News / Author / Viju Cherian

Viju Cherian

Viju Cherian tries to understand the ever-changing nature of politics and find a method to this madness. He keenly follows politics, international and national.

Articles by Viju Cherian

Too early for the BJP to break out the bubbly in Kerala

That the BJP has “opened its account in Kerala” makes for a good headline — nothing more. Rajagopal’s victory is just symbolic. The LDF’s victory means that the BJP will have to work harder to expand its base in Kerala.

BJP's Thiruvananthapuram candidate S Sreesanth takes a selfie with the party's winning candidate O Rajagopal at the party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.(PTI Photo)

analysis

Updated on May 21, 2016 08:46 PM IST

ByViju Cherian

Bribery allegations false, UDF will come back to power: KM Mani

Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani has been representing Pala, in Kerala, since 1965. On May 16 he will be approaching the electorate for a record 13th time. In an interview to the Hindustan Times Kerala’s former finance minister speaks about retirement in politics, about the UDF government’s achievements and about the controversial bar bribery case.

This election, KM Mani approaches the electorate for a record 13th time after winning from Pala, in Kottayam district, since 1965.(Sonu Mehta/HT File Photo)

elections

Updated on May 13, 2016 02:55 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Pala

Kerala polls | Left and Cong don’t treat Tribals as humans: CK Janu

Tribal leader CK Janu is contesting as an NDA candidate from north Kerala. Has the Left and Congress failed the Tribals of Kerala?

Minister of human resource development Smriti Irani along with the tribal leader and NDA candidate CK Janu.(PTI)

elections

Updated on May 12, 2016 12:01 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Thiruvananthapuram

Will Kerala’s Vadakara see a rerun of 2014 Lok Sabha polls?

Party of slain CPM leader’s widow may eat into LDF’s vote, benefiting UDF

Placards for Rema’s campaigns at her office. She says this election is a chance for people to react to her husband’s murder.

elections

Updated on May 02, 2016 08:36 PM IST

ByViju Cherian, Vadakara

Even schoolgirls drinking liquor, DMK will bring total ban: Elangovan

Former Chennai North Lok Sabha MP and DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan talks about the Jayalalithaa government’s performance, the anti-incumbency factor, the Sri Lankan issue and responds to allegations that the DMK copied the PMK’s draft manifesto.

File photo of DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan.

elections

Updated on May 02, 2016 07:42 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Oommen Chandy has gone soft on the RSS: Pinarayi Vijayan

For 35 years now Kerala has been alternating governments between the CPI(M)-lead Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF).

CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan being welcomed at Kalamassery in Kochi.(Handout photo)

india news

Updated on May 01, 2016 07:55 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Kochi

Three decades after his death, TN parties bank on MGR factor

The late MG Ramachandran is, perhaps, the most illustrious chief ministers of Tamil Nadu.

A stall outside AIADMK office sells Jayalalithaa and MGR merchandise to woo voters.(HT Photo)

elections

Updated on Apr 27, 2016 08:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Jayalalithaa is online CM, people are offline: BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief

BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundrajan tells HT why the alliance broke up, why the party backs prohibition and why five years of J Jayalalithaa was ‘bad’ for Tamil Nadu.

Dr Tamilisai Soundrajan talks about why five years of J Jayalalithaa was ‘bad’ for Tamil Nadu.(File Photo)

elections

Published on Apr 25, 2016 11:53 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Kerala CM Oommen Chandy confident of poll victory

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy is exuberating with confidence that the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance he is heading is poised to win in the May 16 election.

