Meghnad Desai

Meghnad Desai loves to cook, watch and write about old Bollywood movies and shuttles between London, Delhi and Goa. He pursues controversies on economics, history and anything else which catches his attention. He is also a British parliamentarian sitting in the House of Lords. He has written over 25 books, over 200 articles in learned journals and hundreds of newspaper columns in UK and India.

Out of my mind: Beware of friends

Sun, Nov 11, 2018

Even the destruction of the Babri Masjid happened 26 years ago. What is the urgency now? When the Supreme Court scheduled the hearing in January next year rather than November, why did this storm erupt?

Out of My Mind: The leadership principle

Sun, Nov 04, 2018

The successes in 1937 and 1946 elections established the hegemony of the Congress, which Jawaharlal Nehru was able to strengthen by winning the first three General Elections of independent India decisively. He became the undisputed Leader of India.

Out of my Mind: Lawless lawmen

Sun, Oct 28, 2018

The most encouraging aspect of the Khashoggi story is that a single honest journalist was seen as a threat by the Saudi regime.

The MeToo revolution

Sun, Oct 21, 2018

With #MeToo we are in a much more intense phase of the Revolution which is sweeping India.

Out of my mind: Maha convergence

Sun, Oct 14, 2018

There were hopes that Modi would fail to deliver a majority and a mild secular leader would emerge to lead the NDA coalition.

Out of my mind: The sole reformer

Sun, Oct 07, 2018

It is as if the only branch of government functioning to change society for better is the Judiciary.

Out of my mind: Rafale Recipe

Sun, Sep 30, 2018

HAL has never produced a fully domestically produced fighter plane. This was why India had MIGs prone to crashing.

Modi’s future?

Sun, Sep 23, 2018

Narendra Modi's life in four parts of 17 years each, and the prospects of BJP/NDA in 2019.

Out of my mind: A simple lesson

Sun, Sep 16, 2018

Factional splits are the norm rather than exceptions in Indian politics. This is not because there are deep ideological differences among the parties. The trouble is that they are all alike.

Out of my Mind: A grave danger

Sun, Sep 09, 2018

While the Supreme Court came through with flying colours with its verdict on Section 377, it did something in the week before which has hardly been remarked upon.

Out of my mind: Time running out

Sun, Sep 02, 2018

Being against Modi is not a Manifesto. If India has a low score on human development, if Muslims are a severely economically and socially deprived community, if violence against women and Dalits still persists, it is no good blaming a four-year-old BJP government.

Out of my Mind: Red Fort ready

Sun, Aug 26, 2018

When the Prime Minister spoke last year from the Red Fort, he seemed invincible. It was as if 2019 was in the bag. But the first rule of politics is: Never take an election for granted.

Out of my mind: The man who changed Indian politics

Sun, Aug 19, 2018

No one expected him to be so engaged in improving relations with Pakistan when he was foreign minister. As a Jana Sanghi, he was meant to breathe fire and brimstone in any dealings with Pakistan.

Out of my mind: A sense of priority

Sun, Aug 12, 2018

We only care about lynchings to blame the BJP. Child abuse in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh and wherever next matters only to disrupt parliamentary proceedings. It is a strange sense of priority.

Out of my mind: Imran’s opportunity

Sun, Aug 05, 2018

Imran may get lucky. Most prime ministers have been from either Punjab or Sindh. He is the first from the frontier region.

Out of my Mind: Lynch State

Sun, Jul 29, 2018

I think the Honourable Supreme Court has got it wrong about lynching. It is not the lack of laws but a lack of will to enforce the law which is the issue.

Out of my mind: Power as poison

Sun, Jul 22, 2018

Prime ministers get blamed for everything that goes wrong even when the problem may be with the states and their failure to maintain law and order, as in the cases of lynching or rape or harassment.

Out of my mind: Brexit decisions

Sun, Jul 15, 2018

Political divisions on this issue run through both the ruling party and the Opposition. The process of leaving has a time limit, which ends on March 29, 2019. The UK has to negotiate with the European Commission.

Out of My Mind: IOU, RITA, TINA

Sun, Jul 08, 2018

In Malaga, there was a conference where they discussed topics such as the Index of Opposition Unity (IOU). Don’t believe There is No Alternative (TINA) because lo and behold, Rahul Is The Alternative (RITA).

Out of my mind: Cross dressing

Sun, Jul 01, 2018

The Opposition has the one-item agenda of hating Modi. As in 1971, when the cry of the Old Congress was ‘Indira Hatao’, now it is ‘Modi Hatao’. Then Indira Gandhi said ‘Garibi Hatao’ ,and Modi’s refrain of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is on similar lines.