Aunindyo Chakravarty

Blog: Despite Opinion Polls, This Could Be Big Concern For Mamata

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Friday March 12, 2021

The BJP will be hoping that Mithun turns out to be that crucial bridge between upper and backward castes that can help it come to power this May.

Blog: Mithun, The Cobra Who Could Sting Mamata Hard

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Monday March 8, 2021

He is not just yet another actor who is cashing in on his popularity to enter public life. This makes him a serious headache for both Mamata and the Left-Congress combine. He is a Cobra with a serious political bite.

Blog: Rahul Gandhi's Image Makeover With Push Ups

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Saturday March 6, 2021

It is said that one must always pursue one's passion. Mine is to watch cookery videos on YouTube. That is exactly what I was doing one lazy afternoon last month when I chanced upon a video from one of my favourite YouTube channels, called "Village Cooking Channel". Usually, it shows a team of men from rural Tamil Nadu cooking up mountains of food. ...

Blog: Jat Farmer Anger Could In Fact Help Modi, Not Hurt Him

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Friday February 19, 2021

Punjab has shown the BJP what it thinks of the new farm laws - the party has been routed in municipal elections in the state, losing even in the pockets where it has sitting MLAs. And, remember, these are urban elections. Rural Punjab, which is more directly affected by the farm laws, is likely to be even angrier.

Blog: Mamata Banerjee Needs B-Team To Stop Modi

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Monday March 1, 2021

Mamata believed this underhand deal kept the Congress from reaching the critical mass of votes needed to topple the Left. Now, with the BJP threatening to acquire the necessary critical mass that could unseat her, Didi desperately needs a B-team of her own.

Blog: Why Sensex Is On Fire

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Friday February 12, 2021

If you had invested all your savings in the stock market at the end of March last year, by now, you would have almost doubled your money. But in the same period, India's GDP in today's prices would have slid by at least 9-10 percent. Anyone who looks at this divergence will say that the markets have completely 'decoupled' from the economy.

Blog: The Enormous Extra Spend In Budget Is An Illusion

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Tuesday February 2, 2021

Nirmala Sitharaman said: "We have spent, we have spent and we have spent." She had every reason to claim that, since the budget numbers show that the centre spent Rs 4.1 lakh crore, or 13 percent above what it had planned for last year. Additional spending will continue this year: expenditure is estimated to go up by 14.5 percent in 2021-2022 compa...

Blog: To Revive Economy, What Modi Sarkar Must Do Quickly

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Monday October 26, 2020

This is the dilemma facing the Modi Government right now. If it doesn't spend more, the economy won't revive. If the economy does not revive, no one will pay taxes or buy shares in government companies.

Blog: The Flaws In Modi Government's New Farm Bills

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Saturday September 26, 2020

When India was born as an independent nation, it was, quite literally, very hungry. Food was so short that Nehru began growing sweet potatoes in his kitchen garden in Teen Murti House, and championed rotis made out of a dough that was a mix of atta and shakkarkandi. It was a time when those who grew food went without it because landlords and moneyl...

Blog: The Excruciating Loss Of My Mother In This Covid-Hit World

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Saturday September 5, 2020

I made a few more phone calls to see if a test could be done even now to get a certificate. It was illegal, I was told. COVID-19 didn't kill her, but it killed her last wish.

Blog: Why India's Liberals Love To Hate Rahul Gandhi

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Wednesday August 26, 2020

India's liberals are itching to get back into power but Rahul's politics makes them worried that he too, like PM Modi, will keep them out. That is the key reason why our liberals want a non-Gandhi leading the Congress - a Scindia, Pilot or Deora - who will not only win elections, but win it on their terms.

Blog: We Need Tax Breaks, PM Modi, Not Pious Statements

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Thursday August 13, 2020

You might ask, if the government cuts tax rates, where will it get the money to run the country and boost the economy? As many economists have argued, the only way out right now is to let the fiscal deficit increase. It is not an ideal solution, but there's no other way out.

Blog: What's At Stake For Bollywood 'Elite' In Sushant Singh Rajput Case

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Tuesday August 4, 2020

It is tempting to blame India's tabloid media for endlessly focusing on the alleged suicide. Prime-time tabloid TV anchors have unleashed a series of trials-by-media. And news channels switch seamlessly from one 'accused' to the 'other' every day. But the reason they do it is because this story is fetching huge ratings. People are deeply interested...

Blog: NEP Is The Last Nail In The Lutyens Elite's Coffin

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Friday July 31, 2020

This is probably the last nail in the old elite's coffin. They have largely been evicted from Lutyens Delhi in any case. The NEP is one part of a massive project of creating a new Central Vista elite.

Blog: Just Deal With It. Only RG Can Be Congress Candidate For PM

Blog | Aunindyo Chakravarty | Wednesday July 22, 2020

If you believe India's liberal intelligentsia, the only thing that's holding back the Congress party is the Gandhi family. If they pack their bags and move to the hills - or Italy - the Congress will find fresh blood to lead it. What the liberals fail to explain is why the Congress party didn't produce such a leader when Rahul Gandhi quit as presid...