Kerala CM Oommen Chandy, home minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC president VM Sudeeran with Janata Dal (United) president MP Veerendrakumar at his residence, in Kozhikode.(PTI)

elections

Updated on Apr 27, 2016 08:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Kozhikode

Kerala elections: CM Oommen Chandy says UDF will return to power

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy is addressing rallies in Kozhikode on Monday.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy addressing people at an election rally at Karanthodu in Kozhikode on Monday.(Viju Cherian/HT Photo)

elections

Updated on Apr 27, 2016 08:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Kozhikode

Maran’s absence from DMK’s poll campaign raises eyebrows

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi’s influential grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran is missing from the hurly-burly of elections in Tamil Nadu, triggering speculation that the party leadership is distancing itself from the former Union minister.

elections

Updated on Apr 22, 2016 02:33 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Jaya unwell, Karunanidhi too old, Vijayakanth incoherent: Ramadoss

Tamil Nadu CM candidates cannot take care of their everyday needs themselves, says PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss.

elections

Updated on Apr 21, 2016 07:05 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Captain vs Superstar: Vijayakanth’s statements irk Rajinikanth’s fans

‘Captain’ Vijayakanth while addressing a rally at Villivakam near Chennai said that he was not “afraid of anybody” and when threatened by political parties he would not withdraw “like Rajinikanth”. Upset over Vijayakanth’s statements Rajini fans burnt the DMDK leader in effigy in Kodungaiyur area of Chennai on Sunday

Captain Vijayakanth irked a number of Rajini fans during his campaign rallies by his comments over the Superstar.(File photo)

elections

Updated on Apr 22, 2016 01:16 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Is Vijayakanth really a deciding factor in Tamil Nadu elections?

Does Vijayakanth have the political bandwidth to become a deciding factor this Tamil Nadu election? Observers are divided over this.

“Unless there is a groundbreaking development, it appears that Vijayakanth is going into a battle he is less likely to win.”(HT File Photo)

analysis

Updated on Apr 15, 2016 01:35 AM IST

ByViju Cherian, Chennai

Kollam tragedy: More fireworks to follow in Kerala

It will be interesting to see how the Kerala government ensures safety at festivals where the excuse of ‘tradition’ is used to conduct dangerous sound and light shows

Destruction at Puttingal Devi Temple, Paravaur, Kollam, Kerala, after the firework mishap that claimed the lives of more than 110 people.(Hindustan Times)

analysis

Updated on Apr 11, 2016 06:31 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian

‘The BJP is a non-factor in Tamil Nadu’: Khushboo Sundar on the polls

The Tamil Nadu elections this time will be a multi-polar contest, with ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth’s DMDK and Vaiko’s MDMK adding colour and competition to the usual DMK versus AIADMK fare. The BJP is another X-factor in the polls. But Khushboo Sundar, national spokesperson of the Congress, tells Viju Cherian that the Congress-DMK alliance will return to power this May.

A file photo of Congress spokesperson Khusboo Sundar.(HT File Photo)

elections

Updated on Apr 11, 2016 12:20 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

Modi in Saudi Arabia: What to expect, why this hype and what about Iran?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit is important, but to say that it will bring a sea change in bilateral ties is to underestimate the complex geopolitical reality in West Asia — more so, it’s an overestimation of India’s influence in the region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for a working dinner with heads of delegations for the Nuclear Security Summit, White House, Washington, March 31, 2016(REUTERS)

analysis

Updated on Apr 01, 2016 03:42 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

Brussels attack may bolster demand for strong borders within EU

The suicide attack at the Brussels Zaventem airport, which has several people, and an explosion at a busy metro station in the city will place the idea of a borderless Europe under further stress.

People are evacuated from Brussels airport after at least 13 people were killed in explosions.(AFP)

analysis

Updated on Mar 22, 2016 06:42 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

JNU row: Perfect case study to show how media is losing its credibility

The JNU ‘crackdown’ has exposed the media, more than the central government and Delhi Police. There was a time when the Indian media was associated with ‘truth’, ‘freedom’ and ‘justice’; there’s a reason why that has been replaced with loathing.

JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy based on video footage that appears to be doctored. The footage was aired by a television news channel.(Vipin Kumar / Hindustan Times)

analysis

Updated on Feb 23, 2016 11:56 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

Siege of Aleppo: The Islamic State will benefit from this mayhem

The world’s attention, which has been focused on West Asia’s macabre theatre of terror, has shifted to Syria from Iraq, and Aleppo has again become an important city not just for the Bashar al-Assad regime but for all the nations involved in the region.

