In a quiet but profoundly consequential move, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has upheld the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill, clearing the way for the abolition of lifetime pensions for lawmakers. Passed by Parliament with a simple majority, the decision has been hailed as historic—not merely for Sri Lanka, but for democracies grappling with the…
For Washington’s strategic planners, the temptation to view Iran through the same prism as Venezuela—or even Iraq—would be a dangerous miscalculation. Iran is not a collapsing petro-state with fractured institutions and limited military reach. It is a hardened, battle-tested regional power with layered air defences, a vast missile arsenal, and powerful allies who have a…
As India heads into a decisive round of Assembly elections across four politically distinct states—besides the Union Territory of Puducherry—the larger question goes beyond who will win and who will lose. The real story may be whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is once again reshaping the contours of Indian politics, not merely by capturing…
Municipal elections are often dismissed as hyper-local contests about roads, drains, and garbage collection. But in India’s deeply nationalized political climate, civic polls have increasingly become ideological referendums. That is why the recent civic verdict in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai’s political ecosystem, is being watched closely in Telangana. Not for its immediate administrative impact, but…
One of the great myths sold to the public—especially by so-called opinion-makers in television studios and editorial rooms—is that national consensus is achievable on complex issues of statecraft. In reality, consensus has rarely existed, at least not in any meaningful or durable form, within functioning democracies. Not in my lifetime, and certainly not in any…
The question of whether Hindus are “awakening from their slumber” has become a recurring theme in public discourse—often raised with emotion, sometimes with apprehension, and frequently with political overtones. Yet, beyond slogans and counter-slogans, this question deserves a calmer, more thoughtful examination rooted in history, demographics, and contemporary global developments. Hinduism—Sanatan Dharma—is not merely a…
Last week, I had the misfortune of running into a left-liberal masquerading as a journalist. One of those specimens who spent most of his career comfortably ensconced in a government-owned television channel, surviving not on merit but on entitlement, proximity, and ideological conformity. He greeted me with forced curiosity and then, with the characteristic smugness…
When Ayushman Bharat and Private Insurers Feed Corporate Hospitals, Not Healing Health insurance was sold to Indians as a humanitarian promise—a guarantee that nobody will be bankrupted or denied care for financial reasons. And, schemes like Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) were heralded as revolutionary, providing up to ₹5 lakh per family annually…
The pattern is becoming unmistakable. First it was the RJD–Congress combine in Bihar. Now it is the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. Every time the Opposition senses that its carefully engineered vote banks may not survive a credible verification exercise, the first instinct is not to cooperate with the system but to malign the Election…
The Opposition’s grand INDIA block is crumbling so fast it should apply for heritage status before it collapses entirely. For months, its leaders boasted about unity, shared values, collective strength, and that magic word— “morale.” Today, that morale looks like a deflated balloon lying in a corner while every party kicks it for fun. The…
