Rajdeep Sardesai is senior journalist, author and TV news presenter. His book 2014: The election that changed India is a national best seller that has been translated into half a dozen languages. He tweets as @sardesairajdeep
Articles by Rajdeep Sardesai
The Congress must save itself, first
The Congress’s ad-hoc leadership style has left the party in a state of perpetual inertia. The Udaipur Declaration recognises the urgent need for a revamp. To achieve that, the party needs to make some tough calls
Updated on May 19, 2022 07:16 PM IST
The neta-police nexus must be dismantled
- Every regime has seen police partisanship backed by executive overreach, with little regard for due process. Break this chain, now
Published on May 05, 2022 07:23 PM IST
What the communal flare-ups manifest
A deliberate attempt is being made to find polarising issues aimed at othering Muslims — hijab, halal meat, azaan, the list is growing
Updated on Apr 21, 2022 05:58 PM IST
Why two nations bowled out two prominent netas
- While Khan and Sidhu are not too similar, what they share is the failure to recognise the limits of personality-driven politics replacing institutional cohesion in democratic set-ups
Published on Apr 07, 2022 07:54 PM IST
The Kashmir Files: A tragedy retold
While the film might be therapeutic for Pandits, it does not provide any perspective on critical issues such as Delhi-Srinagar intrigue, rigged polls, State brutalities, and demands for greater autonomy and azaadi
Updated on Mar 24, 2022 07:22 PM IST
How the BJP rewrote the rules of politics in UP
The party expanded its social base, pushed welfarism, and targeted the SP’s and Congress’s dynastic culture. The BJP’s rise, however, would not have been as striking without the presence of Modi as messenger-in-chief
Updated on Mar 12, 2022 08:23 AM IST
In UP polls, the BJP has a clear edge
The lack of Opposition options, astute social engineering, welfare outreach, tight media management and the enduring appeal of Hindutva are likely to help the BJP in the crucial state
Updated on Feb 24, 2022 07:35 PM IST
What Lata-di meant to the subcontinent
No one has comforted and unified so many millions like the melodious voice of Lata Mangeshkar, cutting across barriers of caste, community, region, even nationality
Updated on Feb 10, 2022 05:55 PM IST
The AAP is still a work in progress
It is no more a moral project, but a hardnosed political party. And instead of targeting the BJP, the party is infringing upon the Congress’s customary footprint
Updated on Jan 27, 2022 10:42 PM IST
2022 elections: It’s back to divisive politics
For leaders who have no answer to the real challenges — jobs, corruption, education, or public health — there is always heightened religious identity politics to fall back upon
Updated on Jan 13, 2022 08:44 PM IST
In 2022, a prayer for a better year for India
From politics to economy, from religious intolerance to health imbalances, every arm of the nation needs reform
Updated on Dec 30, 2021 08:42 PM IST
In India, corruption is the great leveller
The nature of the corruption may vary, but the ‘deal-making’ is in-built into a well-entrenched system of localised political-bureaucratic networks
Updated on Dec 16, 2021 07:58 PM IST
The shift in PM Modi’s strategy
Beyond immediate polls, he is conscious of the need to come across as caring and benevolent when it comes to the poor and farmers
Updated on Dec 05, 2021 08:32 PM IST
The limits of the Gandhi-Khurshid strategy
Take on Hindutva — but remember that it will have clear electoral implications and give the BJP a tool to distract voters
Updated on Nov 18, 2021 06:26 PM IST
Mumbai’s police-politics-crime nexus
The Wankhede-Aryan-Malik story is one that blurs the lines between crime, policing, and politics. Mumbai’s worst kept secrets have come tumbling out
Updated on Nov 04, 2021 02:35 PM IST
The idea of political accountability
Indian politics doesn’t take the idea of conflict of interest seriously. This allows politicians to escape responsibility
Updated on Oct 22, 2021 05:32 PM IST
The Rahul versus Mamata versus Arvind battle
The Congress can’t be discounted, but its weaknesses have emboldened other parties to expand their national footprint
Updated on Oct 07, 2021 04:50 PM IST
In Indian politics, the challenge of transition
In the absence of inner-party democracy, arriving at a fine balance between gen-next aspirations and an ageing political leadership seems difficult. In politics, the premium placed on experience and stature makes it even more problematic to bring about any overnight change. But there is a way out
Updated on Sep 23, 2021 08:26 PM IST
Indian sport: The triumph, the challenge
The government has put in work to improve India’s performance. But governance structures need an overhaul
Updated on Sep 09, 2021 06:16 PM IST
The agony of being a secular Indian Muslim
Islamists insist on religious solidarity. The Hindu Right insists on patriotism tests. Both are wrong
Updated on Aug 26, 2021 03:00 PM IST
A manifesto for India at 75
Let us create an India which is more equal, harmonious, democratic and just, an India where opaque governments do not try and hide Covid deaths, where data is not falsified to create a fake perception that “all is well”
Updated on Aug 12, 2021 05:15 PM IST
The politics and ethics of surveillance
There can be no rationalisation for hacking. But the government seems to believe it can ride out the storm
Updated on Jul 29, 2021 06:48 PM IST
Ten questions for the government
The monsoon session must be an occasion to hold the government accountable and seek answers about its Covid-19 strategy
Updated on Jul 19, 2021 06:56 AM IST
The Cabinet reshuffle marks a break from the past
The pandemic, politics, perception and the PM’s preferred working mode have shaped the composition of the new team
Updated on Jul 08, 2021 03:52 PM IST
The possibilities, and limits, of a third front
Its architects will have to deal with internal contradictions, the role of Congress, and the question of leadership
Updated on Jul 01, 2021 04:01 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi must choose his political path
He can either form his own party, based on his own ideals, and wage a long struggle against the RSS-BJP — or he can engage in the ruthless pursuit of power
Updated on Jun 17, 2021 02:50 PM IST
The frayed federal compact
The onus rests on the Centre to genuinely reach out to states, accept differences, and work with alternative power structures
Updated on Jun 03, 2021 04:28 PM IST
For PM Modi, the seven-year itch
Seven years into their terms as PM, Nehru, Indira and Manmohan Singh faced political setbacks. It is now Modi’s moment of truth
Updated on May 25, 2021 12:14 PM IST
A political and policy blow to the Centre
The management of Covid-19 has generated questions about the PM’s governance. The Bengal defeat has weakened the home minister’s image as an election winner
Updated on May 06, 2021 06:06 PM IST
Covid-19: The buck stops at the top
If the Centre is quick to take credit for anything positive, then it must accept its share of blame for missteps and be held accountable
Updated on Apr 22, 2021 05:44 PM IST
