All stories by SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF
''What's the basis for 10% reservations?'
Rediff.com13 Feb 2019'What we have is the bill and the Act passed by Parliament.' 'And then there is a criterion of exclusion as to who will not be covered in EWS.' 'Beyond that, we have no clue where this idea came from.' 'And most importantly, why is it 10% reservation, and say why not 15% or 20%?'
EXPLAINED: How chit fund scams work
Rediff.com12 Feb 2019'Around 15 crore poor people have lost their money.'
'Bengal people understand Mamata's politics. They are not fools'
Rediff.com7 Feb 2019'Mamata did not stand up for those who suffered owing to the chit fund scam, but only stood up for Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar because he has all the knowledge about the chit fund case.'
'Mamata is on a dharna because something is fishy'
Rediff.com4 Feb 2019'She is worried that the small fry have been caught, soon the big fish too will be caught.'
EXPLAINED: Rahul Gandhi's minimum income plan
Rediff.com1 Feb 2019'The Indian economy has been subsidised by the poor.'
'If USA can stop prayers in schools, why can't India?'
Rediff.com30 Jan 2019'They are saying my petition is an attack on Hindu religion.' 'You pray in your home, there is no problem, but the school is a public institution run by government funds.'
'George Fernandes was a firebrand'
Rediff.com29 Jan 2019'George Fernandes will always be remembered in history as the man who successfully called the railway strike.'
'A majority of Hindus do not approve of hate'
Rediff.com25 Jan 2019'Most Hindus believe in living in peace with their Muslim neighbours and vice versa.' 'It is this India we have to preserve.'
'What happened to me can happen to anyone'
Rediff.com21 Jan 2019'I cannot conceive of any reason than my unsparing criticism of government policies that the government picked me to send a message to many who dare to take it on.'
'Nobody from BJP will win in Assam and north east'
Rediff.com18 Jan 2019'If the Citizenship Bill passes, then the very principle of Indian citizenship, which is called jus soli (right of birthplace) will convert to principle of jus sanguinis (right of blood) on the basis of religion.' 'Citizenship is being given on the basis of religion and it is against the Constitution.'
'Horse-trading is in the BJP's DNA'
Rediff.com16 Jan 2019'The message they want to send to the country is that they can do anything by hook or crook'
'BJP has crores to offer MLAs'
Rediff.com15 Jan 2019'The BJP was looking at one or two disgruntled guys to see whether it can destabilise the government.' 'When the BJP does not win a state, it uses these back hand methods.'
'This is the price you pay for speaking out against Modi'
Rediff.com15 Jan 2019'This is a political case and police is being used here right from the day one.'
'The CBI's clean image is over for now'
Rediff.com14 Jan 2019'The selection process of the CBI chief has not been appropriate.' 'Three successive CBI directors have been found in corrupt moral practices.' 'A thorough investigation needs to be done before appointing anyone to such a post.'
Uri: A BJP Films Division show!
Rediff.com11 Jan 2019After watching Uri: The Surgical Strike, Syed Firdaus Ashraf gets the feeling that Modi has added another tool to help him win the 2019 Lok Sabha election: Hindi cinema...
'This move is Modi's political desperation'
Rediff.com9 Jan 2019'The BJP has lost 5 states and Lok Sabha elections are due in less than 90 days.' 'The reservation bill is a jhunjhuna (lollipop) for the upper castes.'
You won't need reservation after 25 years if...
Rediff.com8 Jan 2019'Education in private and public schools should be in English and in one regional language; it will solve the entire reservation issue.'
Why Mayawati-Akhilesh alliance worries BJP
Rediff.com8 Jan 2019'If these two parties come together, there could be amalgamation of OBC, Dalits and Muslim votes.'
REVEALED: How two women entered Sabarimala temple
Rediff.com3 Jan 2019After several women were prevented from entering the Sabarimala shrine after the Supreme Court verdict upheld their right to do so, Bindu and Kanakadurga managed the seemingly impossible. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com finds out how they did it.