The best democracy that money can buy
Should we worry that Modi may be spending as much on advertising as Obama spent on his entire 2012 campaign?
Money power in elections
A study finds that wealth increases the chances of winning, and a combination of wealth and criminal record increases it further.
Azam Khan’s poison tongue
Azam Khan wanted to drive fence-sitting Hindus into the BJP’s arms in order to ensure fence-sitting Muslims stay with SP.
Skip the apology Modi saheb, tell us about Kodnani
The exertions of journalists who interviewed Modi have been as weak as the SIT’s which questioned him on the riots.
Can the BJP and its allies cross 272?
Opinion poll predictions for UP and other states suggest they might but a pinch of salt should be kept handy.
The Penguin effect
The ‘alternative’ publishing house, Navayana, is wrong to cancel Joe D’Cruz’s contract for the English translation of his Tamil classic, Aazhi Soozh Ulagu (Ocean Ringed World), just because the author has emerged as a Modi supporter.
What lies behind the corrosive effect of dynasty?
Indian politics is becoming increasingly dominated by the richest sections of society; dynasty is merely a symptom of that sickness.
Votes and vengeance
Despite the talk of ‘development’, Amit Shah’s speeches suggest that hate remains a key mobilising tool for the BJP campaign.
पूंजीवाद का प्रपंच
An abridged version of my Seminar piece on Narendra Modi and crony capitalism translated into Hindi by Amar Ujala newspaper.
The rise of Arvind Kejriwal, mango man
Opinions are divided about what exactly the Aam Aadmi Party represents, but everyone agrees it’s a game-changer in Indian politics.
From bad to words
If the law has any sanctity, the Congress candidate for Saharanpur, Imran Masood, ought to be speedily prosecuted for threatening to chop BJP prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi into pieces.
The cult of cronyism
Who does Narendra Modi really represent and what does his phenomenal rise in Indian politics as election front-runner signify?
The good, bad and bold of the Congress manifesto
Tokenism abounds in the manifesto – pledges for women, minorities and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with many old promises dusted off and repackaged for the second, third and … Continue reading
A bonfire of free speech
Indians must not allow little men with irrational fears to determine what books they can read, films they can watch, writers they can play host to, or artists and musicians … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 