Rajdeep Sardesai is senior journalist, author and TV news presenter. His book 2014: The election that changed India is a national best seller that has been translated into half a dozen languages. He tweets as @sardesairajdeep
Articles by Rajdeep Sardesai
The contrasting styles of leadership in BJP and Congress
The internal politics of the BJP may be tightly controlled, but it conveys an impression of change. Such coherence is absent in the Congress, as was seen in the recent chaos over its presidential poll
Published on Oct 06, 2022 06:38 PM IST
The ‘Gujarat factor’ in the development project
The Vedanta-Foxconn deal has sparked claims of favouritism, reviving old rivalries. In the spirit of federalism and fair competition, the Centre should nurture a level playing field for all states
Published on Sep 22, 2022 07:01 PM IST
A way out of Congress’s gravest existential crisis
As the Bharat Jodo Yatra takes off, the Congress has to focus sharply on messaging, leadership, and, most critically, its mass connect. Only then can it take on the BJP
Updated on Sep 08, 2022 08:22 PM IST
The silence in the Bilkis Bano case is deafening
From political leadership and the media to citizens, the release of the gang rapists and murderers in this case has not shaken our collective conscience
Published on Aug 26, 2022 10:02 AM IST
What Nitish’s move says about Modi-Shah’s BJP
His predicament was a consequence of a distinct power shift in the BJP of Modi-Shah, compared to the Advani-Vajpayee era, where alliances with once powerful regional satraps are becoming almost inconsequential
Published on Aug 11, 2022 08:35 PM IST
Why free speech is losing in India
With no clear lines drawn between free and unlawful speech, there is a growing sense of unease at speaking out fearlessly
Updated on Jul 28, 2022 08:30 PM IST
Will it be a Modi hat-trick in 2024?
While the BJP is making the right moves and has its eyes set on the South, the Opposition has failed to develop a counter-narrative or leadership model. This is making the BJP’s route to absolute power easier
Updated on Jul 14, 2022 08:24 PM IST
BJP looks to capture Sena’s political space
Maharashtra’s 2022 coup is a retaliation for the betrayal of 2019. Eknath Shinde may be the new CM but the real power will be with the BJP
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 08:28 PM IST
What ails the Indian TV media industry
Polarised debates have replaced traditional news-gathering, with the Left and Right accusing the TV news media of bias. And the elephant in the room is the growing influence of social media in shaping the public discourse and TV news
Updated on Jun 16, 2022 09:03 PM IST
Why India’s federal compact is eroding
Conflict between the Centre and some states is growing and now spans revenue-sharing formula and the implementation of NEET. The idea of cooperative federalism is unfortunately tangled in competitive and self-destructive politics
Updated on Jun 02, 2022 09:27 PM IST
The Congress must save itself, first
The Congress’s ad-hoc leadership style has left the party in a state of perpetual inertia. The Udaipur Declaration recognises the urgent need for a revamp. To achieve that, the party needs to make some tough calls
Updated on May 19, 2022 07:16 PM IST
The neta-police nexus must be dismantled
Every regime has seen police partisanship backed by executive overreach, with little regard for due process. Break this chain, now
Published on May 05, 2022 07:23 PM IST
What the communal flare-ups manifest
A deliberate attempt is being made to find polarising issues aimed at othering Muslims — hijab, halal meat, azaan, the list is growing
Updated on Apr 21, 2022 05:58 PM IST
Why two nations bowled out two prominent netas
While Khan and Sidhu are not too similar, what they share is the failure to recognise the limits of personality-driven politics replacing institutional cohesion in democratic set-ups
Published on Apr 07, 2022 07:54 PM IST
The Kashmir Files: A tragedy retold
While the film might be therapeutic for Pandits, it does not provide any perspective on critical issues such as Delhi-Srinagar intrigue, rigged polls, State brutalities, and demands for greater autonomy and azaadi
Updated on Mar 24, 2022 07:22 PM IST
How the BJP rewrote the rules of politics in UP
The party expanded its social base, pushed welfarism, and targeted the SP’s and Congress’s dynastic culture. The BJP’s rise, however, would not have been as striking without the presence of Modi as messenger-in-chief
Updated on Mar 12, 2022 08:23 AM IST
In UP polls, the BJP has a clear edge
The lack of Opposition options, astute social engineering, welfare outreach, tight media management and the enduring appeal of Hindutva are likely to help the BJP in the crucial state
Updated on Feb 24, 2022 07:35 PM IST
What Lata-di meant to the subcontinent
No one has comforted and unified so many millions like the melodious voice of Lata Mangeshkar, cutting across barriers of caste, community, region, even nationality
Updated on Feb 10, 2022 05:55 PM IST
The AAP is still a work in progress
It is no more a moral project, but a hardnosed political party. And instead of targeting the BJP, the party is infringing upon the Congress’s customary footprint
Updated on Jan 27, 2022 10:42 PM IST
2022 elections: It’s back to divisive politics
For leaders who have no answer to the real challenges — jobs, corruption, education, or public health — there is always heightened religious identity politics to fall back upon
Updated on Jan 13, 2022 08:44 PM IST
In 2022, a prayer for a better year for India
From politics to economy, from religious intolerance to health imbalances, every arm of the nation needs reform
Updated on Dec 30, 2021 08:42 PM IST
In India, corruption is the great leveller
The nature of the corruption may vary, but the ‘deal-making’ is in-built into a well-entrenched system of localised political-bureaucratic networks
Updated on Dec 16, 2021 07:58 PM IST
The shift in PM Modi’s strategy
Beyond immediate polls, he is conscious of the need to come across as caring and benevolent when it comes to the poor and farmers
Updated on Dec 05, 2021 08:32 PM IST
The limits of the Gandhi-Khurshid strategy
Take on Hindutva — but remember that it will have clear electoral implications and give the BJP a tool to distract voters
Updated on Nov 18, 2021 06:26 PM IST
Mumbai’s police-politics-crime nexus
The Wankhede-Aryan-Malik story is one that blurs the lines between crime, policing, and politics. Mumbai’s worst kept secrets have come tumbling out
Updated on Nov 04, 2021 02:35 PM IST
The idea of political accountability
Indian politics doesn’t take the idea of conflict of interest seriously. This allows politicians to escape responsibility
Updated on Oct 22, 2021 05:32 PM IST
The Rahul versus Mamata versus Arvind battle
The Congress can’t be discounted, but its weaknesses have emboldened other parties to expand their national footprint
Updated on Oct 07, 2021 04:50 PM IST
In Indian politics, the challenge of transition
In the absence of inner-party democracy, arriving at a fine balance between gen-next aspirations and an ageing political leadership seems difficult. In politics, the premium placed on experience and stature makes it even more problematic to bring about any overnight change. But there is a way out
Updated on Sep 23, 2021 08:26 PM IST
Indian sport: The triumph, the challenge
The government has put in work to improve India’s performance. But governance structures need an overhaul
Updated on Sep 09, 2021 06:16 PM IST
The agony of being a secular Indian Muslim
Islamists insist on religious solidarity. The Hindu Right insists on patriotism tests. Both are wrong
Updated on Aug 26, 2021 03:00 PM IST
