All stories by AAKAR PATEL
2016 will be a good year for Amit Shah and the BJP
Rediff.com2 Feb 2016'In the medium term, the advantage is still with the BJP.' 'One reason for this is Shah's talent. He is a terrific organiser and builds his strategies around the grassroots worker,' says Aakar Patel.
Why Dalits have almost no presence in white collar jobs
Rediff.com27 Jan 2016'The corporate world and the private sector economy take notice of the monstrous and apartheid like division that exists in our offices. The jobs we so casually take for granted in the upper class have come to us on the back of denial to others,' says Aakar Patel.
Is India in for hard times this year?
Rediff.com19 Jan 2016'The most important issue for Indians, the only way in which to get them quickly out of poverty, is sustained high growth.' 'If we are not doing that despite a strong government and a leader with clarity of vision and purpose, we are facing big trouble.'
Not talking to Pakistan will not stop terrorism
Rediff.com12 Jan 2016'In our media and general population the idea of 'strong posture' was successfully sold by Modi. This is now a liability for him, as he has discovered,' says Aakar Patel.
Is it Modi's job to get Indians to be clean?
Rediff.com9 Jan 2016'This is social reform, which has to be conducted from within society and by its institutions, like religious bodies, not by public officials and ministers. That is why I think the big change Modi seeks is actually not in his power to bring about,' says Aakar Patel.
From beef to James Bond's kiss, 2015 was the year of bans
Rediff.com29 Dec 2015'The desire to force others to act according to the way we want the world to be is strong in our parts. This is particularly so because we have not fully internalised the idea of individual liberties. The fact is that our moralism will get us into trouble,' says Aakar Patel.
It's time to correct a depressing national failing
Rediff.com22 Dec 2015'There is no real doubt that the Congress government was incompetent in stopping the violence against the Sikhs and there are serious charges of mass murder that many in the party face.' 'It would do Indians a great service if the government showed that it was firm and decisive in acting against these people now.'
Why the Congress is a private limited company
Rediff.com15 Dec 2015'It seems clear that what the Gandhis have done is, if not criminal, at least improper. The fact is that having never had to work for a living, having never had to look for a job like the rest of us, having always lived in government housing their entire lives, it is only natural that they should see no difference between personal property and everything else,' says Aakar Patel.
Why terrorism can't be delinked from religion
Rediff.com9 Dec 2015'Afzal Guru was convicted of supporting the attack on India's Parliament. The Supreme Court said "the collective conscience of society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded" to Guru.' 'Till we can think up similar justifications for hanging non-Muslims, I do not think we can delink terrorism from religion in our minds,' argues Aakar Patel.
The Indian braveheart
Rediff.com30 Nov 2015The subcontinental man has a better record of fighting than Arabs, and what the Indian soldier has always needed is good leadership, says Aakar Patel.
What will it take for India to be a superpower
Rediff.com24 Nov 2015'There is an insistence that the government bring about reforms if India is to succeed. The fact is that many nations have done reforms, but are not Great Powers,' says Aakar Patel.
Why do we honour Ashoka and not Tipu?
Rediff.com18 Nov 2015'Ashok the Great did not slaughter foreigners or Muslims when he conquered Kalinga. It was Oriya- speaking Hindus whom he butchered by the tens of thousands. But Ashok is called Great, and his lion emblem is the official symbol of the Republic of India.' 'Why do we honour Ashoka and not Tipu, when both men are accused of the same crime?' asks Aakar Patel.
Something that all Indians can be proud of
Rediff.com8 Nov 2015'India's election process is smoother, more efficient, more credible, cheaper to conduct and quicker to deliver than any other large democracy, including the United States. It seems to me that the election process is getting better with each passing year and it is something all Indians can be very proud of,' says Aakar Patel.
We are the Shahid Kapoor of cricket though we think we are SRK
Rediff.com2 Nov 2015'One glance at the Indians on the field compared to these visiting South Africans, and you know something is very wrong or very different. One side (not our side) looks like athletes do,' says Aakar Patel.
Myth of the tolerant, peaceful, Hindu
Rediff.com29 Oct 2015The idea that Hindus are peace-loving and reticent is modern, says Aakar Patel.
BJP playing with fire on cow slaughter law
Rediff.com20 Oct 2015'Sooner or later Modi will be forced to look at the broad cultural thrust of Hindutva and assess whether it is helping his development agenda and the image of India,' says Aakar Patel.
The Corrupt Indian
Rediff.com14 Oct 2015It is the voter who has corrupted politics, not the politician, says Aakar Patel.
Modi and the videshi desis
Rediff.com5 Oct 2015'For all of the tamasha about these meetings of Modi and the videshi desis, the reality is that they are just entertainment. The question to ask is what does this energy result in? The answer is: not much,' says Aakar Patel.
Why the idea of Hindu Rashtra has not caught on in India
Rediff.com1 Oct 2015'Till today, the RSS only speaks of Hindu Rashtra but never explains what it means. It cannot, because it would be unacceptable to even a majority of Hindus, forget the Indian Muslims and Christians,' says Aakar Patel.
Time to grow up, Mr Minister
Rediff.com21 Sep 2015'I am only slightly puzzled by why the childishness has not left the minister. It is easy to be prejudiced and closed-minded when one is in one's teens. But adults should view the world as adults, not as squabbling and petty schoolchildren,' says Aakar Patel.