Negotiation is one thing, surrender is another. But, above all, politicians must stop politicising the Maoist problem. A long-term solution is needed, writes Barkha Dutt.
We must overcome class-based discrimination to end the politics over quotas. The best way to do so would be to open the gates of private schools to poor children, writes
Barkha Dutt.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh needs to engage with Parliament much more. The House needs to respect itself before people do the same.
Barkha Dutt writes.
India is slipping into a quicksand of anger and intolerance. This is making people express their disagreement of thought in a way that crosses the bounds of civility,
Barkha Dutt writes.
The UPA’s wounds are entirely self-inflicted. The absurd political mismanagement over the lokpal bill has led to this impasse. Barkha Dutt writes.
India's mood is negative today because of the ossification of politics. If our politicians don't reclaim their constitutional space, interlopers will take over. Barkha Dutt writes.
The hard truth is that Pakistan’s problem today is not India and the Kashmir conflict but the ‘many Pakistans’ that exist within it.
Barkha Dutt writes.
‘It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare,” wrote political theorist and philosopher Edmund Burke. Barkha Dutt writes.
‘Serious sport has nothing do to with fairplay,’ wrote George Orwell in 1945, sweepingly dismissing the primal emotion that defined international sporting events as ‘orgies of hatred’. Barkha Dutt writes.
The BJP must abandon its Tiranga Yatra to Jammu and Kashmir. The fragile peace in the state must be given a chance, writes Barkha Dutt.
Despite years of liberalisation, India still doesn't have an auto-pilot model for economic reforms. Along with nailing the 2G scam guilty, we must also tackle this endemic problem, writes
Barkha Dutt.
Petty triumphalism and gloating by those who see themselves as “victors” after the judgement is not just a loathsome response but one that is counter-intuitive to public expectation. Barkha Dutt writes.
Prescriptions for the future often lie in lessons of the past. Those grappling with the volatile anger of the Kashmir valley today may serve their own understanding well with a willingness to travel back in time.
Barkha Dutt writes.
Social scientists say that IQ minus EQ makes for stunted relationships. Indian politicians need to internalise this and become less aloof and more accessible to the people, writes Barkha Dutt.
In Kashmir, we need politicians who can make a human connection with the aggrieved people. If we miss this chance, we may not get another one, writes
Barkha Dutt.