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sebastian p.t.

Sebastian P.T.

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Photo: Reuters

'There needs to be a comma here': When Vajpayee donned the editor's cap in his last interview

by Sebastian P.T. |Aug 16, 2019

An insider's account on two interviews with former Indian Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, more than a decade ago. Interviews that also happened to be the last interviews given by the charismatic mas...

Election campaign spending involve huge costs and, in reality, the actual spend is many times the maximum amount a candidate can legally spend.

Political parties should account for every rupee

by Sebastian P.T. |Jul 1, 2013

Huge election costs are among the root causes of corruption in the country. Greater financial transparency of political parties can certainly make a big impact in containing corruption.

Villagers agitating against the land acquisition for an SEZ project in Uttar Pradesh. <em>Photo: Shekhar Ghosh/www.indiatodayimages.com</em>

Special Economic Zones grapple with slow growth at the cost of myopic policies

by Sebastian P.T. |Aug 21, 2012

Not all is well with the country's special economic zones. More than a quarter of the country's exports still come from them, but SEZs are grappling with a sharp slowdown in growth.

A file photo of Mallikarjun Kharge

Kharge gets Railways in Cabinet reshuffle

by Sebastian P.T. |Jun 17, 2013

In what is probably the last expansion of the UPA-II Cabinet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday inducted eight new faces in his ministry - four Cabinet-level ministers and four new ministers...

   Mamata Banerjee (L) and Naveen Patnaik in a file photo

Can the Third Front become a reality?

by Sebastian P.T. |Jun 12, 2013

In recent times, before every general election, some regional party (or parties) throws up the idea of a Third Front all over again, excluding both the BJP and the Congress.&nbsp; In the past week...

BJP has named Narendra Modi as its poll campaign committee chairman (Photo: AP)

The challenges before Narendra Modi

by Sebastian P.T. |Jun 9, 2013

Though the Gujarat chief minister may have edged closer to being named a prime ministerial candidate after the BJP chose him to lead its election campaign for national polls in 2014, he is still a...

Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi hope for a political hat trick <em>Photo: Shekhar Ghosh/www.indiatodayimages.com</em>

Early general elections are most unlikely

by Sebastian P.T. |May 24, 2013

The flurry of reforms it has launched in the last few months have given the government confidence. The Congress is banking on populist measures such as the direct cash transfer scheme and the food...

NMDC was allowed to mine through the ban. This mine is at Kumaraswamy Hills in Sandur taluka <em>Photo: Nilotpal Baruah/www.indiatodayimages.com</em>

Karnataka polls: Bellary emerges from Reddy brothers' shadow, readies for change

by Sebastian P.T. |May 1, 2013

As the district emerges from the shadow of the Reddy brothers, it faces the sobering aftermath of illegal mining. But with the ban on new leases lifted, Bellary is readying for change.

Was Rahul Gandhi able to impress business tycoons

by Sebastian P.T. |Apr 9, 2013

Business tycoons were looking for clues to Rahul Gandhi's economic vision, but he did not go into specifics in his address to the CII.

Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar <em>Photo: Vivan Mehra</em>

Narendra Modi vs Nitish Kumar: Who makes for a better PM

by Sebastian P.T. |Apr 10, 2013

Who makes a better choice as prime minister: Narendra Modi or Nitish Kumar? Examine their track records.