Five years ago, just after Mr Narasimha Rao came to power, I was asked by St Stephen\’s College to debate the prospects of the new economic reforms with Abhijit Sen, a prominent Left-wing academic. I told the college that the […]

After years of discussion, it seems the plan to lay a mammoth gas pipeline from Oman to India is on its way out. The Omanese minister for industry has expressed doubts about the technical feasibility of the pipeline, and so

Now that we a have a ruling coalition including many regional parties, we hear much talk of economic federalism. Critics claim the Centre has over the years usurped power belonging to the states. Maybe so. But if the Centre has

I am astonished that the Indian press has paid so little heed to the remarkable events in Andhra Pradesh. Two years ago, the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) swept into power on a platform promising rice at Rs 2 per kilo,

There is an old Indian joke mat an honest politician is one who takes bribes and delivers the promised contracts, whereas a dishonest politician is one who takes money but does not deliver. In Mr Narasimha Rao\’s case, this looks

Why has the Congress Party suffered its worst ever defeat? Mainly because it has gradually ceased to stand for any clear goals except moneymaking. As an umbrella party, it claims to stand for all sections of society. It is now

Is modern technology destroying more jobs than it creates, precipitating a social crisis ? This topic was debated heatedly at the Davos symposium which I attended last week. This question has been asked for two centuries since the industrial revolution,

All parties in the general elections swear to eradicate poverty. Yet voters know that any party coming to power will adopt policies targeted mainly at the non-poor. Central and state governments have instituted hundreds of subsidies over the years. All

This is an election in which the fate of many political giants is uncertain. But when I toured Himachal Pradesh last week, I discovered that one person is regarded by all and sundry as unbeatable—Mr Sukh Ram, the union telecom

Spiritualism is supposed to be on a higher plane than material wealth. Yet there is no shortage of people visiting temples, dargahs or churches to pray for favours form God. The prayers are often buttressed by donations or ritual sacrifices.