As president of the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti has been a key — and controversial — player in the current crisis raging in the state. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Resident Editor Seema Chishti, she shares her party’s experience of being part of the Ghulam Nabi Azad government, the PDP’s acrimonious withdrawal from the coalition, and possible solutions to the Amarnath land transfer row
Lord Swraj Paul is not just another NRI. He is a pioneer in many respects. Back in the 80s, he was in the news for his attempts to take over two long standing business houses, the DCM and Escorts. He runs the largest one family business in the UK, Caparo. He is also a member of the Labour Party and was awarded Padma Vibhushan. Currently, he is busy opening a plant in Singur in West Bengal. In this interaction, moderated by Contributing Editor Coomi Kapoor, he answers questions on everything — from climate change to the role of philanthropy in capitalism.
Senior RSS leader Madan Das Devi is of the opinion that the current agitation in Jammu is not political in nature and it is the involvement of a large section of people that has pressurised the administration. In this Idea Exchange, moderated by Senior Editor, Politics, Vandita Mishra, he talks about the RSS’ relationship with the BJP, uniform civil code, and UP politics
Abani Roy, Rajya Sabha MP of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, is of the opinion that had the Left taken its decision to withdraw support in November 2007, it would have been impossible for the UPA to win the trust vote. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Special Correspondent Suman K Jha, the veteran Communist leader talks about the RSP’s relationship with the CPI(M), political scenario in West Bengal, and why Left unity is a must in order to reach out to the Hindi-speaking belt
Hailing from the Communist bastion of Vayalar in Kerala, Vayalar Ravi was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971. In 2006, he became Cabinet Minister for Overseas Affairs. During last week’s trust vote, as the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, he played a crucial role in gathering the numbers for the UPA. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Executive Editor Unni Rajen Shanker, he talks about horse-trading and what happened in Parliament on that day
With four decades of film-making behind him, Adoor Gopalakrishnan has given Indian cinema a number of wonderful films — from Swayamvaram to his latest Naalu Pennungal. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke awards, and is also the best-known Indian film-maker abroad after Satyajit Ray. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Executive Editor Unni Rajen Shanker, he talks about why he terms all his films as commercial, the fact that his films are about Kerala, his home state, and how films reflect the changing times
Captain Amarinder Singh is a man who has donned many hats. As a member of the royal family, a soldier, an Akali politician, a president of state Congress unit, a chief minister, and an author on military and Sikh history, he claims to have seen and understood Punjab in all its myriad forms. He had an interaction with the staff members of The Indian Express at Chandigarh. Resident Editor Vipin Pubby moderated the discussion
Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan and BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad are both known not to mince words when it comes to taking stand on issues pertaining to their respective ideologies. In this Idea Exchange, moderated by Contributing Editor Coomi Kapoor, Natarajan and Prasad share their views on the Congress’ new-found ally, Samajwadi Party, the nuclear deal and Amarnath Shrine Board, among others
It’s been only a little more than a decade since she made her debut, but within that short span of time Rani Mukerji has created a niche for herself. While her popularity rests on films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Bunty aur Babli, it’s films like Black, Yuva, Saathiya that brought her critical acclaim and awards. In this Idea Exchange at our Mumbai office, moderated by Senior Assistant Editor Harneet Singh, Rani talks about gossips, Black, and her latest flick, Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic
Closely associated with the oil sector deregulation and formulation of the regulatory bill for the downstream sector, Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Sarthak Behuria has more than three decades of experience in the field of refining and marketing. His company is one with staggering numbers: Rs 2,25,000 crore in revenues, 30,000 employees, 18,000-odd petrol pumps. In this Idea Exchange, moderated by P Vaidyanathan Iyer, Business Editor, The Indian Express, he discusses hike in oil prices, government subsidies and why Indian Oil Corporation is almost broke
Raghuram Rajan is Professor of Finance at the Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago. Between 2003-07, he was Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He is the youngest individual to hold the position and the first person of Indian origin chosen to do so. He is co-author of the book, Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists. In this interaction with Express staffers, moderated by Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, Resident Editor of Financial Express, Rajan discusses among other subjects, fuel prices and inflation, subsidies and loan waivers, inclusive economic reforms and how the poor can be helped to help themselves
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