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States to play a critical role in next generation reforms: CEA Anantha Nageswaran

Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran identifies some of the next generation reforms needed in the coming years




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‘The Indian and Pakistani armies were born out of the same womb,’ says Probal DasGupta

The Indian Army has embraced change and forged a balance between tradition and modernity, says the author of Camouflaged — Forgotten Stories from Battlefields




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‘The people miss the place and the place misses the people,’ says Ibrahim Muhawi

Ibrahim Muhawi, who has won 2023’s Palestine Book Award for translating Hussein Barghouthi’s Among the Almond Trees, reflects on themes that dominate Palestinian literature




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INDIA bloc should ignore differences: Tejashwi Yadav

RJD leader says the contest in Bihar for the Lok Sabha election is with the BJP; he adds that the real issues are inflation, poverty, unemployment, education




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‘If you travel with a feeling that the country has something to teach you, it will always be an act of empathy’

The 84-year-old Colin Thubron on why travel books will endure and what draws him to remote places on earth like Siberia




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India-European Free Trade Association deal | $100-billion investment target was breakthrough moment: Swiss official

EFTA negotiator cautions that actual investment can only come from European private sector, not guaranteed by governments, and hopes FTA will be ratified by 2024-end




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‘Jagadish Chandra Bose’s pursuit of unity leads him to find a commonality in life in a plant and human’

Sudipto Das on the relevance of scientist and polymath Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose in the contemporary world




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I will get back to my criticism of parties but this is not the time for it: Kamal Haasan

The actor and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam says it is now the moment for people from all sections to come together in the fight against fascism




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RLV Ramakrishnan wants to perform Mohiniyattam at every stage in Kerala to protest against racist slurs made by a dancer

Mohiniyattam dancer and academic RLV Ramakrishnan plans to protest against discriminatory remarks made by a veteran dancer




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It is an illusion to say that the DMK alliance looks stronger: Palaniswami

Asserting that “the ground realities are different”, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said “we will emerge victorious with the support of the people”



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Pinarayi Vijayan interview | ‘2024 Lok Sabha polls are a referendum on secularism’

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan discusses the significance of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and secular democracy in India.



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Will build presence in the South: Nitin Gadkari

In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Gadkari said the BJP remains united in its ideological commitment, with no discord between the party and the RSS.



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BJP wants a Russian-style oligarchy; Congress adheres to democratic values: Gaurav Gogoi

Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and the party’s candidate for Jorhat says the BJP is arm-twisting everyone from those in the corporate sector to the common people, and is employing a use-and-throw policy for its allies



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The making and unmaking of Sheikh Abdullah

Chitralekha Zutshi on the paradoxes and contradictions that trailed the political life of one of the tallest leaders of the Kashmir Valley, and why the abrogation of Article 370 did not come out of the blue




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A non-political prime minister

Why Ram Chandra Kak is a forgotten figure in the history of Jammu & Kashmir and India




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BJP’s goal is to have only one government: Chidambaram

The Congress veteran says the BJP espouses a ‘militant, extreme, right-wing Hinduism’ which is also working in its favour in Hindi-speaking States while Hinduism is essentially ‘more inclusive’



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UCC does not target live-in couples: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

“This election is not for the election of a particular MP but to elect the Prime Minister; and there is no doubt that the country wants to see Modi ji return as PM once again,” Mr. Dhami said




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Muslims are coming to BJP because we don’t discriminate against them: Sarbananda Sonowal

The development agenda of the PM with special focus on the Northeast will help the NDA win most of the 25 LS seats in the region, says former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while criticising Congress for misinterpreting CAA for political reasons



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BJP’s Anil Baluni is banking on religion and development to win in Garhwal (Pauri), Uttarakhand’s largest constituency

This is ‘Devbhoomi’ (land of the gods) and its people will never forget how Congress posed hurdles in the construction of the Ram Mandir, the BJP’s media chief says



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BJP can’t be trusted, its manifesto is just a pack of lies: Mallikarjun Kharge

Criticising the Modi-led government for its failure to fulfil past poll promises such as providing two crore jobs annually and doubling the income of farmers, the Congress chief says the BJP’s manifesto is silent on issues such as rising food prices and unemployment; he also asserts the INDIA bloc’s main aim is to safeguard the Constitution and democracy



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‘The Congress government in Karnataka will emerge stronger after elections’

The Deputy Chief Minister says the ‘double-engine’ government during the BJP regime in the State did not implement a single irrigation or water project



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Definitely possible to break BJP fortress in South Bengaluru: Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy 

Reddy talks about her constituency, sexism in politics, and her connect with many groups in an interview with The Hindu



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WATCH | Electoral bond not poll issue; people understand intent was to ensure clean money coming to politics: Tejasvi Surya



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WATCH | It was easy for me to come out of the palace and be with people like anybody else: Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar

People look up to us for the principles of leadership going forward. The bond we share with people is because of good work and not due to the royal background, says Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the BJP candidate, Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency



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Implementation of guarantee schemes alone cannot usher in development of Karnataka by Congress government: B.Y. Vijayendra

People give top priority to development while judging the achievements of the government and that the Guarantee schemes come later, says the BJP State president



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Gratitude factor is likely to work in my favour: C.N. Manjunath

Cardiologist C.N. Manjunath, former head of State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, has entered the fray as the BJP Lok Sabha candidate for Bengaluru Rural speaks about the circumstances that led to his entry into politics



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If elected, will complete Yettinahole project, tertiary treatment of K.C. Valley and H.N. Valley projects, says Raksha Ramaiah



