Shekhar Gupta National Interest

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

BJP's attack on the American 'deep state' reflects growing global discourse

The idea had been acquiring currency across ideological lines for some time and has been given greater legitimacy by Trump

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

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?

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

Politics for nuclear winter

Opposition parties know better than most what they are up against. Much of the talk among them is more about where they could limit Modi, rather than having him voted out of power

Who threatens the court?

Modi's reference to the 'committed judiciary' takes us back to the 1970s, when Indira Gandhi's government twice superseded senior judges while appointing the CJI

To-do list for Modi 3.0

A final view on who is OBC, agricultural reforms, and the abolition of anti-defection law and UPSC are among the key goals PM should pursue if he wins a third term

What Modi read in 'school'

Is this government really so mysterious? Is there a key to breaking the code of this BJP's politics? The answer lies in understanding old texts on the BJP-RSS ideology

RSS, power & pitfalls

The Sangh is the most powerful it's ever been in its history. At the same time, one could also argue that it has never been so weak. How do we resolve that contradiction?

Shekhar Gupta: Rise of the party Commissar

After Kamraj, Amit Shah is first truly powerful chief of a ruling party. Cabinet rejig will be proof

Shekhar Gupta: Guns, thieves & ghosts

We get tangled up in our own crooked web on purchases, and the murky arms bazaar knows it