#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #modi #rahulgandhi #newparliamentbuilding #newparliament
This weekend, India will get a new Parliament building. Typically of the hyper polarised times in which we live, the inauguration is not without controversy,. So officially the cost as per a reply to lok sabha t is Rs 972 crore which we are reliably informed has subsequently increased by nearly 300 crores. In truth, no one is certain about the final costs involved. Do we need new parliament building? Most experts one soeaks to say we probably do given the pressure on a beautifully designed but creaking building that was commissioned in 1927. Could the old and new have co existed better? Maybe but that’s for architects and designers to debate.
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #indiannationalcongress #bjpindia
Karnataka verdict done.. now the big question blowing in the wind: will this verdict have any impact on the 2024 equations. At the very outset, my answer is that never extrapolate from a vidhan sabha poll to what will happen in a lok sabha election. Karnataka’s electoral history itself reveals that the voters choose very differently in a Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha poll. But and there always is a BUT.. nothing in politics can ever be taken for granted.. So is 2024 a done deal for a Modi-led BJP? Well, the BJP is still a front-runner for a hat trick of general election triumphs but here are 10 reasons why even the BJP should not be complacent
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #indiannationalcongress #bjpindia
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #bjpindia #modi #rahulgandhi #indiannationalcongress #karnatakanews #karnatakalatestnews
Who is winning Karnataka is a question that I have been often asked in the last 10 days. I Am usually hesitant to predict results.. I leave that to the pollsters.. but after having spent 10 days on the road in Karnataka.. here are my ten takeaways
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbat #crime #anandmohansingh #atiqahmedhistory #NarodaGam #Malyana #Jaipurserialblasts #bilkis #derasachasauda #KirinRijiju #supremecourt #amitmalviya #nitishkumar
This week, I want to turn your attention to the manner in which the criminal justice system is being routinely subverted by political interference and shoddy policing. I am going to give you half a dozen instances in recent times and let you be the judge: are we a country where the law is equal for all or are some people simply more equal than others. Its time to say it like one sees it.
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #pulwamaattack #karanthapar #rahulgandhi #thewirenews #karanthapar #satypalmalik #pulwamaattack #article370 #primeministermodi #pmo #rahulgandhi #adani
This week my focus is on the former J and K governor Satyapal Malik who has been making the headlines for his criticism of the Modi government’s handling of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives in February 2019. Before I respond to Mr Malik’s remarks, a bit of background. I first met Satyapal ji in the 1990s when he was part of VP Singh’s Janata Dal. VP had assembled an interesting mix of people, all fiercely ambitious, all sharply political, and most of them anti Congress. Satyapal ji was one of them: mentored by Charan Singh in the Lok Dal, he was carrying forward Chaudhary saab’s Jat farmer legacy.
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #sharadpawar
What is Sharad Pawar upto.. that’s a question that has dogged me ever since I joined this profession in 1988. That was the year when Sharad Pawar became chief minister of Maharashtra a second time and since then Pawar watching has been part of my political beat in a way. His twists, turns and U turns have been such that no one is sure what Mr Pawar will do next except the Maharashtra leader himself. The latest twist comes with Pawar’s statement that he is against a JPC into the Adani affair and feels that the industrialist is being needlessly hounded without hard evidence of guilt. At a time when the Congress, Rahul Gandhi and much of the opposition has been targeting Gautam Adani, there can be varying interpretations of Mr Pawar’s remarks made to Adani owned NDTV. A) Pawar wants to sabotage opposition unity B) Pawar wants to distance himself from Rahul Gandhi’s high decibel anti Adani campaign c) Pawar is sending out signals to the BJP that he could do a deal with them in the future.
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #rahulgandhi #modi #pressconference
I was trending on twitter for almost 48 hours. The reason? My interaction with Rahul Gandhi at a press conference had gone viral. You see I asked Rahul Gandhi a question at the presser to tell us what would be his next steps on his legal and political strategy following his disqualification from parliament. Mr Gandhi answered: I have only one step that is to fight for the truth in the country and defend democratic nature that is under brutal attack.. At that moment, I tried to intervene and ask him to be more specific. Mr Gandhi responded: please let me finish Rajdeep, unless you want to answer it for me… you do that also sometimes..”
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #pmmodi #bjpindia #rahulgandhi #indiannationalcongress #opposition
Something significant happened in indian politics this week.. at a dinner hosted by Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, 19 opposition political parties landed up in solidarity over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha. It would have been 20 but the Shiv Sena gave the dinner a miss in protest against Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on savarkar. So, here is the big question: will 2024 be Modi and the BJP versus all?
#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #rahulgandhi #bjpindia #inc
Rahul Gandhi sentenced for two years in a criminal defamation case by a surat court. His critics are rejoicing saying Rahul has got his just desserts for making reckless statements.. his supporters are anguished saying this is a deliberate attempt to intimidate him into silence. We live in such polarized times that it seems impossible to have a rational debate on most political issues.
