By T.J.S. George Rajinikant had publicly announced his decision to enter politics, a decision that would have changed Tamil Nadu politics drastically. He was set to reveal the name of his party on December 31. Then he fell ill. Seeing that as an order from God, he said: “I regret to announce that I am…
Is this what Democracy has come to?
January 12, 2021By T.J.S. George Incredible things are happening in America. An incumbent President refusing to vacate office is unheard-of. Donald Trump is doing what no US President has done in the past, indeed, what no Government head in a democracy has done. The result is not just the crumbling of American democracy; physical attacks are taking…
Columnist thinks he is God: Governor
January 5, 2021Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala With apologies to readers, I would like to share this week’s column with Sri Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala. He disapproved of some critical remarks I made about him and wrote: Dear Sri TJS George, I am writing this letter not to rebut what you have written in…
Decline & fall of the Congress. Again
December 22, 2020By T.J.S. George Kapil Sibal, distinguished legal luminary who is also an ardent Congressman, said recently: “People don’t see Congress as an alternative to the existing Government. We lost all by-elections in Gujarat. In some UP Constituencies, Congress candidates got less than 2 percent votes. Three candidates in Gujarat lost their deposits.” He must have…
Tharoor-style non-stop stimulation
December 1, 2020By T.J.S. George Shashi Tharoor seems to be a non-stop writing machine. He is a busy man — Member of Parliament, in-demand public speaker, international traveller and what not. In the midst of all that, he finds the time and the energy to turn out not just any book, but thick volumes full of research…
Obama: Legacy of a civilised mind
November 24, 2020By T.J.S. George Barack Obama’s autobiography caught attention in India because of his remark on Rahul Gandhi and “the nervous unformed quality about him.” In the process, the sheer grandeur of the book, “A Promised Land,” escaped attention. Actually, the Obama opus is a classic, in the range it covers, in its analytical depth, and…
The thrill of changing colours
October 20, 2020By T.J.S. George Kushboo has joined the BJP. So did Veerappan’s daughter Vidyarani some time ago. Giving the forest brigand the honour due to him, BJP made his daughter the State Vice-President of the party’s Youth Wing. Kushboo cannot expect the same high status as Veerappan’s family, but she is sure to be accommodated soon…
‘Loyalists’ injurious to health
September 22, 2020By T.J.S. George In a non-democratic family enterprise such as the Congress, even the appearance of rebellion is unthinkable. That is why last month’s letter of dissent by 23 senior leaders triggered an earthquake in the party. The letter was in fact no rebellion. It raised a call for internal reform, a reasonable idea in…
All the lying they have done
September 8, 2020By T.J.S. George A few days ago, for the first time in my eventful life, I felt jealous of the Americans. I was watching a press conference with President Trump facing his usual crowd of White House correspondents. One of them, with no dramatics, leaned back on his chair and asked matter-of-factly: “Do you regret…
Congress: Exploding from within ?
September 1, 2020By T.J.S. George There was a storm in the Congress teacup last week. It re-established two facts. One, that there is a section of Congressmen who now see the Gandhi family’s hold on the party as unhealthy. Two, that they are not strong enough to prevail. Hangers-on of the family, benefiting from being hangers-on, dominate…
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