All stories by SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF
'Government does not want independent journalism'
Rediff.com5 Feb 2021'They are deliberately targeting journalists who are not succumbing to government pressure and therefore these journalists are paying a price.'
'Is Modi supposed to plant nails on roads?'
Rediff.com5 Feb 2021'There is no democracy, and in fact, there is some kind of monarch ruling.' 'They are protecting themselves and they are scared.''
'Yes, it is a setback to our movement'
Rediff.com29 Jan 2021'Our movement was not about putting any flag on the Red Fort, but it is to secure our livelihood.'
'Violence was scripted by the government'
Rediff.com28 Jan 2021'On January 22, when the last round of talks took place, the farmer leaders were told by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar that the government is also prepared.' 'And they did this.'
Why I quit BJP and joined tractor protest
Rediff.com26 Jan 2021'A perception has been built in our country that whatever Modi says you cannot challenge that.'
'Our father saw the cricketer's spark in Siraj's eyes'
Rediff.com19 Jan 2021'Father always wanted Siraj to play for India and make India proud in the cricketing field, but unfortunately, he is not there to see this glorious moment in Siraj's career.'
'Insertion of MSP in three farm laws is no solution'
Rediff.com19 Jan 2021'Will you declare MSP for 100 odd crops that the farmers of India grow?'
'We know whom Modi is batting for'
Rediff.com19 Jan 2021'We will resist it.' 'Farmers will not let that happen.'
Rest In Peace, Onkar Singh, Superman of News
Rediff.com14 Jan 2021Onkar Singh, a valuable member of the Rediff.com team over the years, breathed his last on January 13. Syed Firdaus Ashraf, who knew him intimately, remembers the ultimate newsman.
'UP's love jihad law legalises criminal intimidation, regressive attitudes'
Rediff.com14 Jan 2021'Whom do I want to marry and what decisions I make for marrying the person I love are totally personal decisions, in which neither the State nor the courts have any right to interfere.'
Do the Supreme Court panel members support the farm laws?
Rediff.com13 Jan 2021Where do the four members of the Supreme Court appointed panel to interface with farmers stand on the Modi government's farm laws?
He unearthed horror of slave trade
Rediff.com5 Jan 2021Amjed Ullah Khan, who carried out investigations of his own and helped rescue 15 women from Hyderabad, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com how the women get trapped in an underground slave market that 'sells' them to employers who force them to work for less or no pay and often under inhuman conditions.
'Nepal thinks China can give them something'
Rediff.com4 Jan 2021'This allows opportunities for (Chinese) entry into the domestic politics of Nepal, something that is also encouraged by Nepali politicians's willingness to play the China card (vis-a-vis India).'
'BJP ran a well-oiled strategy to destroy Rahul's image'
Rediff.com28 Dec 2020'Rahul Gandhi has personally paid a heavy price for this character assassination and remorseless ridiculing and the Congress, of course, has been demolished politically.'
'BJP is getting a walkover and we are providing them with a red carpet'
Rediff.com28 Dec 2020'Painting opponents as the enemy of the State, using fake news, making wild allegations about rival parties, curtailing civil liberties and challenging the Constitution itself are worrying developments.'
Coolie No 1 review
Rediff.com25 Dec 2020Coolie No 1 is a cheap comedy for silly people, asserts Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Did Jinnah not want Partition?
Rediff.com25 Dec 2020'Jinnah developed a belief that Gandhi had stolen the tag of the leader of the Indian people from him and that he later used religion to reduce Gandhi's idea of a united India to naught was his revenge.'
'I have spent 500 days in jail'
Rediff.com22 Dec 2020'An individual cannot fight the might of the State.'
10 Reasons Why You Must Watch Guide
Rediff.com21 Dec 2020It was Dev Anand's dream to put Indian cinema on the world map and he thought Guide was the perfect film for it.
26/11 set up India-Saudi strategic ties
Rediff.com19 Dec 2020'The attacks made clear to all the Gulf States that Pakistan was the nursery and sanctuary of extremist violence and that this violence threatened all the countries in the region.'