Congress gropes for answers to saffron surge
By Vijay Darda | 05-12-2016 If the results of the local body elections in Maharashtra and the parliamentary and assembly by-elections that preceded these polls are to be taken as an indication of the political state of affairs, then the BJP’s dominating trend that began in the 2014 general elections is firmly on the […]
Remembering martyrdom, but selectively?
By Vijay Darda | 01-11-2016 A small reference has been made in the autobiography of former foreign secretary of the country Shiv Shankar Menon, published, recently. He writes that soon after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the UPA government was contemplating a direct attack on Pakistan. But it was thought that observing restraint […]
The usurpers of professional cricket
By Vijay Darda | 10-10-2016 Do the elected office-bearers of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) think that this institution is their landed property and they have the ownership rights over all its assets and sources of revenue? Sitting on the cash-rich body, these people have got so much enamored of the […]
Who is to shoulder the responsibility?
By Vijay Darda | 29-08-2016 ‘Ram Rajya’ is not just an ideal concept. It was the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and it was the duty of each one of us to fulfil that dream. But this dream has not been fulfilled in the last seven decades after independence and now that dream is getting […]
India@70: Time to bridge India-Bharat chasm
By Vijay Darda | 15-08-2016 It is celebration time and the Bharat Parv is on. This is in the fitness of things. The festivities are in full flow. From a newly independent free country, whose future was beset with doubts about the stability of its integrity and unity we have marched on to being […]
‘I have full faith in your sense of justice’
By Vijay Darda | 05-07-2016 My dear brothers and sisters of Yavatmal, The management of Yavatmal Public School immediately suspended the two monsters who committed an extreme atrocity against the minor girls of the school. The matter was reported to the police authorities as soon as all the information became available. Everyone has taken serious […]
Victory on Yoga day, setback at NSG
By Vijay Darda | 28-06-2016 On the International Day of Yoga, when millions of people – young and old – twist, bend and stretch themselves into postures it is undoubtedly a victory for the soft power of India’s ancient traditions. As the mover of the resolution in the United Nations that got the record […]
The Rajya Sabha poll bazaar
By Vijay Darda | 14-06-2016 One of the most enchanting features of our democracy is the bicameral legislature that we have in the Parliament. The Lok Sabha represents the will of the people as its members are directly elected through universal adult franchise. The Rajya Sabha is an indirectly elected House, as its members […]
Post-election 2016: The bite of regional parties
By Vijay Darda | 24-05-2016 In a democracy, the periodic elections serve many purposes. Through their mechanism, we not only choose the governments that would be running our affairs, but we also get a sense of their hopes and aspirations. It is through the choices that the people make at the electronic voting machines […]
As I look back and see the future
By Vijay Darda | 17-05-2016 Last week, I completed 18 long years of my parliamentary career. In the customary tradition of the Rajya Sabha, I had the opportunity to deliver my farewell speech. It was a moment to look back on these years spent in the temple of democracy. To say the least, I […]