Page 12 - Shekhar Gupta

Made in Bharat

Mocking new health minister Mansukh Mandaviya's English underlines the political elitism Modi's India has rejected.

Politics in diversity

PEW survey of Indians' religiosity tells you why Modi's rivals have failed to challenge him: Confused secularism that's ceded religion to the BJP

Thaw on the western front

Talks with Taliban, J&K leaders, thaw with Pakistan are strategic imperatives for Modi govt. It can't covet US as Quad ally in the east and work at counter-purposes with them in the west

The virus unravels

The hunt for the origin of coronavirus shows science, democracy and sense of inquiry can overcome politics, ideology and omerta codes

Sub-African India

Much of Africa is doing better than India while our mis-governance, lousy identity politics, corruption, self-congratulation, empty triumphalism, are threatening to catch up and ruin our self-image

Death & journalism

The last 3 months have been the gravest period of national tragedy & there's definitely an undercount of Covid deaths. But doing that at a mass scale is tougher

Eye on 2024

Can Modi's third bid for power be made more challenging? If so, who will do it? And how? Especially if Gandhis and Congress fail to rise to that challenge

Floating bodies, sinking states

Politics and economics are at the heart of the Covid tragedy in UP and Bihar. The misery is a result of voting in the name of religion, caste and nationalism

Shekhar Gupta: Flailing state in Covid storm

Modi government didn't strengthen the foundations of basic governance in the last 7 years. Now, the PM has retreated, ministers failing and the government is in denial

Shekhar Gupta: India calling Mayday, Mayday

Triumphalism, premature declaration of victory meant no one checked if India had enough vaccines, oxygen, remdesivir, bringing us back to a crisis where we need foreign aid after four decades

Holding up a mirror to Modi govt

Between premature victory mood that allowed Kumbh, elections, and lack of urgency on vaccines, Modi govt has walked into its biggest crisis. The way out needs realism, humility and one Ram baan weapon

Shekhar Gupta: It isn't the economy, genius

Flurry of economic reform suggests Modi realises his muscular nationalism script is getting jaded. Chances are he'll try for economic recovery but stick to what's worked so far

Shekhar Gupta: A new case for peace with Pakistan

If India thinks it's caught in an awful two-front situation, the picture is more challenging for Pakistan. It can continue fighting India and become a protectorate of China

Shekhar Gupta: Indian judiciary and law of Habeas Porcus

It's the prime responsibility of judiciary to ensure our liberty and habeas corpus is the usual route. But 'bail, not jail' is being murdered and cremated routinely

Shekhar Gupta: Politics takes economic turn

New ideological battle lines have been drawn in Indian politics and they're on economic terrain. It is change for good

Shekhar Gupta: Finally, a BJP Budget

The ones so far were all Congress+ to Congress+++

Shekhar Gupta: Yogi soars, UP sinks

Uttar Pradesh under Yogi has seen little change for the better. But his personal political fortunes have soared enough to compete for attention with Modi

Shekhar Gupta: Why Modi is in retreat on farm laws

Farm reform could've been high point of Modi's second term. But lack of patience, understanding and contempt for history have turned it into a disaster

Punjab's real problem: The loss of its entrepreneurial impulse

Punjab, once India's richest state, has slipped and fallen behind. It needs to get off the paddy-wheat-MSP high and rediscover its entrepreneurial impulse

Retrospective restraint: Pranab's last memoir hides more than it tells

It avoids real political issues, refuses to go into details, hides more than it tells, and is therefore a big let-down