Columns

August 2, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Imran Khan: A Man of Many Parts

In December 2013, cricketer turned politician Imran Khan was in India for the Hindustan Times leadership summit. The Delhi election results had just been announced and Arvind Kejriwal had...

July 19, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

The social media election is here!

Amit Shah is often credited as the BJP president who has converted Indian elections from routine local fights into an all-out life and death ‘war’. Little surprise then when...

July 4, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

A ‘new’ Congress: from Arrogance to Accomodation

A simple photo-op can sometimes reveal the entire political picture. Last month, as Rahul Gandhi hosted an iftaar party, his high table did not include a single opposition party...

June 21, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Jammu versus Kashmir: a doomed alliance..

A few months after he had taken over as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in the spring of 2015, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed hosted a dinner for journalists in...

June 7, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Karnataka to Kairana: a Template for 2019

A by-election is a bit like a school monthly test: the marks don’t count for anything during the final exam. Which is why the opposition celebrations after besting the...

May 23, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

From Raj Dharma to Chanakya-neeti: is BJP a party with a difference?

In 1996, soon after LK Advani resigned as an MP over his name surfacing in the ‘hawala’ diaries, we asked the original BJP ideological mascot why he had taken...

May 11, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Karnataka’s 20-20 election

Karnataka is, arguably, India’s most beautiful state. Few states can match its rich diversity: from the wondrous Karwar coastline to the verdant green hills of Coorg, from the wildlife...

April 26, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

The Modi challenge: Aspirations Vs Mutinies

If prime minister Narendra Modi was not a politician, he could probably be a feel-good guru. Mr Modi’s signature characteristic has been his ability to constantly radiate a positive...

April 12, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Decoding the fake news debate

Smriti Irani has an uncanny knack of giving it back as good as she gets. Last month, in parliament’s central hall as her fellow-MPs gathered around to wish her...

March 29, 2018
Rajdeep Sardesai
Columns

Its Just Not Cricket

“We were desperate,” admitted Australian captain Steve Smith when pushed to offer an explanation as to why his team had so brazenly attempted to tamper with the cricket ball...