Interviews

'Guj will be among the 1st to implement FDI in retail'
'So far as FDI is concerned, there are some things one says -- particularly if one is in election mode -- that may or may not be truly reflective of what is eventually going to happen,' says economist Bibek Debroy. 'Gujarat's development is mainly roads, electricity, water'
'Gujarat has a very long tradition of Panchayati Raj. And many of the social sector things we are talking about are actually implemented by the panchayats. Decentralisation exists here. Now to decentralise I need the capacity in the panchayats. In most Indian states, we don't have the capacity in the panchayats, which is why governance in India is so very bad. But Gujarat has had this since the 1960s,' economist Bibek Debroy tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt. 'Muslims have a higher perception of unfairness'
Policies should help Muslims cross the school threshold, says Rakesh Basant, IIM-A professor and author of a study on Indian Muslims 'Gujarat's Muslims are terrified of Modi'
With Azadi's Daughter -- The Journey of a Liberal Muslim Woman, Seema Mustafa chronicles her journey from the violence-ridden 1980s when she covered riots in Assam, Punjab and Kashmir. She says the book heavily borrows anecdotes from her personal life, and presents her views on not only her personal journey but also reflects upon the issues that riddle the Indian Muslim. 'We are emerging as a superpower bhagwan bharose'
'Politics is turning into gift politics. You are distributing computers, mobiles, tablets while not focusing on production that could provide jobs so that people can sustain themselves...
'This way you will create a class which is dependent on the State and that will keep growing.'
Badri Narayan, one of India's leading out-of-the-box thinkers, in a hard-hitting interview. 'They don't like women who are flamboyant about sexuality'
Even the stories of Sita or Draupadi, I look at them in a different manner. I wanted to reclaim them as women.' Meena Kandasamy, the young firebrand poet, discusses poetry, social injustice, men and society with Shobha Warrier. 'For investigators, arresting young Muslims easy way out'
'Had the ATS not wasted its time and resources in rounding up innocent Muslims, we would have uncovered the forces trying to destroy India,' Kashif-ul-Huda, executive editor, TwoCircles.net, tells Vicky Nanjappa. 'Making Gita a national book is paying lip service'
'Many have read them. Many know the verses. May hear the interpretations. But few actually get it. If you get it, you will be at peace even in the midst of war. You will not be outraged,' says Devdutt Pattanaik about the Bhagavad Gita. 'Too much conflict of power within the government'
'It is so mired in internal conflicts that no one knows who is making decisions. Pranab Mukherjee? The prime minister? Or someone else?'
Arvind Kejriwal breaks his silence on Team Hazare's negotiations with the government in an exclusive interview with Sheela Bhatt. 'LeT could spin out of control'
Over the years, Lashkar-e-Tayiba poses a bigger threat than Al Qaeda, at least in the Indian subcontinent, says Stephen Tankel, author of a new book on the Lashkar. 'We sometimes focus too much on demonising food'
'Food is a moral lightning rod. It is intricately bound into our rituals, from the more formal ones such as weddings to our more everyday ones such as feeding a family member or giving food to the poor,' says Professor Harris Solomon. 'I will not compromise with corruption'
Arvind Kerjriwal, the Team Anna leader , explains his motivations and his methods in a fascinating interview with Sheela Bhatt. Hype over Lokpal stir has blinded Team Anna
'It is a battle for Constitutional democracy... Parliamentary process is important...'Big money must have come for this campaign.' Aruna Roy on Anna Hazare's campaign. 'Bengalis committed atrocities during 1971 war'
Sanchari Bhattacharya speaks to Sarmila Bose, whose book on the 1971 Bangladesh War -- Dead Reckoning -- has triggered a heated debate about the myths and realities of the conflict that had engulfed East Pakistan, West Pakistan and India. 'Rahul Gandhi is making the biggest mistake'
'It is very, very mystifying that somebody who is a potential prime minister of this country and someone who is such a prominent leader in such a big political party lacks clear public engagement on the big issues of the day,' says Dr Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president, Centre for Policy Research. 'We don't need Gaddafi as a possibility for Libya'
The destruction of Gaddafi's military capacity is a matter of days or weeks, certainly not months, says France's Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont. 'Politicians need not be corrupt at all'
Alphons Kannanthanam, the former IAS officer who refused to bend before political and muscle power, reveals why he wants to enter national politics. 'Raja is very confident; he says he is clean'
The 2G spectrum scam involving DMK leader A Raja will have an impact on the party's prospects in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly election, says DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan. 'Rajesh Talwar is an innocent man'
'Because the CBI was unable to investigate and find the murderer, they prosecuted Dr Talwar,' writer Patrick French tells Sheela Bhatt. 'People in India are more at peace with themselves'
'India is so big, of course, you can always find horror stories. The reason why you have to be optimistic is because you take the country as a whole. It seems that the trajectory is positive,' writer-historian Patrick French tells Sheela Bhatt. 'Government must listen to the people'
'The people of the Jaitarpur have understood the impact. Unfortunately, this matter is being discussed in New Delhi when in reality it should be discussed directly with the people of the area,' says social scientist Mahesh Kamble of the government's plans to set up a nuclear plant in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. 'Most corrupt men bribe whoever is in power'
'A few rich people, because of their proximity to powerful people, are able to gain unduly,' says journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who has just made a documentary on illegal iron ore mining.