Columnist-M.S.Shanker

India’s Aerospace Leap

For decades, India depended on foreign nations for its most advanced combat aircraft. From the MiGs of Russia to the Mirages and Rafales of France, the country’s air power was built largely on imported technology. That chapter is now beginning to change dramatically. The Union Government’s approval of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

US Arsenal Meltdown

For decades, the United States symbolised unmatched military dominance. Its weapons inventory was considered virtually inexhaustible. From the Gulf War to Afghanistan and Iraq, Washington fought conflicts thousands of miles away without ever appearing worried about ammunition depletion. Today, that illusion is cracking. The ongoing West Asian conflict has exposed an uncomfortable reality: even the…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Justice Needed Noise

The unfolding Twisha Singh case has once again exposed an uncomfortable truth about India’s justice system — that justice often moves only when public pressure becomes impossible to ignore. And in this case, much of that pressure came not from politicians, activists or bureaucrats, but from an aggressive and relentless media campaign. The decision of…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

ECI Powers Upheld

In a significant and timely verdict, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed a simple but powerful constitutional truth: free and fair elections are impossible without clean and credible electoral rolls. Upholding the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) authority to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the apex court has not merely defended an…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Justice Under Question

The Supreme Court’s decision to take suo motu cognisance of the alleged dowry death case from Madhya Pradesh deserves appreciation. Without the intervention of the apex court, many citizens genuinely believe the matter may never have received the urgency and scrutiny it now commands. The transfer of the investigation to the CBI has also restored…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

AI Boom or Accounting Mirage?

The artificial intelligence revolution is being sold as the next industrial transformation. Governments celebrate it, investors worship it, and corporate boardrooms market it as an endless gold mine. But beneath the glossy presentations, trillion-dollar valuations, and futuristic slogans, an uncomfortable question is emerging: how much of the AI boom is genuine innovation, and how much…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Judicial Irresponsibility

Words matter. More so when they come from the highest constitutional offices in the country. A politician may survive on rhetoric. A television anchor may thrive on provocation. But the judiciary, particularly the office of the Chief Justice of India, is expected to embody restraint, balance, and constitutional sobriety. That is why the reported “cockroach”…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Trump’s India Reality Check

For a man who built his political brand on unpredictability, bluster, and transactional diplomacy, United States President Donald Trump appears to have finally encountered a geopolitical truth he cannot bulldoze through — India is no longer a nation that can be pressured, patronized, or pushed around. After months of erratic signalling during his second term,…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Restrain Rahul

The time has come for the nation to ask a blunt and unavoidable question: how long will Rahul Gandhi continue to enjoy unchecked liberty to make reckless, inflammatory, and deeply irresponsible statements against India’s constitutional institutions, elected leadership and national security apparatus? At a rally in Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi once again crossed every line of…

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