Page 3 - Shekhar Gupta

Operation Sindoor mix: Surprise, optics and audacity define Indian strikes

Everybody in Pakistan, and indeed in India, knew strikes were a matter of not 'whether' but 'when'. The Modi govt utilised these 14 days after Pahalgam to build an impression that there was no hurry

Caste census: A fraught & electorally-loaded idea forcing its way in

One of the reasons we call the caste census a bad idea is that so far, nobody has figured what to do with the data, except Rahul Gandhi

Pahalgam terrorist attack: Pakistan's ISI targets Hindus, tests India

At some point, the ISI's calculation has been, Hindus will rise in reprisal against their own minorities. That's a crisis they've been conjuring up in India. A nation at war with itself

To beat Modi, Opposition needs new ideas-not nostalgia and caste math

Stuck in the past, the Opposition is recycling slogans while Modi scripts a new political grammar

When 2 elephants fight: India eyes opportunity in US-China trade war

At the very least, there might be things India can make for the US markets that the Chinese can't compete with, given these tariffs

Mr Bharat, India, Bharat: Patriotism through Manoj Kumar's cinematic lens

This isn't an obituary of Manoj Kumar. It's about the influence he had in defining patriotism for two generations of Indians across our most perilous decade, say from 1962 to 1972

Trump's threat to pull the trigger may jolt India's complacent elite

India needs another shot of difficult reform, of the kind only possible at gunpoint. Mr Trump holds that gun to our heads now

A leader & 19 months: Lal Bahadur Shastri's legacy beyond Tashkent peace

Among Shastri's contributions were the Green Revolution, appointing C Subramaniam as his food minister, and recognising the talent of M S Swaminathan

Trick or retreat: Bofors aside, Rajiv's term reshaped India's defence plans

Stockholm-based SIPRI, which estimates imports in terms of constant 1990 dollars, puts the value of India's total arms imports in 10 years (2015-24) at a little over $23.7 billion

Minimum Trump, maximum Modi: Their contrasting views on civil servants

For Modi/BJP supporters, Deep State is some amorphous entity, including global foundations, Left-activist corporations and investors, and also intelligence proliferations working in cahoots with them

Making nukes great again: How Trump buried non-proliferation forever

Nukes are today a fairly low-tech option and inexpensive deterrent. If the Pakistanis could build them in the 1980s, anybody could do so now

Deep state, shallow state, non-state: The rise of conspiracy theories

From bhikshus of Ashokan 3rd century BC and medieval Sufis to Oxfam, Omidyar and Soros now, non-state actors have any real power only when they work in conjunction with a real state

Kejriwal's no-ideology politics over as his 'cynical image' cost him Delhi

Kejriwal and the AAP are devastated, but not finished. They still have a big state in Punjab, the municipal corporation in Delhi and 43 percent of the vote, even in defeat

Socialist delivery, a nuclear promise: Hoping the Budget meets its goals

Those of us who were so excited by that flurry of reforms and hailed it as a true and virtuous example of not wasting a crisis are now chastened

In defence of Murthy & Subrahmanyan: Valuing entrepreneurs and job creators

It's easy to beat up on the corporations. But a society that does not give its entrepreneurs, wealth & jobs creators love and respect, is doomed to be frozen in a low-middle-income status

Middle class & Modi love: Navigating tax burdens and political strategies

The Indian middle class seethes at the growing phenomenon of political parties taking their tax money and showering benefits on the more numerous poorer classes to buy their votes

Left, right, centre, reverse: Populism emerges as unifying political idea

In the new world, the only idea that cuts across enough vote banks is populism. Its beauty, charm and success lie in its ease of use and how little it demands from the head or heart

An open letter to Prof Mohd Yunus: From revenge to responsibility

Hasina took away your bank, you've now served revenge. Here's the test: Now that you have public office, it implies public trust. Can you have it and do nothing? And if you would, what would it be?

Dr Singh's other major reform lies in India's strategic shift to the West

It was also audacious, in my book even more so than the 1991 reform, given how little support it had within the Congress and the UPA

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for unity: A shift in Hindutva discourse?

The calling for halt to rash of 'masjids built over mandirs' claims could stem from realisation that it will be impossible for BJP government to maintain order if the issue spirals out of control