Union Budget: Jaitley’s burden of expectations
By Vijay Darda | 14-07-2014 If you go by the first week of the Budget Session for the Modi-led NDA government, then the set of disappointments over the much touted ‘acche din’ among various segments of the population is clearly understandable. The rail fares have gone up, food and vegetable prices are running high, […]
Modi: BJP’s only option for 2014
By Vijay Darda | 16-09-2013 One can easily comprehend the sense of self-congratulation that prevails in the RSS-BJP after they have nominated the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as their prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections. Ever since Modi was appointed the chairman of the party’s national campaign committee in Goa, this […]
As Amartya rejects Modi
By Vijay Darda | 29-07-2013 When Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen rejected Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for the prime minister’s job, we witnessed a very instructive episode for our polity. The unambiguous rejection came in the backdrop of a determined effort by the BJP-RSS combine, as well several sections of the media and […]
All with a pinch of salt
By Vijay Darda | 03-06-2013 If the flurry of surveys appearing in diverse publications is to be taken seriously then the UPA-2 has all but lost the next general elections to be held in 2014. Moreover, without getting into the details, the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has also become the prime minister!. The […]
THE DADA – I know & respect
By Vijay Darda | 22-07-2012 As ‘Dada’ Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is all set to walk into the Rashtrapati Bhawan and brings his 43-year-long political career to a logical conclusion, I have a deep sense of personal privilege and happiness. After all the ups and downs that are an integral part of any political career […]
The NDA’s prime ministerial puzzle
By Vijay Darda | 29-06-2012 In a democracy it is a good sign when the Opposition gets ready for the next round of the electoral battle and names it’s prime ministerial candidate in advance. The people then get adequate notice about the choice they have. In 2004, the Congress was in the Opposition and […]