The action in Aleppo, when read along with the UN report, shows how the IS is slipping off the terror radar.(AFP)

analysis

Updated on Feb 18, 2016 12:57 AM IST

ByViju Cherian

A Republican president will tear up Iran deal: US commentator Pipes

Daniel Pipes, who has served with the US defence and state departments and now heads the Middle East Forum, described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA) signed with Iran as a “very, very strange deal”.

Republican presidential candidates John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, businessman Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and New Jersey governor Chris Christie (L-R) line up on the stage at the beginning of a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by ABC News at the St. Anselm College last week.(AP)

world news

Updated on Feb 12, 2016 06:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

Tricky to assume plurality will be a shield against terrorism

India’s plurality is commendable and its secular fabric has stood the test of time — both things to be proud about. It would, however, be tricky to assume that this would be a shield against terrorism.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India is the sixth-most affected nation in the world by terrorism.(PTI)

analysis

Updated on Feb 10, 2016 01:43 AM IST

ByViju Cherian

Ranjit Katyal did not Airlift me from Kuwait

Viju Cherian was airlifted by the Indian government during the 1990 evacuation from Kuwait but his story is different from Akshay Kumar’s movie.

Actors Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur address a press conference to promote their movie 'Airlift' in New Delhi . 'Airlift' is based on the world's biggest civil evacuation: that of Indians based in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait war.(AFP)

entertainment

Updated on Jan 28, 2016 06:57 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian

Lesson from Kerala: There can be no dissent against Army, State

Looking at the way the government and armed forces reacted to the Pathankot air base attack, our military, which has the third largest “ready-to-fight” force in the world, has left a lot to be desired.

Lt Col EK Niranjan, who lost his life while defusing a bomb on one of the terrorists. Anwar Sadhik from Malappuram in north Kerala was arrested on charges of sedition for his comment made on social media about the late NSG commando.(AFP)

analysis

Updated on Jan 07, 2016 02:03 PM IST

ByViju Cherian

Back to Russia with love: Moscow remains India’s reliable partner

Even though New Delhi has widened its foreign policy horizons, Moscow still remains a strategic and reliable partner

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow in December. Even though New Delhi has widened its foreign policy horizons, Moscow still remains a strategic and reliable partner.(AP File Photo)

analysis

Updated on Jan 06, 2016 01:05 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian

Make in India boost: India to make Russia’s Kamov 226 helicopters

India and Russia on Thursday signed 16 agreements across various sectors — including the manufacturing of nuclear reactors, solar energy plants, railways and the first partnership in defence manufacturing — during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Russia.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia.(REUTERS)

world news

Updated on Dec 25, 2015 01:33 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Moscow

PM Modi visits Russian anti-crisis hub on packed Day 2 in Moscow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began Day 2 of his visit to Moscow with a tour of EMERCOM, the Russian national crisis management centre, where he interacted with officials at their state-of-the-art office.

Vladimir Putin gifts Narendra Modi notes belonging to Mahatma Gandhi during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, on December 23, 2015.(AP Photo)

india news

Updated on Dec 24, 2015 03:48 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Moscow

PM Modi in Russia: After dinner with Prez Putin, summit talks today

After a tete-a-tete, PM Narendra Modi left with Putin for the Novo-Ogaryovo, the Russian President’s dacha or country house, about 27 km from Moscow, where Putin hosted a private dinner for Modi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indian PM Narendra Modi during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday.(AP)

india news

Updated on Dec 24, 2015 03:01 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Moscow

Modi looks for stronger ties with friend-in-need Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday set the tone for his summit meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, describing Moscow as an all-weather friend who backed Delhi during difficult times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at AFS Palam in New Delhi on Wednesday before his departure for Moscow.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on Dec 23, 2015 05:34 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, Moscow

Modi’s Russia visit: Major deals expected in defence, nuclear sectors

On Wednesday, December 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Moscow, Russia, on a two-day visit, to attend the 16th Annual Summit between India and Russia.

