Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Gold Lies 

If there is one thing the Indian Opposition has perfected over the years, it is the art of talking down India. Whenever the country records a significant achievement, a section of political leaders and their ecosystem of commentators rush to manufacture gloom, spread selective facts, and present an image of a nation supposedly on the…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Tumbling TMC

Indian politics has a peculiar habit of repeating itself. Leaders who appear invincible at the height of their power suddenly discover that loyalty in politics often lasts only as long as victory does. The moment the throne begins to shake, courtiers disappear, factions emerge, and ambitious lieutenants start measuring the curtains for a new regime….

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Trump, the Modern Tughlaq?

History remembers Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq not merely as a ruler of immense ambition, but as one whose abrupt decisions often left his subjects bewildered. Centuries later, as the world watches the second presidency of Donald Trump, one cannot help but wonder whether Washington has found its own version of political unpredictability. The comparison is…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Ashamed for what?

When a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a former Union Minister says he is “ashamed to live in India,” it is bound to attract attention. The remark becomes even more significant when it comes from Kapil Sibal, a man who has spent decades benefiting from the very democratic institutions he now appears to…

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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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