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‘Most of us know what it’s like to love someone deeply who also hurts us deeply’

Prachi Gupta’s devastating narrative also raises important questions on mental health and ways to cope




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BJP campaign based on fearmongering: Sachin Pilot

Congress general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh says that the change in tone and tenor of BJP leaders after the first two phases of polling shows things are not going their way; he says that there is little energy and enthusiasm in the BJP vote base to re-elect the same government to power



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My contest is for ideological reasons, says BJP rebel leader K.S. Eshwarappa

He says a “disciplined solider” like him cannot keep quiet when injustice is being meted out to the party



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Eknath Shinde interview | ‘Our candidates are very good, and we have good coordination among allies’

The Maharashtra Chief Minister says industry was spooked after a bomb was placed outside Mukesh Ambani’s home during previous MVA regime’s tenure; adds that Uddhav Thackeray’s betrayal of Shiv Sena ideology will not win him sympathy



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Himanta Biswa Sarma interview | ‘No need to worry about reservation; PM has only strengthened it during a decade in power’

It is the Congress that has diluted reservations for OBCs by giving a quota to Muslims, says Assam CM



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My contest is against Lalu Prasad not Rohini, says Rajiv Pratap Rudy

BJP leaders earlier mocked Rohini Acharya by calling her Singaporean Bahu because she stays in Singapore with her husband and three children



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Watch | BJP is confident about winning over 400 seats: Piyush Goyal 

Veteran minister Piyush Goyal is excited to be a first-time candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections; he feels that this opportunity will help better him understand candidates’ psychology, allowing him to emerge a sensitive person 



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Quota issue, caste census will haunt the BJP: Revanth Reddy

Rahul Gandhi could challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Telangana Chief Minister says



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My focus is on a skill census and revival of democratic systems in A.P., says Pawan Kalyan

People have lost their faith in the YSR Congress Party; there is a need to strengthen institutions in the State and empower the youth by honing their skills, says Pawan Kalyan, promising that the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance will bring about change




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‘Ozempic seemed to change more than the patients’ bodies,’ says Johann Hari, author of Magic Pill

Writer-journalist Johann Hari brings himself into the Ozempic conversation, taking readers through the risks of obesity, its causes and effects, and what the drug does




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Congress should explain why Rahul is not fighting from Amethi; it is their cowardice: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav

Mr. Yadav says the BJP’s strength lies in its collective leadership and that Congress leaders have no ideology



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‘Credit for split’ in Shiv Sena and NCP should be given to Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP senior leader Devendra Fadnavis said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would not have rebelled, but when someone was pushed to the wall, they’re left with no other option, and that is what happened in Mr. Shinde’s case.



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Turnout in Srinagar shows it was right to revoke Article 370: Amit Shah

37% polling in Srinagar ‘greatest testament to rightness of the decision’, the Union Home Minister says; there is no doubt that the NDA is on its way to 400-plus seats, he adds; says that his party has no history of misusing a majority, and it was a Congress government that had imposed the Emergency and made changes to the Constitution



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Want to respond democratically to August 5, 2019 decision: National Conference Srinagar candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi

Cleric Mehdi says this Lok Sabha election is monumentally important as a platform to air the views of the people of Jammu and Kashmir



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PM Modi’s speeches sound surreal to people: Sitaram Yechury

During the campaign, Modi and BJP have been trying to deflect from livelihood issues, but they have been unable to do so, says CPI(M) general secretary; voters, Mr. Yechury says, are talking of price rise and day-to-day problems, and 90% of the people are today borrowing just to survive



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BJP’s freebie offers are not sustainable, says BJD leader V.K. Pandian

Poking holes in the BJP’s ‘Odia pride’ plank, Mr. Pandian rips the Union government’s record in supporting Odisha’s language, culture, leaders and economy; the BJD leader refuses to speculate on possible post-poll alliances




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If the BJP puts democracy in jail, then democracy will have to be run from jail: Arvind Kejriwal

I have sworn an oath on the Constitution to serve the people and fulfil my promises, says the Delhi Chief Minister, asserting that the Constitution and legal framework put no bar on him continuing in his post



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Modi’s low level attack on Congress is a sign that he knows he is losing the polls, says K.C. Venugopal

The PM is banking on the weapon of polarising and dividing the people of the country, says Congress general secretary (organisation); he says the Congress has conceded many seats to allies to ensure the BJP government is removed and to end the ‘anarchy of misgovernance and dictatorship’




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Even Kennedy took James Bond creator’s help: biographer Nicholas Shakespeare

The author of Ian Fleming: The Complete Man on Fleming’s legacy and his most famous fictional creation




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Gelephu Mindfulness City is a lifetime opportunity, says Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay

Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay spoke of ‘deep’ economic challenges, the potential of the new carbon-negative smart city project, and ruled out re-joining the BBIN vehicle agreement




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The nature of politics has become a politics of scarcity: economist Karthik Muralidharan

For India to realise its full potential, author of Accelerating India’s Development: A State-led Roadmap for Effective Governance Karthik Muralidharan pushes for investment in good institutions which can restrain politicians




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Modi is a majoritarian PM who has to work without a majority, RJD leader Manoj K. Jha 

The NDA today is a coalition of contradictions, says senior RJD leader; he says the parties of the INDIA bloc will impact the political arena more powerfully in the coming days as there has been a revival of the collective in politics



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It is people’s aspiration to see me in the Union Cabinet, says C.N. Manjunath

The MP-elect from Bengaluru Rural says his victory was possible because those who were treated at Jayadeva became his ‘ambassadors’