Columnists

Coomi Kapoor

Coomi Kapoor has been a journalist for the last four decades. Her forte has been political reporting. She has witnessed the shifting power equations in the capital -- from Indira Gandhi’s regime to the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party. She is presently contributing editor to The Indian Express. Earlier, she worked for the newspaper as chief reporter, special correspondent and editor, Delhi. Coomi has worked in several publications in different capacities. She was principal correspondent, India Today, editor news, Sunday Mail, bureau chief, Indian Post and political editor, Illustrated Weekly. She has been writing a political diary in a lighter vein since 1985 and her syndicated column was carried by many newspapers. She was also stringer for The Times, London, and columnist for The Star, Malaysia.

Amar Singh’s playbook: How to make friends and influence people

Sun, Aug 02, 2020

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the maverick businessman-politician who wielded remarkable influence at different points of time over a wide variety of people, across parties and fields as diverse as Bollywood and business, died in a Singapore hospital on Saturday of kidney failure.

Inside Track: Priyanka may have lost a prized Lutyens address but her new house has compensations

Sun, Aug 02, 2020

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may have lost a prized Lutyens address in the heart of Delhi, but her new residence, which she purchased many years back, does have compensations.

A bizarre and unscientific policy is behind the menace of stray dogs all over India

Fri, Jul 31, 2020

Experts estimate that barely 10 per cent of India’s dogs have been sterilised and immunised out of a possible 60 million.

Inside Track: Ashok Gehlot, the magician who kept Gandhi scions entertained

Sun, Jul 19, 2020

Proof of K C Venugopal’s incompetence is that Sonia Gandhi’s term as interim president of the party ends on August 10, but he has failed so far to orchestrate a chorus of major Congress leaders demanding Rahul’s return.

Inside Track: Cabinet reshuffle on the cards?

Sun, Jul 05, 2020

Some believe that only middle-rank portfolios in the Cabinet will be switched since PM Modi wants certain politicians replaced by domain experts and those with technical know-how.

Ruler alone is not accountable, everyone who succumbs to authority is no less guilty

Thu, Jun 25, 2020

Coomi Kapoor writes: The economic consequences are devastating for the print media, one of the few credible sources of news in an age where social media is flooded with fake news and propaganda.

Inside Track: Riding high, but rider

Sun, Jun 21, 2020

Rajnath Singh may be politically far more relevant today than before, but the danger of being pushed upwards is that he can also be a convenient scapegoat.

‘Rock of Nariman household, she always helped the underdog’

Wed, Jun 10, 2020

Unlike her husband, who made it a point of stressing that he was a Parsi from Burma, Bapsi was very much a Bombay girl, born and brought up in the city.

Ajay Singh (1950-2020): ‘Bit of a misfit in politics – too much of a gentleman’

Wed, Jun 10, 2020

Ajay Singh was a rare Indian politician who had almost no enemies. JD(U) general secretary and a close friend, K C Tyagi, remarked, “He was a bit of a misfit in politics --- he was too much of a gentleman.”

Inside Track: No house calls

Sun, Jun 07, 2020

Anand Sharma, as chairperson of the parliamentary committee on home affairs, invited members to meet at Parliament House on June 3. He felt that those MPs unable to attend in person due to lockdown protocols could participate through an Internet platform.

Inside Track: Double speak on dealing with Tablighi Jamaat

Sun, May 24, 2020

When PK Mishra took over from Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the PM, it was assumed that he would automatically wield the most clout in Modi’s secretariat. But the recent allocation of reporting authority for portfolios in government suggests that power equations may be changing.

Inside Track: Kishor’s expertise

Sun, May 10, 2020

It is unclear whether Prashant Kishor will stay on in the state. Some Trinamool leaders and an advertising agency owner perceive him as a threat. Even Mamata Banerjee is wary of Kishor’s alleged BJP links.

Inside track: Amit Shah has not been very visible since Trump’s visit

Sun, Apr 26, 2020

PM Modi did not appoint Home Minister Amit Shah as chief of the ministerial committee as he needed to take all CMs on board during a pandemic. He knew that Shah’s appointment would rub several CMs the wrong way.

Inside track: Out of Shadows

Sat, Apr 11, 2020

A leading ENT doctor, Vardhan was appointed Health Minister when Narendra Modi took charge in 2014, but within months he was mysteriously pushed to the Science and Technology Ministry.

Only time will tell whether Modi’s biggest gamble will pay off or the solution proves more lethal than Covid-19

Sun, Mar 29, 2020

Opposition politicians complain privately that because of the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an excuse to wriggle out of accountability for the declining economy since there is now a global financial crisis.

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s two aunts in BJP are not exactly thrilled about their nephew joining the party

Sun, Mar 15, 2020

It was not Scindia’s aunts but his in-laws from the Gaekwad royal family of Baroda, Gujarat, who opened a channel for him with Narendra Modi.

Inside Track: Trump’s stumbles

Sun, Mar 01, 2020

It seems there are differences on US-India policy between the old-school bureaucrats in Washington and the recent Trump appointees, including his own family members.

Inside track: Prashant Kishor thinks big

Sun, Feb 16, 2020

Pollster Prashant Kishor, who is from Bihar, wants to create a viable opposition political alliance for the Assembly polls later this year.

Inside track: Ahmedabad’s Motera stadium to host Trump’s ‘Howdy’ event

Sun, Feb 02, 2020

In Modi’s home state, a town hall-style event, similar to the Howdy Modi interaction in Texas, is planned. The venue will be the Motera cricket stadium which has just been completed.

For half a century, Parliament’s Central Hall has been a turf for MPs and scribes to exchange views

Sun, Jan 19, 2020

For over half a century, Central Hall has served as a convenient neutral turf for government and opposition leaders and journalists to informally exchange news and views.

Up and down in 2019: A day can be a long time in politics, the wheel of fortune keeps changing

Sun, Jan 05, 2020

Here are are some key winners and losers at the end of 2019. But who will be at the top in New Year 2021 is anybody’s guess.

Manufacturing Victory

Sun, Jan 05, 2020

An intrepid reporter’s account of how the NaMo effect mesmerised voters across the country.

With ideological differences between Sena and its alliance partner, BJP seeks to embarrass its former ally

Sun, Dec 22, 2019

The wordy skirmish arose after the Sena initially assured the Congress it would vote against CAB and then backtracked.

Inside Track: Unlike the old days, BJP today is extraordinarily cavalier towards allies

Sun, Dec 08, 2019

In the old days, Pramod Mahajan and L K Advani had developed a personal rapport with the Thackeray family and frequently played the role of peacemakers with their demanding partner.

The test of Pawar’s proclaimed innocence is whether Supriya Sule becomes a Central minister within 6 months

Sun, Nov 24, 2019

Pawar was speaking to Ramdas Athawale from the Maharashtra NDA, while Ahmed Patel just a few feet away expressed uncertainty about Maharashtra.