Minhaz Merchant
Why Kolkata doctor’s case is a defining moment for Mamata
The humiliating standoff with striking doctors has compromised Mamata Banerjee’s image as a strong, unyielding leader. Will she be able to weather the storm?
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why Rahul Gandhi’s caste-first agenda is regressive
Instead of using caste as a political weapon, responsible leaders should strive towards making India a caste-agnostic society
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder threatens Mamata’s grip on Bengal
As the Left discovered, there is a breaking point in politics when the tide turns. It turned 13 years ago against the communists. Is it starting to turn now against the TMC and Mamata Banerjee?
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Bangladeshi Hindus are living in fear. Why is India’s response muted?
The Indian government has to ensure that the 14mn Hindus who live and work in Bangladesh are protected from attacks and arson of their businesses following the coup
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How about a 50% quota for all poor Indians, including Brahmins?
By continuing to focus on caste as the only determinant for affirmative action, rather than economic deprivation that affects all Indians, Ambedkar’s vision has been compromised
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Bhagwat-Modi and the Hindu divided family
The RSS chief’s recent remarks, ostensibly aimed at PM Modi, have given the Opposition ammunition to point to a possible rift between BJP and RSS
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Naidu, Nitish are locked in Modi’s 5-year financial embrace
Sticking with the NDA is their best bet because they know that dealing with one man to get the funds they need for their states is better than dealing with a coalition of 25 party leaders
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Can new criminal laws fix India’s broken justice system?
Unless the entire criminal justice ecosystem comprising laws, police and judges is reformed, nothing much will change on the ground
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Three Gandhis in Parliament are a triple-edged sword
The Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka triple engine, along with Akhilesh’s SP, could pose a significant threat to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election due in 2027
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Valuable lessons BJP needs to learn from Maharashtra and UP results
In Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the BJP got some critical decisions wrong, which resulted in it falling short of a majority on its own in Parliament
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why Modi won’t be hobbled by running a coalition govt
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Modi will abandon some of the timidity that marked his first two terms and double down on farm, land and labour reforms
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Modi is used to brute majorities. Can he run a coalition govt?
The BJP’s vulnerability has been exposed. The plunge from 303 seats in 2019 is a wake-up call. The fall is steeper than even the BJP’s fall under AB Vajpayee from 182 seats in 1999 to 138 in 2004
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why this was the angriest Lok Sabha election in memory
Throughout the campaign, taunts, many defamatory, some merely in poor taste, have flowed thick and fast between the BJP and the Opposition alliance
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why a sub-300 seat Modi in 2024 suits the West
India’s refusal to toe the Western line on Russia and Iran has irked the US and its allies who believe a more modest winning margin for Narendra Modi in 2024 would best serve the West’s interests
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How G7 and EU are weaponising diamonds and carbon
In the wake of the Ukraine war, the West tried every trick in the diplomatic playbook to get India to loosen ties with Russia. After that strategy failed, it is using trade to force New Delhi’s hand
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Modiphobia triggers Western media meltdown ahead of 2024 polls
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, sections of the Western media have thoughtlessly attacked Indian democracy, in the process damaging their own credibility
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
The Anglo-Saxon brotherhood and its global endgame
After World War II, the Anglo-Saxon brotherhood set the rules for the world order to preserve its neo-colonial hegemony. But the rise of Asia is chipping away at Pax Americana
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why new India is not ready to take US criticism lying down
In the past when the US spoke about alleged human rights violations in India, New Delhi was reluctant to upset Washington. But this time, when the US criticised CAA and then made remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, India hit back
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
What Sandeshkhali tells us about West Bengal politics
For years, Mamata Banerjee turned a blind eye to the excesses of Sheikh Shahjahan, dubbed the ‘sexual predator of Sandeshkhali’. That could prove costly for her in the Lok Sabha election
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why Rahul Gandhi’s second yatra is mistimed
As the INDIA bloc lurches from one crisis to another, the Congress is fast running out of allies who are eager to defend their own turf. Amidst the chaos, Rahul’s yatra is not helping
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM