Dheeraj Kalgutkar

IF is the word to remember all the while. At 8:15 PM on November 8, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in an unscheduled live televised address to the nation announced the circulation of all ₹500 and ₹1000 bank notes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series as invalid and announced the issuance of new ₹500 and ₹2000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi New Series in exchange for the old banknotes. This step was lauded by all (at first) for its boldness and, showing resolve to fight the menace of counterfeit notes running in market and taking fight against Black Money which was Modi’s big electoral promise to new heights. This was initial response (read mostly from social media). But next day when sun rose and people started to function in real world, things got real. The questions on execution of this ‘bold’ step which had large scale ramifications started to make way into normal conversations. But on all that after-effects later. Let’s first dive into that one reason whi...

“The sex tape of Kejriwal government’s women and child development minister begins with this room. The state of the room doesn’t suggest it is a minister’s room. The room has a cupboard (actually they are shelves) and the cupboard has books. One part of the cupboard (shelf) is broken. There’s a calendar hanging on the wall. The calendar needs to be pointed out (with a big, red bobbing arrow) because the calendar could prove to be a big clue in this sex scandal (meanwhile, the calendar is hidden by the ABP news logo). There’s an ordinary mattress with a sheet on it. Delhi’s cabinet minister Sandeep Kumar is about to enter the room with a minister. Minister Sandeep Kumar is wearing a red-coloured half-pant (a shirtless man enters the frame). And the woman is wearing a green dress. The woman is old and perhaps married. Look at this, minister Sandeep Kumar has entered. (Freeze frame, close up shot of Sandeep Kumar’s shirtless torso.)” Transcript (Courtesy: Shivam Vij )...

Dear Modi supporters, Let me make it easier and clear for you. Remember the ‘Indira is India, India is Indira,’ cry of Congress. Well, you are increasingly imitating those sycophants. No matter who is the leader, India has been India, is and will remain so. Yes, Modi is the popular leader but there are still people in few (or most of) villages who don’t know who Modi is. So calm down. Here is something on Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), mocking India or celebrating India’s defeat in getting breakthrough at Seoul, banning Chinese goods to teach China a lesson they won’t forget and a bit more. First things first, yes China opposed India’s bid to become member nation of NSG but it was not China alone. In addition to China, Switzerland and Brazil, both nations which previously supported India’s claim, withdrew their support. Switzerland, in case you forgot, was the country which our respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a tour of. ‘Futile’ is the word you must be looking for. Ap...

On 12 October, 2005 came into force the Right to Information Act (RTI) which enables the citizens of India to ask for information from the public authority and mandates timely response to citizen’s requests for government information; the first application was given to a Pune Police station. The act was hailed by not just the activists and press inside but also outside country’s borders for easing the gap between citizens and their political masters, for bringing accountability and transparency. From then many prominent civil society members and ordinary citizens who are aware of their rights have used this tool to obtain information and question authority wherever necessary. Thanks to this, many corruption cases have been unearthed and different political parties have used this scams to charge at their opposition. Although the act was passed under Congress regime, it won’t be wrong to say that it’s the BJP, then in opposition which had reaped all its results by he...

R K Laxman would have been happy to see his Common Man take centre-stage and not stay somewhere in corner The creator of Common Man, late RK Laxman sir would have been triumphant to see his common man script history on political mindscape of India. His common man is no more the silent spectator but have grown to be wise enough now to exercise his power which our system bestows him once in five years. He not just watches the drama unfolding before him but takes note of who is saying what and who is doing what, and then punches the vote so hard that even the man on whose sole shoulders a party rode to power with astounding majority fails to manage to save its face. Single digit for a party who stormed national and state elections few months ago is just sham and nothing! Did Aam Aadmi Party use any intelligent strategy, master-stroke in now-just-over-historic Delhi elections? They didn’t. The AAP precisely used the open nature of Indian Democracy where nothing is written...

As the largest democracy of the world goes to polls this season, most of the folk are asking who should they vote for or should I say, most of them have already made their minds to vote for so and so! Development, legacy, over-the-top oratory, new energy or be it old issues in new package; we all have our own reasons to press that one button, the one that will decide next five years. There are people who perceive it as power-in-their-hands and there are those who see it as the same old compulsion to do so. For a hundred million voters who will press that button from EVM for first time is kind of an excitement, it’s kind of buttons from some remote control that will decide his/her boss! Sounds like digging pit for ourselves! Doesn’t it? Meanwhile, somebody should go salute those greats who sit in the comforts of their homes complaining about every other thing that has gone wrong and abuse their leaders in languages any sane person would find alien. What should they ...