P Chidambaram

P Chidambaram is former Finance minister of India.

Courts sound the bell for liberty

Sun, Feb 28, 2021

P Chidambaram writes: Just as we were giving up hope, there are signs that the defence of individual liberty is not a lost cause.

Numbers do not lie

Sun, Feb 21, 2021

An ill-advised attempt to fudge the numbers and present a so-called ‘budget for growth’ is unpardonable.

The quintessential andolanjeevi

Sun, Feb 14, 2021

P Chidambaram writes: Andolanjeevis will ultimately prevail over those who will suppress speech, writing, expression, dissent, protests, agitations or movements.

A calculating head, but no heart

Sun, Feb 07, 2021

The poor, the migrant labour, the daily wage earner, the small farmer, the owner of the MSME, the unemployed (and their families) and the middle class felt cheated.

Across the aisle: No expectations, no disappointment

Sun, Jan 31, 2021

P Chidambaram writes: I don’t wish to anticipate the Budget. There is a universal demand for increase in investment in health infrastructure and increase in defence expenditure, and I support that demand. The FM may provide more funds under the two heads. Otherwise, I have no expectations of this government.

‘Exact words’ is a betrayal

Sun, Jan 24, 2021

Obviously, someone shared sensitive and protected information. Who was that person?

Across the aisle: ‘Curiouser and curiouser

Mon, Jan 18, 2021

The farmers want the laws to be repealed, the government justified the laws and asked the farmers’ representatives to discuss the Acts clause-by-clause! Please notice the irony: the government that rammed the Bills through the Rajya Sabha without a clause-by-clause discussion or vote should offer a clause-by-clause discussion on the streets of Singhu!

Pandemic, vaccine and controversy

Sun, Jan 10, 2021

There is no evidence that Covaxin is harmful. The trials, so far, have qualified the vaccine on immunogenicity and safety. No adverse reports on efficacy have been received.

Reminding us of August 1942

Sun, Jan 03, 2021

I believe that the farmers’ protests will teach our rulers (present and future) lessons in humility in governance, passing laws in Parliament, and ruling according to the wishes of the people. Mr Modi has indeed won the right to govern India, let him do so with humility.

Work, wealth and welfare

Mon, Dec 28, 2020

In a democracy, good or bad, the cause being external factors or internal developments, the government must bear responsibility. Good or bad, governments must be changed. A sense of permanence is the cause of the beginning of a downfall.

May our children forgive us

Sun, Dec 20, 2020

Demonetisation, the slowdown of the economy over 8 quarters, the pandemic, the loss of jobs, homes and livelihoods, the migration of millions and the recession have greatly impacted the nutritional status of our children.

The new normal is scary

Sun, Dec 13, 2020

The most rampant crime in UP is two young people falling in love and marrying! The ‘new’ normal for UP may become the new normal for India. That is scary.

A fraud on the Constitution

Mon, Dec 07, 2020

The 'love jihad' law is an onslaught on choice; on freedom; on privacy; on dignity; on the equality of man and woman; and on the right to love or live together or marry.

Slow march backward

Sun, Nov 29, 2020

Imagine a developing country, that is desperately in need of capital, actually exporting its capital to other countries to be invested there! American businesses must be laughing all the way to the bank.

Reforms for what — growth or glory?

Sun, Nov 22, 2020

Who delivered most reforms? According to Dr Panagariya, the champions were P V Narasimha Rao and A B Vajpayee, and Mr Narendra Modi belongs to that league of two while Dr Manmohan Singh does not.

By dividing, we fall

Sun, Nov 15, 2020

If the people of Bihar have voted for ‘no change’, we must accept that decision, and move on.

Scepter and crown, must tumble down

Sun, Nov 08, 2020

The overwhelming number of so-called democratic countries is not democratic in the spirit in which the oldest democracy was conceived, including, ironically, the oldest democracy itself!

Slow death of liberal democracy

Sun, Nov 01, 2020

Even as we witness the slow death of liberal democracy, we must ask ourselves ‘who are we?’

The muted must unmute themselves

Sun, Oct 25, 2020

The threat of ‘voting out’ is the real power of the electorate. The time to begin is 2020.

Reforms without growth

Sun, Oct 18, 2020

Let Mr Modi deliver growth before he can aspire to a place among the pantheon of economic reformers.

Impunity, thy name is Uttar Pradesh

Sun, Oct 11, 2020

In a state where the administration is tightly controlled by the Chief Minister, Shri Adityanath, is it possible that each of the above actions (with the exception of the SHO’s) was not within the knowledge of the CM at that time or soon thereafter?

Farm laws — not choice, just noise

Sun, Oct 04, 2020

From the Prime Minister to the spokespersons, none will explain why the farmer is portrayed as bound, hand and foot, to an APMC and the middlemen, when the fact is that 94 per cent of farmers are not.

Fooling all the people all the time

Sun, Sep 27, 2020

Just as demonetisation was a disaster and economic mismanagement since 2017-18 is a continuing catastrophe, the two farm Bills that will become law will debilitate the Indian farming community and the agricultural economy.

Promise broken, states broke

Sun, Sep 20, 2020

The ‘two options’ given by the Centre to the states to borrow are an act of deceit. Will the Centre rise to its responsibility or play the game of ‘my way or the highway’?

Coercive federalism on display

Sun, Sep 13, 2020

It is evident that the Modi government will use its brute majority and pass the amendments, irrespective of the views of state governments, dealing another blow to federalism.