Aakar Patel
Read biographyAakar Patel is a writer and columnist. He is a former newspaper editor, having worked with the Bhaskar Group and Mid Day Multimedia Ltd.
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Karnataka elections: Narendra Modi is brave, Rahul, Sonia opportunists
The Congress won elections in Karnataka this week, and the side story was the deflation of Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi. He campaigned in the state (and received raucous crowds as he always does these days), but his party was hammered. This is seen, correctly, as his inability to influence national elections. To #Congress #Gujarat #InMyOpinion #Karnataka #Karnataka 2013 #Narendra Modi #Nehru #Pluralism #Politics #Rahul Gandhi #Secularism #Sonia Gandhi
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Why are Pakistan’s politicians so casual about Islamist terror?
A high level of violence has been internalised by Pakistanis and accepted as normal. One is tempted to say that Pakistanis don't actually see violence against the state's organs and political parties as a problem. In fact this is visible in the total lack of interest during the election campaign. The manifestos #ConnectTheDots #Imran Khan #Islamist terror #Pakistan #Pakistan Muslim League #Terrorism #Violence #World
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None of the Pakistan parties care about terrorism
Aakar Patel compares the manifestos of the three parties ahead of the Pakistan election and finds that violence in Pakistan is nowhere close to reducing.
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In India, the politician is more moral than the voter
The high-minded and moral party is usually punished by the voter for acting on principle. The Bharatiya Janata Party refuses to reconcile with the Lingayat leader Yeddyurappa in Karnataka. The Congress refuses to reconcile with the Reddy leader Jaganmohan in Andhra Pradesh. In both instances, an ambitious man charged with serious #BS Yeddyurappa #Caste #Jagan Mohan Reddy #Karnataka #Politics #Tamil Nadu
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Top 5 people not qualified to be India’s next PM
Aakar Patel lists out the top five people who are not qualified to be India's next Prime Minister for some very valid reasons. The list will definitely surprise
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Manto on Iqbal, the writer of ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’
Allama Iqbal died in 1938, a decade before Partition, but he is seen as a Pakistani poet. Iqbal was the writer of the poem Saare jahan se achcha, and he was also one of the ideologues of a separate state for Muslims. He is today celebrated in Pakistan, though mainly #Iqbal #Manto'sMusings #Saare Jahan Se Achcha
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Manmohan Singh had his shot: Give India’s economy to someone else
How will India's high growth continue? Its run as the world's second fastest growing economy has already ended, and chances of it returning to that position don't seem good. The Congress under Manmohan Singh has failed to deliver consistently high growth and the numbers are now clear. In the last nine years, Singh's #BJP #Congress #HowThisWorks #Indian Economy #Manmohan Singh #Rahul Gandhi
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When Modi wrote: Whole world seems to be in my grasp
If you thought Narendra Modi was only jostling for the post of PM or firing salvos at Rahul Gandhi you are wrong. Here is the new avatar of Modi - the Gujarati poet.
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Women’s safety and other reasons to love Kolkata
Recently, an article published in Mint called Kolkata an old-age home for the middle-class. Every other day, there is one editorial or other in national newspapers lamenting how Kolkata, despite being a metropolis, has little in the way of opportunities and growth. However, there are hundreds of reasons to still
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Why Surat is India’s most interesting city
This month, Surat was judged India's best city. The parameters for this included, according to a report in the Times of India, "mobility, water supply network, cleanliness, public amenities, pollution control, greenery, safety and easy processes of getting work done at the corporation." Pune stood second in the "quality of life" #Bangalore #JustSaying #Mumbai #Surat