Derek O Brien – Author, NDTV.com

Opinion: Bengal Will Be Run By People Of Bengal, Not Outsiders

Derek O'Brien | Sunday July 26, 2020

July 21 is an emotional anniversary in the history of the Trinamool Congress. On this day in 1993, Mamata Banerjee, then the President of the Youth Congress in Bengal, led a protest march in the heart of Kolkata. The protestors were brutalised by the police. Innocent, idealistic young activists were shot dead and Mamata Banerjee herself was beaten up.

Opinion: 3 Steps Government Should Take To Save Jobs In Tourism

Derek O'Brien | Wednesday July 01, 2020

Tourism has been knocked out cold by COVID-19. It will be among the last industries to recover. People will regain full confidence to travel only when a vaccine is developed, and the impact can be imagined.Tourism accounts for nearly 10 per cent of India's GDP and employs 12.75 per cent of our workforce (2019-20 figures). A Business of Travel Trade survey estimates 40...

Opinion: Modi-Shah And Railways Minister Have A Lot To Answer For

Derek O'Brien | Sunday May 31, 2020

Perhaps the most tragic and disheartening aspect of India's battle against the novel Coronavirus pandemic has been the fate of migrant workers - those stranded in another state, suddenly without a job, a livelihood or even a roof above.

Opinion: Wrecked By Amphan, Bengal Gets No Real Assistance From Centre

Derek O'Brien | Thursday May 28, 2020

Why is the centre holding back? Has the BJP taken the cynical view that it is okay for Bengal to suffer for the next one year so as to help the party with its 2021 assembly election campaign? I hope I'm wrong.

Opinion: For Migrant Workers, BJP Has Neither Heart Nor Conscience

Derek O'Brien | Sunday May 10, 2020

Earlier this week, all of us woke up to a nightmare - to the horrific news of 17, at last count, migrant workers being run over by a goods train in Aurangabad. They were walking home, hundreds of miles, from Maharashtra to their villages in Madhya Pradesh. Exhausted, they had dropped to sleep on the tracks and hadn't heard the train coming.

Opinion: Why COVID-19 Inspection Teams Sent By Centre Are Sinister

Derek O'Brien | Wednesday April 22, 2020

The people of Bengal are watching this sordid drama. They will remember.

Opinion: Tackling 4 Rumours About Bengal Flung Around By BJP

Derek O'Brien | Friday April 17, 2020

Ever since the COVID-19 crisis acquired a serious dimension, many of the discussions and efforts have been on a unified, coordinated strategy against the pandemic and much of the political scoring has been left for another day.

Opinion: 9 Examples Of Federalism Power In This Crisis - By Derek O'Brien

Derek O'Brien | Wednesday April 08, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is different. It has affected every single state. From Kashmir to Kerala, the Northeast to the western coast, every local administration has been galvanised.

Opinion: Mr Prime Minister, Wrong To Have Kept Parliament In Session

Derek O'Brien | Sunday March 22, 2020

It's not easy to turn down an invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier this month, I was mortified at having to do this not once but twice. I was invited by the President of India for breakfast meetings with groups of MPs on March 13 and then, on my polite refusal, on March 18.

Opinion: How Far Government Has Gone To Dodge Nirav Modi Discussion

Derek O'Brien | Friday March 23, 2018

A fortnight of parliament has been washed out and the government seems unmoved. The sale of coffee, tea and buttered toast in the canteen and in Central Hall has been brisk, but MPs have had to twiddle their thumbs every day, as both Houses have been adjourned. The "North Korean channels" may be blaming the opposition, but it is actually a clever government and its no...

Opinion: Why Chief Ministers And Leaders Are Dialling Mamata Banerjee

Derek O'Brien | Monday March 12, 2018

A lot of political observers are asking why Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress, seems to be in the thick of opposition politics in the run-up to the 2019 election.

Opinion: In 2019, Modi Won't Deliver Red Fort Address

Derek O'Brien | Sunday March 04, 2018

When looking at the BJP's election victory in Tripura, one needs to be mindful of the fine print. In football terms, this is a big victory by a struggling team in a football league - against a team going through even worse form and facing relegation to a lower division. This is not quite a World Cup victory.

Opinion: Nirav Modi Escapes Debts. Farmers, Meanwhile...

Derek O'Brien | Sunday February 25, 2018

The Nirav Modi swindle brought that into sharper effect. The 11,000 crores he has stolen from Indian banks - before being allowed to escape abroad - could have repaid the debts of literally millions of farmers. And to think small farmers commit suicide because of a loan of a few thousands rupees!

Opinion: Nirav Modi Escaped. Others Could - At Your Expense

Derek O'Brien | Sunday February 18, 2018

The Rs 20,000-crore plus Nirav Modi scam has led to the collapse of Punjab National Bank's share value and also posed a big question mark on the accountability and regulatory systems that govern our government-owned banks. Common investors and depositors have suffered while Mr Modi is celebrating in his luxury hotel suite in New York.

Opinion: Modi<i>ji</i>, Bullet Train Corridor Over <i>Aloo-Sabzi</i> Corridor? Why?

Opinion: Modiji, Bullet Train Corridor Over Aloo-Sabzi Corridor? Why?

Derek O'Brien | Tuesday February 13, 2018

The nub of my questions is this - don't do to Indian Railways what the government of India has done to Air India. Don't cripple this national asset.

OPINION