On his two-day visit to Russia, Narendra Modi will look to strengthen economic ties, normally a weaker point of Indo-Russian relations.(Reuters Photo)

india news

Updated on Dec 21, 2015 05:13 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByViju Cherian, New Delhi

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Viju Cherian

Viju Cherian tries to understand the ever-changing nature of politics and find a method to this madness. He keenly follows politics, international and national.

That the BJP has “opened its account in Kerala” makes for a good headline — nothing more. Rajagopal’s victory is just symbolic. The LDF’s victory means that the BJP will have to work harder to expand its base in Kerala.

Tribal leader CK Janu is contesting as an NDA candidate from north Kerala. Has the Left and Congress failed the Tribals of Kerala?

Party of slain CPM leader’s widow may eat into LDF’s vote, benefiting UDF

Former Chennai North Lok Sabha MP and DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan talks about the Jayalalithaa government’s performance, the anti-incumbency factor, the Sri Lankan issue and responds to allegations that the DMK copied the PMK’s draft manifesto.

For 35 years now Kerala has been alternating governments between the CPI(M)-lead Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF).

The late MG Ramachandran is, perhaps, the most illustrious chief ministers of Tamil Nadu.

BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundrajan tells HT why the alliance broke up, why the party backs prohibition and why five years of J Jayalalithaa was ‘bad’ for Tamil Nadu.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy is exuberating with confidence that the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance he is heading is poised to win in the May 16 election.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy is addressing rallies in Kozhikode on Monday.

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi’s influential grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran is missing from the hurly-burly of elections in Tamil Nadu, triggering speculation that the party leadership is distancing itself from the former Union minister.

Tamil Nadu CM candidates cannot take care of their everyday needs themselves, says PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss.

Does Vijayakanth have the political bandwidth to become a deciding factor this Tamil Nadu election? Observers are divided over this.

It will be interesting to see how the Kerala government ensures safety at festivals where the excuse of ‘tradition’ is used to conduct dangerous sound and light shows

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit is important, but to say that it will bring a sea change in bilateral ties is to underestimate the complex geopolitical reality in West Asia — more so, it’s an overestimation of India’s influence in the region

The suicide attack at the Brussels Zaventem airport, which has several people, and an explosion at a busy metro station in the city will place the idea of a borderless Europe under further stress.

The JNU ‘crackdown’ has exposed the media, more than the central government and Delhi Police. There was a time when the Indian media was associated with ‘truth’, ‘freedom’ and ‘justice’; there’s a reason why that has been replaced with loathing.

The world’s attention, which has been focused on West Asia’s macabre theatre of terror, has shifted to Syria from Iraq, and Aleppo has again become an important city not just for the Bashar al-Assad regime but for all the nations involved in the region.

Daniel Pipes, who has served with the US defence and state departments and now heads the Middle East Forum, described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA) signed with Iran as a “very, very strange deal”.

India’s plurality is commendable and its secular fabric has stood the test of time — both things to be proud about. It would, however, be tricky to assume that this would be a shield against terrorism.

Viju Cherian was airlifted by the Indian government during the 1990 evacuation from Kuwait but his story is different from Akshay Kumar’s movie.

Looking at the way the government and armed forces reacted to the Pathankot air base attack, our military, which has the third largest “ready-to-fight” force in the world, has left a lot to be desired.

Even though New Delhi has widened its foreign policy horizons, Moscow still remains a strategic and reliable partner

India and Russia on Thursday signed 16 agreements across various sectors — including the manufacturing of nuclear reactors, solar energy plants, railways and the first partnership in defence manufacturing — during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Russia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began Day 2 of his visit to Moscow with a tour of EMERCOM, the Russian national crisis management centre, where he interacted with officials at their state-of-the-art office.

After a tete-a-tete, PM Narendra Modi left with Putin for the Novo-Ogaryovo, the Russian President’s dacha or country house, about 27 km from Moscow, where Putin hosted a private dinner for Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday set the tone for his summit meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, describing Moscow as an all-weather friend who backed Delhi during difficult times.

On Wednesday, December 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Moscow, Russia, on a two-day visit, to attend the 16th Annual Summit between India and Russia.

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