Opinion

Opinion | Sardar Patel, And The Art Of Holding A Nation Together

A true Gandhian, he reminded his countrymen that gaining freedom from foreign rule was merely the first step; true internal Swaraj required much, much more.

Opinion | Dalit Vote In Uttar Pradesh: From BSP Monopoly To A Three-Way Fight

As the 2027 election approaches, Dalits, who make up about one in five voters, could decide who governs India's most populous state. Uttar Pradesh's politics has long run on caste arithmetic, and no bloc has been more consequential or more contested in recent years than the Dalits. Scheduled Castes (SCs) account for about 21% of the state's populat...

Opinion | The Global Right Had A Problem. Israel And Brazil Just Made It Bigger

Brazil's presidential runoff has delivered a consequential verdict on the country's political trajectory. Incumbent President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party secured a historic fourth, non-consecutive term, defeating far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula won 51.79% of the vote, approximately...

Opinion | How India Is Making Its Stock Market An Expensive Place To Invest

FPIs sold Rs 1.66 lakh crore of Indian equities in 2025 and a record Rs 3.08 lakh crore in 2026 through October 12. Foreign ownership of the Indian market is at a 15-year low

Opinion | Why Karnataka's MLC Verdict Is A Bigger Problem For Congress Than It Appears

The ruling Karnataka Congress party's “grand zero” performance in the Legislative Council elections has not only become a “national embarrassment” because it failed miserably despite switching from EVMs to ballot papers, but the success of the BJP-JD(S) alliance in these polls will give the Congress party nightmares ahead of the 2028 Assemb...

Opinion | Netanyahu May Have Found A Way To Lose - And Still Rule

History often repeats itself in Israel, and you just can't write off Netanyahu.

Opinion | MLC Polls: NDA Edges Ahead, Congress Slips, But The Real Story Is Behind The Numbers

The results of the Legislative Council elections for 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka have set off a fresh war of words between the BJP and the Congress. The Prime Minister used the outcome to take a swipe at the Congress, mocking its "SIR/Vote Chori" campaign and pointing out that the party struggled even in a ballot...

Opinion | How A Poland 'Experiment' Could Change India's Defence Industry

Europe is spending billions on arms in a historic rearmament drive. Indian firms can cash in. But there's a catch

Opinion | Why November 1 Rally Raises Questions About INDIA Bloc's Priorities

In a democracy, political parties have the right to protest, mobilise public opinion and hold governments accountable. But democracy also demands that political leaders remain sensitive to the everyday struggles of the very citizens whose interests they claim to represent. It is this equilibrium between political confrontation and public responsibi...

Opinion | The Muslim World Is Seeing An Unexpected 'Experiment' - In Kazakhstan

The country has a long history of using mediation to mitigate conflict; now, it has added another, much-wanted dimension to it.

Opinion | Is America Staring At A 'Blue Wave' Again? Why Trump Feels Threatened

Wonder of wonders, the so-called 'red-neck' states - like Texas - are leaning democrat, and Vivek Ramaswamy is probably going to lose in Ohio. But will this be enough for a 'blue wave'?

Opinion | Baruipur To Gaighata, Inside Suvendu Adhikari's Zero-Tolerance Approach To Crime

From Baruipur in the South 24 Parganas district to Gaighata in North 24 Parganas, a new political culture is emerging in West Bengal. Although both districts are adjacent to Kolkata, the developments in these areas have become part of a wider political message. Suvendu Adhikari has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards rape, making it clear tha...

Opinion | Will Israel 'Dump' Netanyahu? Why His Future Hangs In The Balance

The October 7 incident continues to haunt 'Bibi', producing two competing arguments how the security breach occurred under Netanyahu's watch, and who Israelis can trust to protect them in the future.

Opinion | India's Bond Market Is Bleeding, And The 'Savers' Are Losing

Oil, war, and a hawkish central bank have made Indian government bonds cheaper than at any point since early 2023. The damage to existing holders is real. So is the opportunity for new ones. The 10-year yield, which ended 2025 below 6.6%, touched about 7.46% on October 23. The Reserve Bank of India raised the repo rate to 5.50% on October 7, its...

Opinion | BJP Rules Out Trinamoolisation' Ahead Of Civic Polls, But Can It Afford To?

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya has made the party's position clear, saying that the BJP will contest the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election independently and does not need any other party's support. According to this position, there will be no coalition or electoral adjustment with any faction of the Trinamool Congress. However, on the ...

Blog | How Durga Puja Has Changed Over 60 Years

I have been observing Durga Puja in Kolkata for more than six decades. Like every cultural phenomenon, Durga Puja is not static. It changes constantly; it is dynamic and remains in a state of flux. However, Durga Puja 2026 has been distinctly different and represents a new cultural phenomenon. One noticeable change has been the role played by th...

Opinion | Middle Power Myths, And Why The West Needs To Stop Putting India In A 'Box'

India is not a "middle power" waiting to find its place in a Trump-disrupted world; it is a rising power that refuses to be squeezed into someone else's geopolitical hierarchy

Opinion | The US-China Tech Cold War Is Moving Undersea

A new project by Australia, the UK and the US was quickly announced to develop underwater drone technology to protect cables by 2027.

Opinion | Aramco To Venezuela: The Oil Concession Comes Full Circle

More than a century ago, William Knox D'Arcy made a bargain with the Shah of Persia that helped create the modern oil industry. The deal gave D'Arcy exclusive rights to explore for, produce and sell oil across most of Persia for 60 years. In return, the Persian government received £20,000 in cash, £20,000 in shares and 16% of annual net profits. ...

Opinion | Why China Is Producing More, Selling Cheaper - And Still Not Getting Anywhere

More capital, more capacity, more elaborate technology, and steadily less profit to show for any of it. That's what's happening to China now.