'Between now and 2021, Bengal's politics could change irrevocably,' predicts Kanchan Gupta, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation.
Israel is determined to take the bilateral engagement to a different level that goes beyond defence hardware and intelligence software. Kanchan Gupta reports exclusively from Tel Aviv for Rediff.com
'At the far end we have the likes of Maulana Mahmood Madani with their separatist agenda, but that does not mean every Muslim is persuaded by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind's bunkum.'
'It would be a pity if Tharoor were to be punished for a tweet, no matter how cheekily offensive it may appear to our home-grown politicians. He has said and written far worse to merit retribution for something which is at best a sarcastic comment on dubious austerity,' says Kanchan Gupta.
'This is not the party I knew... it has changed so much,' he said wistfully.
The BJP's leadership is suffering from a disease called 'last bus syndrome': If it can't catch this bus to power, then it will never get to be in power.
There are many who wish to imitate the Taliban and their subversion of the secular State and destruction of civil society in the name of practising Islam and enforcing Islamic injunctions.
'We are being told that to cushion our energy needs from the volatile oil market, we need nuclear power. That's hogwash: Our power sector is not dependent on oil.'
"As a Bengali, I felt at home in this city. Unlike Europe, here I could speak in Bengali, read Bengali books, magazines and newspapers, watch Bengali programmes on television, and eat Bengali food. I was at peace," she once told me. That peace is now long shattered
'Cynicism does not necessarily fetch votes, nor does mindless populism. Good governance, strong leadership and a squeaky clean image now command a premium.'
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