Talking Point

Bharat Nirman vs India Shining: Do glitzy poll campaigns work with voters?

The UPA on Tuesday launched its Bharat Nirman campaign. The Opposition slammed it saying it could not hoodwink the masses. ...

Pawan Bansal sacked: Is it too little, too late?

Pawan Kumar Bansal on Friday evening resigned as Railway Minister following allegations of corrupt practices by his close relatives and aides. Sources say that Bansal was forced to resign after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him to force the Railway Minister to put in his papers. ...

Does the Congress win in Karnataka reflect public anger against corruption?

Congress won the Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday by a huge margin. ...

Karnataka elections: Do both Congress and BJP need to introspect?

Congress won a simple majority of 121 seats in Karnataka on Wednesday. The BJP suffered a mighty defeat, winning only 40 seats. ...

Is the entire banking and finance system prone to money laundering?

As many as 23 public and private sector banks and insurance companies were on Monday accused of "running a nation-wide money laundering racket" by online portal Cobrapost, prompting the Finance Ministry and regulator IRDA to initiate independent investigations into the matter. ...

Have Bansal, Ashwani as ministers become an embarrassment for govt?

The Opposition trained its guns on the government over the corruption allegations against Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. ...

Pak prisoner attacked: Is tit for tat violence the right response to Sarabjit killing?

A day after Indian convict Sarabjit Singh died of a cardiac arrest in a Pakistan hospital following an assault by his fellow inmates in a Lahore jail, a Pakistani prisoner was beaten up by other inmates in a Jammu jail on Friday. The prisoner Sanaullah Haq was attacked by his fellow inmates in a cell of Central Jail Kotbhalwal on Friday morning. ...

Sarabjit killed: Has the Pakistani state got blood on its hands?

After battling for life for more than six days following a brutal assault by fellow inmates inside Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat Jail, Indian death row convict Sarabjit Singh died in a Lahore hospital on Thursday. ...

Has India run out of options on both Pakistan and China?

China on Wednesday reinforced its position in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector, 19 kilometre deep inside Indian territory, where they are getting regular supplies through trucks. ...

Coalgate: Has the UPA govt lied to the Supreme Court?

The Supreme court on Tuesday tore into the UPA government and the Central Bureau of Investigation demanding answers on the government's alleged interference in the CBI coal allocations probe. ...

CBI's affidavit on coalgate: Is UPA's credibility damaged beyond repair?

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its affidavit on the coal block allocation scam report with the Supreme Court, in which the agency's director Ranjit Sinha has said the draft of the report was shared with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, a charge that the Congress has been rejecting. The director has also said the draft of the report was even shared with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) ...

Can TMC wash its hands off the Bengal chit fund scam?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Left traded charges against each other over the chit fund scam in West Bengal on Wednesday. ...

Has WB's chit fund scam flourished under political patronage?

Amid growing public outrage over an allegedly fraudulent investment scheme run by Saradha group, market regulator has begun a fresh probe into the fund-raising activities of the Kolkata-based entity. The capital market regulator is looking into whether its Collective Investment Scheme (CIS) regulations were violated while raising funds from the public, a senior official said. ...

Should the PM come clean on 2G and coalgate?

The Opposition on Tuesday derailed both houses of Parliament with the Bharatiya Janata Party leading the charge against the UPA government. But the BJP seems to have been pushed to a corner over its demand for the PM's resignation. ...

Delhi rape protests: Should police commissioner be held accountable?

Protests over the rape of a 5-year-old girl in New Delhi intensified on the third consecutive day even as Aam Aadmi Party demanded resignations of Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar. ...

2G, coal, rape: Is the government concerned?

Parliament reconvened on Monday for the second half of the Budget Session. The Opposition did all it could to corner the government on a host of issues. The UPA will hope to maneuver with allies to get its way. ...

Can street protests bring real change in the criminal justice system?

Protesters took to the street in the national capital on Saturday, demanding justice for the 5-year-old, who was brutally raped, assaulted, nearly killed and kept captive by a man in east Delhi. Angry crowds demonstrated outside police headquarters, despite the arrest of the arrest of the main accused, Manoj Kumar. ...

Are both Rahul and Modi development models riddled with holes?

While nothing much has changed in Amethi despite Rahul Gandhi's numerous visits and promises, in Narendra Modi's vibrant Gujarat, nearly 4,000 villages face an acute water crisis. ...

Women, children lathicharged: Is our police force devoid of sensitivity?

A circle officer was transferred and two constables suspended after the media aired a footage of policemen brutally lathicharging women protesters in Aligarh on Thursday as they clashed with the security forces over the murder and alleged rape of a 6-year-old girl. ...

Bangalore blast: Can Politicians stay out?

A blast near the BJP office in Malleshwaram in Bangalore on Wednesday left 16 people injured including eight policemen. The explosion reportedly took place near a temple just metres away from the BJP headquarters. ...