Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories.
Articles by Zia Haq
Help from the skies for Basmati growers
This monsoon Basmati growers in the country will get satellite-aided farm inputs as sowing begins amid strong export competition from Pakistan and higher internal demand.
Alphonso wins over Americans in 2 years
The crop has been bad this year, but exports are growing. It has been that kind of a year for the Alphonso, the most expensive of the about 1,000 varieties of mangoes grown in India.
CPI hits brazen big brother
Big brother, take note. An unhappy CPI cocked a snook at the CPM for its “arrogance”, dropping a strong hint of displeasure with the principal Left ally for playing political hardball, reports Zia Haq.
Third Front idea was a flop, admits CPM
Admitting that the idea of the Third Front was neither “credible” nor “viable”, the CPM Politburo on Tuesday said that it was the chief reason for its poll debacle.
Updated on May 20, 2009 01:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Murmurs against Karat continue
The CPI(M) went into damage control mode on Monday to contain the increasingly audible murmurs of the West Bengal unit against party general secretary Prakash Karat, 61, and the central leadership, reports HT.
Updated on May 19, 2009 12:14 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, Nagendar Sharma & Tanmay Chatterjee, New Delhi, Kolkata
The Front that never was
About 714 million voters of India’s 1.1 billion people — twice the population of the US — did not want a coalition with no critical mass and common programme to steer the country, writes Zia Haq.
Updated on May 17, 2009 03:24 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
CPM concedes overall defeat
The CPM, the principal Left party, has accepted defeat, saying that the Congress and its allies will be in a position to form the government, writes Zia Haq.
Updated on May 16, 2009 02:04 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq
Left readies for Front show
The Left on Friday stepped up efforts to keep its loosely built coalition of smaller regional parties together and asserted that they are as much opposed to the Congress as to the BJP.
Changing tones: Karat comes full circle on Congress
With exit polls indicating only a slender edge for the Congress and a crumbling of the Third Front, the Left could tacitly allow the formation of a Congress-led minority government. Zia Haq reports. Full Coverage | KaratSpeak
Updated on May 15, 2009 03:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Left puts up a brave Front
Third Front constituents TRS, JD(S) and AIADMK have already expressed willingness to do business with the BJP or the Congress but the Left has not given up its hopes of forming a ‘non-Congress, non-BJP’ government.
CPM denies move to remove Kerala CM
The CPI(M) denied any move to remove Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan (85), for his stand that the CBI be permitted to prosecute state party boss Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin case. Zia Haq & Ramesh Babu report.
Updated on May 10, 2009 01:23 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq & Ramesh Babu, New Delhi/kerala
To stop price rise, govt steps in with sugar imports
Ships carrying small mountains of sugar will sail into Indian ports starting May 15, a move that will, hopefully, ensure soaring domestic prices don’t snowball into another election issue.
Updated on May 02, 2009 01:10 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq Zia Haq, New Delhi
In Gulbarg, Jafri still lives on
Every other day, baker Abdul Hannan takes groups of curious Muslims on a tour of Ahmedabad’s Gulbarg Society as if it were another mausoleum. Hannan hates it, but visitors insist he lead them down memory lane.
Karat clarifies ‘PM from LS’ remark
The Left on Monday clarified that CPM chief Prakash Karat’s remark to a TV channel had nothing to do with either Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the Congress. Karat had said that the prime minister should be from Lok Sabha. Zia Haq reports.
Updated on Apr 28, 2009 12:38 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Left won’t dump allies for UPA, says Karat
Prakash karat sent out a clear message to UPA allies that seeking the support of the Left alone was futile. The Left, he said, is not alone; it is part of a 10-party front. Any talks would have to include the entire bloc. Zia Haq reports.
BJP’s promised us Gorkhaland, says hill party
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the party fighting to carve up north Bengal, has said it offered its stronghold Darjeeling to Jaswant Singh after the BJP pledged to help create a “Gorkhaland”, Zia Haqreports.
