Opinion

India’s 2026 economic survey highlights the pivotal role of cities in driving economic growth and raising living standards, a priority now reflected in the government’s fiscal policy. To transform urbanisation into an engine of prosperity, the recently announced national budget introduces the government’s City Economic...

By Parakala Prabhakar The Opposition parties in India are either naive or we must conclude that they may not be really sincere when they shout about ‘vote chori’. If they indeed believe in what they say about ‘vote chori’ and massive targeted deletions, why are...

By Jasmine Meher For nearly a decade, the narrative of Odisha’s tourism was defi ned by a whisper: “India’s Best Kept Secret.” It was a moniker of intimacy, suggesting a hidden treasure trove—the sun-drenched silence of Konark, the intricate geometry of our handlooms, and the...

By Rajdeep Sardesai Soon after taking over as BJP president in 2014, Amit Shah spoke of his vision of a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’. At the time, it sounded more like political bravado than a credible roadmap. Twelve years on, as Union home minister, Shah may well...

By Jan-Werner Mueller Péter Magyar’s landslide victory in Hungary has triggered a global outpouring of commentary that sometimes reads like a trashy banner ad: “This one secret technique will make your far-right populism problem disappear!” Hungary’s experience supposedly demonstrates that one needs only to focus...

The spectacular victory of the BJP in the states of West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry puts on the party the extra burden of reviving the states. With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, banking on domestic consumption and its sheer absorbing capacity, boosting the economy may work...

Yearnings for desired change, continuance, and constructive stability have been particularly discernible factors in the outcome of the Indian state Assembly polls in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, and Puducherry. Among them, the eastern state of West Bengal has drawn spiralling attention and displayed...

In most democracies, a leader outsourcing high-stakes diplomacy to family members and business associates would provoke outrage. But US President Donald Trump has faced little pushback for doing so, with many downplaying his crony diplomacy as mere “heterodoxy.” The long-term consequences will be severe. Instead...

Melvin Durai I’ve always thought of squirrels as cute, harmless creatures, but I’m beginning to wonder if they just have a very good Department of Public Relations. The department ensures that any negative stories about squirrels are drowned out by positive stories, some of them...

Ian Buruma What should be done about mass murderers once the regime they served is toppled? Countries all over the world, from post-Nazi Germany to post-junta Argentina, have faced this problem. The process is always messy and riddled with hypocrisies. Now it’s Syria's turn to...