can't speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India's interests will lie with both the winner and the loser

Vishwaguru delusion, mine vs yours: Two flawed takes on India's power

One side thinks India is punching way above its weight.The other thinks Mr Modi has undermined India, and it punches below its strength. Both are wrong