UPA allies take Left turn
They may paint the Left black but they cannot black it out. Major UPA allies have sought to revive their hotlines with the Left again, realising the Communists would form a crucial bloc despite a likely drop in their tally. Pawar, Lalu and Paswan reach out to the communists, say they are key to forming a secular govt, Zia Haq reports.
Centre releases more sugar to tame prices
The Centre has released an additional 6 lakh tonnes of sugar for the period April-May for sale in the open market, over and above the 54 lakh tonnes previously released for the quarter.
Updated on Apr 20, 2009 01:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Plea to put off Kandhamal polls
Christian organisations don’t want elections in the district as many of the riot victims are displaced and cannot vote. Twelve candidates are in the running from Kandhamal. Zia Haq reports.
Updated on Apr 09, 2009 12:10 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Battle for beard set to get bigger
Muslim organisations are up in arms over an alleged comment on Monday by a Supreme Court judge, who reportedly cited “Talibanisation” while turning down a Muslim student’s plea to sport a beard in school, reports Zia Haq.
CPM won’t back Cong, that’s certain
In an interview to the HT, Karat says the Left would not have pulled out from the Congress-led government mid-term, but for the nuclear deal. He also explains what could happen between the CPM and Congress in the future. Excerpts:
Updated on Apr 02, 2009 12:38 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Varghese K George & Zia Haq, New Delhi
Namaaz resumes at protected mosque
After a lull of at least 100 years, prayers are being offered again at the 16th century tomb and mosque of Jamali Kamali in Mehrauli. Except this time round the offering of namaaz is unauthorised-this being a centrally protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.
Updated on Apr 02, 2009 12:24 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Satyen Mohapatra and Zia Haq, New Delhi
Red Alert
Third Front doesn’t seem to be much of a pre-poll reality, with the CPM, which was its prime mover, itself struggling to seal seat-sharing deals with ‘allies.’ Nagendar Sharma & Zia Haq report.
Updated on Apr 01, 2009 12:27 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Nagendar Sharma & Zia Haq, New Delhi
Prakash Karat does not rule out Left joining or leading Govt
Don’t rule out a Left prime minister just yet. If the Left succeeds in forming a non-Congress, non-BJP government, it would take a call on joining and even leading it, CPM chief Prakash Karat said on Saturday. It is keeping its options open, report Varghese K George and Zia Haq.
Updated on Apr 01, 2009 12:57 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Varghese K. George and Zia Haq, New Delhi
At G20, matters of economics and faith
As the heads of the nations and CEOs get together for the G20 summit in London on Thursday to discuss and find a way out of the global economic crisis, they will also turn to religion for help.
Assam Cong hits back, queers pitch for Ajmal
The fight for 40 per cent Muslim votes in Assam has come full circle, as the Assam United Democratic Front, led by perfume baron and Deoband cleric Badruddin Ajmal, squares off with the Congress in eight seats where Muslim votes can tip the scale, reports Zia Haq.
Left takes pride in ‘negative role’
Firepower returned to the Left-Congress slanging match on Saturday, the first time the Prime Minister and top Left leaders snapped back at one another on a single day since they broke up over the nuclear deal in July last year.
Updated on Mar 25, 2009 12:42 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
CPM names Front’s man for Kozhikode
Brushing aside differences in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, the CPM on Saturday named its candidate for Kozhikode.
Updated on Mar 22, 2009 12:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Support from Cong okay: CPI
CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan on Saturday said the party would have no qualms taking support from the Congress for a possible alternative government, echoing what CPM chief Prakash Karat has already said.
Updated on Mar 22, 2009 12:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Zia Haq, New Delhi
Left hoping to poach UPA allies after polls
The Left has for the first time made a clean breast of something everybody suspected — it is talking to Congress allies in the hope that some of them will join the Third Front after the Lok Sabha elections.
Updated on Mar 21, 2009 01:21 AM IST
None | Zia Haq, New Delhi