Page 6 - Politics

Delhi, Bihar Assembly elections in 2025 to test the fate of freebies

This year will have the fewest elections of any in the current five-year electoral cycle. What does that mean for welfare schemes?

Will resign after coalition talks fail: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer

His announcement on Saturday came a day after the liberal Neos party withdrew from the negotiations with Nehammer's conservative People's Party (OVP) and the Social Democrats (SPO)

Ideology not a problem in politics, emptiness of thoughts is: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said his opinion on politics was not good as it is characterised by "use and throw" and questioned the place for thought and loyalty amid people's propensity to join the party in power. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and senior BJP leader also said ideology was not the problem in the country but the emptiness of thoughts. "Many people jump towards the party that comes to power, so where exactly does the stream of thought and loyalty go? In our country, ideology is not a problem, but the emptiness of thoughts is," he said. Gadkari said the family unit has to develop first if the country has to progress. Recalling an episode, he said, " A man came up to me and said he wanted to give up his life for the country. At the time, his business was failing, he was going bankrupt and he had a wife and children at home. I told him to first take care of the house and then the country." Gadkari said he considered Chhatrapati Shivaji .

'Cheap politics': Delhi L-G dismisses CM Atishi's temple demolition charges

Delhi L-G VK Saxena dismisses CM Atishi's claim of demolition orders for Hindu and Buddhist religious sites as 'cheap politics', denies receiving related files or issuing directions

Cricket to qcom: What shaped India's emotional, cultural landscape in 2024

Cricket comes out on top, as you would expect in a year that saw India win its second T20 World Cup in men's cricket. And PM Narendra Modi's ever rising global stature puts him at number two

Schemes, scams, and satire: AI takes over Delhi election campaign

From promoting schemes to fact-checking election promises, political parties are spending big on social media with a creative blend to connect with voters

Indian diaspora influence in US policy, politics rising: Milan Vaishnaw

Says from majoritarianism and caste divides to concerns about democracy and inequality, the Indian American scene is much more cacophonous now

Many firsts amid some strained ties: Assessing PM's foreign tours in 2024

PM's visits to Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, and Guyana were historic for many reasons. But relations with Canada, Bangladesh remained tense in 2024

An unexpected phone call that led to Manmohan Singh's entry into politics

During the 1991 economic crisis, Manmohan Singh, under PV Narasimha Rao's leadership, ended the Licence Raj, liberalised trade, curbed inflation, and transformed India into an economic powerhouse

A lookback at former PM Manmohan Singh's 5-decade career in public service

Singh's death was announced by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition

Delhi govt depts disown Kejriwal's 'mahila', elderly welfare schemes

Under Mahila Samman Yojana, AAP promises Rs 2,100 monthly allowance, and under Sanjeevani free treatment to voters above 60

One Nation, One Election bill could give ECI say over Assemblies' terms

In the current version of CAB, if a state's elections cannot be held with the LS, the EC will be empowered to declare the dates for those polls, effectively giving it final say on the Assembly's term

'Flawed and predetermined': Congress objects NHRC chairperson appointment

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the appointment process for the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is 'flawed'

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

Rise in districts: Is political demand overshadowing administrative need?

New districts are being announced more because of demands by influential groups than empirical studies, usually in the buildup to elections

Pranab Mukherjee should have been made PM in 2012: Mani Shankar Aiyar

'By doing this, the Congress would have still lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but not sunk to 44 seats, and could have won 140 seats'

Canada PM Trudeau reflecting on criticism amid leadership crisis, says ally

Freeland resigned on Monday amid a policy clash and released a letter savaging Trudeau's leadership, prompting one of the worst crises since he took office in 2015

The year we reflected on institutions and their role in political economy

If there is a lesson to takeaway from the institutional turn in political economy, combined with the political currents of populism, it is this: Institutional strength is both vital and fragile

Former Puducherry CM Ramachandran dies at 90 due to age-related ailments

Senior politician and former Chief Minister of Puducherry M D R Ramachandran died on Sunday evening at his residence here due to age-related ailments, Congress party sources said. He was 90. Ramachandran was a two-time chief minister of the union territory when he was with DMK. He first served as chief minister in 1980 and headed the then DMK-Congress coalition ministry which lasted in office for three years. He again became chief minister in 1990 and headed a short-lived DMK-Janata Dal coalition ministry for a year. Ramachandran quit the DMK and joined the Congress in 2000 and became the Speaker of the territorial Assembly in 2001 when the Congress formed the ministry under the leadership of N Rangasamy. He then became the vice-president of the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee. He promoted the cooperative movement in the union territory. Puducherry PCC president and Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Ramachandran. Vaithilinga

Educated youth must engage in politics to drive change: Delhi CM Atishi

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Saturday urged students to actively participate in politics, cautioning against leaving critical decisions to the "worst kind of people". Speaking at the Founder's Day celebration of St. Stephen's College here, Atishi recounted her time as a student there and how politics was once dismissed as a "dirty business" and an unlikely career choice. "It was more than two decades ago that I was a student here, at that time, the idea of effecting change was limited to charity work or social causes. Politics seemed inaccessible," she said, according to a statement. She explained that disengaging in politics leaves crucial decisions about education, healthcare, and safety in the hands of others, the statement said. "When educated, well-meaning young people stay away from politics, we allow the most important decisions of our lives to be made by the wrong people," she asserted. The chief minister highlighted the transformative work of the AAP government giving .