Congress targets Centre after Trump trade disclosure
Congress intensified its attack on the Narendra Modi government after United States President Donald Trump publicly outlined elements of an India–US trade understanding, including commitments on oil purchases and indications of tariff reductions, before New...
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Rajya Sabha uproar over Epstein reference during address debate
Tempers flared in the Rajya Sabha on Monday afternoon after Aam Aadmi Party...
in Happening Now Feb 3 ·
Trump envoy’s quiet signal precedes US–India trade pact
Washington’s announcement of a US–India trade agreement arrived with familiar flourish on Donald...
in Happening Now Feb 3 ·
Banerjee warns of eroding parliamentary rights amid row
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Monday questioned the manner in which Congress...
in Happening Now Feb 3 ·
Opinion
Appeal
The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.Total Confusion Over The Status Of India-US Trade Deal Prevailing
By Nitya Chakraborty The announcement on India-US trade deal was expected, but the manner in which both President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the same in social media has led to big confusion. After a phone call with Narendra Modi, Trump claimed on Monday that the...
Is India-Us Trade Deal A Reality Or It Is Another Trumpian Trick?
By Anjan Roy If a trade deal between two large countries could be announced immediately after a phone call from a president to a prime minister, then such a deal could at best be described as phoney. Alternatively, there was enough basis for trade between the countries —India and...
Storm Over India-US Trade Deal Caused Disruption In Parliament
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Just within hours of the announcement of India-US trade deal, there arose a political storm in the Parliament of India on Tuesday that disrupted its proceedings. Opposition MPs raised strong objections in both Houses – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – demanding a full debate...
Paying The Centre More Than The States Are Getting From Taxes
By R. Suryamurthy The Sixteenth Finance Commission’s horizontal devolution outcomes have been widely read as a technocratic recalibration—one that finally rewards economic performance by explicitly recognising states’ contribution to national output—but beneath the arithmetic lies a more consequential political-economic shift, in which India’s federal fiscal contract is being re-engineered...
India’s 2026-27 Budget Gets Cautious Welcome For Maturity From Western Media
By T N Ashok India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled her ninth budget on February 1 , a fiscal blueprint designed to sustain the world’s fastest-growing major economy at 6.5% even as Donald Trump’s tariff threats and global economic malaise force policymakers worldwide into a defensive crouch. The response...
Myanmar Junta Backed Party USDP Announces Victory In Rigged Elections
By Tirthankar Mitra Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the military junta backed party won the Myanmar elections in what is widely perceived to be a “sham victory.’ Pointers of democratic irregularity do not make the three phase elections be free and fair poll process. This is the first...
Decoding Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein On Her 175th Death Anniversary
By Jenny Farrell NEW YORK: Yet another Frankenstein film has made its way to the screen. Despite critical acclaim and projected awards, it has little in common with Mary Shelley’s novel. Readers interested in Shelley’s political vision and the historical pressures that gave rise to the book are far...
2026-27 Budget Shows BJP’s Lack Of Confidence In Poll-Bound States
By K Raveendran The Union Budget’s political messaging has been read as carefully as its fiscal arithmetic, particularly in states heading into elections where expectations of targeted concessions were unusually high. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Parliament draped in a Kancheepuram silk saree, a gesture that appeared designed...
Union Budget 2026-27 Ignores Core Labour Concerns, But Claims Right Focus
By Dr. Gyan Pathak The Union Budget 2026-27 clearly ignores core labour concerns of the country, though it speaks of the language of jobs, skill, and future readiness. The most worrisome aspect of the budget is that despite over a decade of contrary experience, especially since 2014 under Prime...
Boosting Defence Capability Is Fine But The Priorities Are Very Crucial
By Girish Linganna When the Finance Minister announced ₹7.85 lakh crore for defence in Budget 2026-27, many of us probably thought—okay, that sounds like huge money. But let me tell you something interesting: spending more rupees doesn’t always mean we’re getting stronger. This is exactly what’s happening with India’s...
Tamil Nadu’s Volatile Pre-Election Scene: Both Fronts Face Problems
By Kalyani Shankar As the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections approach, the main political parties feature two coalitions: the ruling DMK-led alliance with Congress and left parties, and the AIADMK coalition with the BJP and smaller parties. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin continues to lead the DMK, highlighting the importance of...
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Is Flouting Laws At Random
By Ashis Biswas When it comes to flagrantly violating the law and getting away with it, some Indian politicians seem to be in a class of their own! In April/May year, Assembly elections will be held in four states — Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala, along with...
India’s Budget And The Dangerous Comfort Of Complacency On Growth
By R. Suryamurthy India’s Union Budget for 2026–27 presents itself as a document of calm control. Fiscal deficits decline, debt ratios edge downwards, capital expenditure continues to expand, and the rhetoric of prudence is carefully maintained. There is no dramatic retrenchment, no populist surge, and no overt fiscal gamble....
2026-27 Budget Has Deviated From The Standard Model Pursued So Far
By Anjan Roy Finance minster, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented a budget in Parliament on February 1 which is more a multi-year development blueprint for the country than a statement of government’s incomes and expenditures and how the finances are to be managed. At the same time, while the finance minister’s...
Nirmala Sitharaman’s Ninth Quiet Budget Pitches For Stability In An Era Of Global Turmoil
By T N Ashok By the time Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rose in Parliament to present her ninth Union Budget, there was little suspense about the broad direction. This was not meant to be a vote-catching spectacle, despite five assembly elections looming. Nor was it an exercise in fiscal...
2026-27 Budget Once Again Lets Kerala Down
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has come as a big disappointment for Kerala. The Finance Minister has not conceded even a single demand of the State’s 29-strong wish list. The only saving grace – if it can be called one –...
India-EU Free Trade Deal Redraws Balance Of Economic Power
By K Raveendran The sharp note of disappointment sounded by Scott Bessent over the India–European Union free trade agreement says less about a single deal and more about a changing geometry of power in the global economy. At one level, Washington’s frustration reflects a familiar concern that sanctions and...
Economic Survey Lavishes Praise On Kerala’s Programmes
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Economic Survey tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Thursday has praised Kerala’s Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP) and the Kochi Water Metro as models worth replicating. The survey’s praise represents a ringing rebuff to the opposition which has been unleashing...
