Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Modi’s Relentless Political Consolidation

If there is one defining feature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade-long dominance, it is not merely electoral success—it is the systematic dismantling of India’s once-formidable regional power centres. What we are witnessing is not routine political churn, but a deep structural shift in the country’s power matrix, engineered through strategy, messaging, and relentless ground-level…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Wiring India’s Energy Rise

India’s power story has undergone a quiet but extraordinary transformation over the past decade—one that has fundamentally altered the narrative from chronic shortages to surplus capacity, from blackouts to resilience. The disappearance of India’s electricity deficit is not the result of a single reform or policy, but a combination of scientific innovation, strategic infrastructure, and…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Pakistan’s Double Game

Trusting Pakistan has never been a strategy—it has always been a gamble. And once again, events are proving that those who place faith in Islamabad do so at their own peril. The latest geopolitical manoeuvre by the Shehbaz Sharif–Asif Munir combine exposes a familiar pattern: say one thing to Washington, do quite another with Beijing—and…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Promise or Political Prelude?

When Narendra Modi reportedly asserted in a confidential setting that his government will “leave no stone unturned” to ensure the implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures, it was not just a routine political assurance. It was a loaded statement—one that carries within it both the weight of expectation and the ambiguity of intent. In Indian…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Kejriwal’s Anarchist Politics Pushes AAP Towards Collapse

There was a time when Arvind Kejriwal sold himself as the insurgent who would cleanse politics. Today, he looks more like a politician trapped in his own script—defaulting to theatrics, evasion, and institutional confrontation whenever accountability comes knocking. His latest move—seeking to avoid appearing before the Delhi High Court in the excise policy case—fits a…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Gunboat Diplomacy, Broken Logic

How can threats of bombardment and invitations to negotiate coexist in the same breath? That contradiction sits at the heart of the current West Asia crisis—and at the centre of the diplomatic posture adopted by Donald Trump. It is not merely confusing; it risks being counterproductive at a moment when clarity, credibility, and consistency are…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Poisonous Politics, Poll-Time Panic

There’s reckless rhetoric, and then there’s outright degradation of democratic discourse. Mallikarjun Kharge has now crossed that line—spectacularly and irresponsibly. Barely 48 hours before crucial assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Congress President chose to label Prime Minister Narendra Modi with language that has no place in civil politics. This isn’t mere…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

Accidents or Strategy? The Refinery Fires Demand Answers

The recent fire mishap at the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery in Barmer—coming just a day before its scheduled inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—is not just unfortunate; it is deeply unsettling. Timing, in geopolitics and infrastructure, is rarely dismissed as coincidence so easily. When critical energy infrastructure is hit at such a sensitive moment, questions are…

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