By Kalyani Shankar When Tamil superstar Vijay launched his political party two years ago, few expected him to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He achieved the difficult transition from “light, camera, action ” to real-life cues. The State has previously been led by two other film stars,...
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Yet another aspect of the ugly face of BJP’s nationalism has come to the fore after BJP’s West Bengal government took oath under the CM Suvendu Adhikari. The government has decided to replace Lakshmir Bhandar by another scheme by the name Annapurna Bhandar for women...
By Tirthankar Mitra KOLKATA: Days after its first crushing electoral reverse in 15 years in the West Bengal Assembly polls, rumblings of discontent within Trinamool Congress have started. The dissenting voices are not muted. Internal rift is almost out in the open. Despite a stern warning from party supremo,...
By Subrata Majumder Once the hub for engineering industry, West Bengal has been facing a lean phase in its industrial development since the 1970s. covering both the 34 years of the Left rule and 15 years of TMC reign. At the time of Independence in 1947, it accounted for...
By Pradeep Kapoor LUCKNOW: With the much awaited expansion of Yogi Adityanath ministry in Uttar Pradesh, BJP has attempted to social engineering in order to counter powerful PDA of main rival Samajwadi Party in 2027 assembly polls. For the first time since 2017 when BJP came to power, the...
By Arun Srivastava Upper-caste conflict, rift between Brahmins and Rajputs has been intensifying within the Uttar Pradesh BJP and in recent months it has acquired a vicious character threatening the 2027 assembly electoral prospect of the party. Significantly, the BJP is also losing its support in the OBCs, EBCs...
By Nitya Chakraborty The U.S. President Donald Trump begins his three-day visit to China on May 13 for his summit with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the outcome of which has special significance for Trump in shaping his political future in the context of the midterm elections in November...
By Dr. Gyan Pathak INDIA bloc has suddenly fallen into a deeper crisis, a new phase of disintegration has set in, which cheers the BJP the most. The opposition camp has perhaps forgotten the proverb – united we stand, divided we fall. Just after the Legislative Assembly elections results...
By Anjan Roy KOLKATA: With Subhendu Adhikari sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Bengal on Sunday May 10, an altogether new chapter is begun in the state. With that the recalcitrant, screaming Mamata Banerjee goes into the penumbra of political oblivion. At its mega swearing in...
By Kalyani Shankar In the recently concluded 2026 Assembly elections, three prominent chief ministers faced unexpected defeats, a situation that many in the political arena recognise as a challenging part of the process. The chief ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala lost their elections. Winning and losing...
By T N Ashok CHENNAI: The rise of Vijay from matinee idol to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is not merely a political victory. It is a civilisational rupture in the political history of southern India. For nearly seven decades, Tamil Nadu was governed by the iron logic of...
By Dr. Nilanjan Banik In Economics, we teach the concept of exogenous and endogenous variables. In simple terms, exogenous variables are those outside the control of policymakers, whereas endogenous variables are those that policymakers can influence or adjust to improve economic outcomes. Take, for instance, the recent Iran-Israel-US conflict...
By Asad Mirza Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has sharpened Tehran’s diplomatic messaging amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and mounting pressure from the United States. Rejecting what he describes as “colonialism and exploitation”. Pezeshkian has simultaneously projected defiance toward Washington and expanded outreach to regional neighbours, especially...
By Jag Mohan Thaken CHANDIGARH: Why did the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India have to issue advisory to warn the U.S. women travelling to India? What fears do they have in their minds? On 18 June, 2025, it issued a Travel Advisory to India – highlighting the increased...
By Rohan Mehta On May 10, Sunday actor-turned politician Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister following days of uncertainty across an election season that has given analysts across the country much to talk about. Vijay’s storming win against the AIADMK & DMK duopoly, with...
By Ben Chacko LONDON: Labour’s left warns against any bid by Keir Starmer or the wider Cabinet to stitch up a transfer of power without a proper contest. MPs with any sense should recognise the folly of any such move. Forget the received wisdom at Westminster about leadership contests...
By K Raveendran Friday’s twin constitutional dramas exposed two serious threats to Indian democracy: the refusal of a defeated ruler to leave office, and the reluctance of a constitutional referee to invite a claimant who appeared to be assembling the numbers to form a government. Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to...
By T N Ashok CHENNAI: The long night of uncertainty in Tamil Nadu politics finally appeared to end on Saturday evening when actor-turned-politician Vijay crossed the majority mark with the support of smaller parties that had, until the last moment, kept Chennai guessing. For six extraordinary days after a...