Barkha Dutt is consulting editor, NDTV, and founding member, Ideas Collective. She tweets as @BDUTT.
Articles by Barkha Dutt
How Kejriwal avoided the trap laid by the BJP in this election, writes Barkha Dutt
The system has mellowed him. But the CM has also placed new political cards on the table
Updated on Sep 10, 2020 09:48 PM IST
Opinion| Indians can no longer talk to each other in the age of the mob
The polarisation of personality and thought only suits those who fan it. It is self-defeating
Updated on Jan 25, 2020 08:13 AM IST
The immense integrity and courage of Deepika Padukone, writes Barkha Dutt
In a risk-averse and status-quoist industry such as Bollywood, it’s not easy to go against the tide
Updated on Jan 11, 2020 05:27 PM IST
Anti-CAA protests: The assertion of nationalism and idealism
The protests have signalled the arrival of a new young constituency. And the BJP has alienated it
Published on Dec 27, 2019 07:03 PM IST
How Citizenship Act, NRC will alter the idea of India, writes Barkha Dutt
All of us will have to prove our Indianness. And the poorest and the Muslims will be the most hit
Updated on Dec 14, 2019 06:36 AM IST
Pragya Thakur has to go. She has undermined BJP’s own position, writes Barkha Dutt
If the party believes in nationalism, it must act. Or it will be seen as compromised on the issue
Updated on Nov 30, 2019 06:05 AM IST
Sabarimala: With its ‘essentiality doctrine’, has SC walked into a trap? | Opinion
The court is not the clergy. Instead of deciding on what is integral to faith, follow the Constitution
Updated on Nov 16, 2019 08:09 AM IST
How the BJP went against its India-first narrative, writes Barkha Dutt
The MEPs’ visit, its host’s credentials, and the lockdown have negated the gains the government had hoped for
Updated on Nov 04, 2019 08:35 PM IST
The PMC Bank fraud exposes the limits of capitalism, writes Barkha Dutt
What makes this especially outrageous is that this could have been caught much earlier
Updated on Oct 19, 2019 06:57 AM IST
In polarised times, a Gandhi in Kashmir, a Gandhi for Kashmir, writes Barkha Dutt
J&K needs a facilitator of conversations among soldiers, politicians, people. It needs a strategist
Updated on Oct 04, 2019 07:16 PM IST
The Modi government must allow politics to return to Kashmir, writes Barkha Dutt
It must integrate Kashmir, lift curbs and release leaders. Otherwise, separatists will get stronger
Updated on Sep 07, 2019 08:52 AM IST
Article 370 is gone. It is time to open Kashmir’s political space
Preventing deaths was the State’s first priority. But it now must allow political leaders to operate
Updated on Aug 23, 2019 06:47 PM IST
Opinion | Article 370 fallout: Marginalisation of the Kashmiri mainstream
Having weakened pro-India politicians, haven’t you only ended up strengthening the extremists?
Updated on Aug 10, 2019 07:20 AM IST
The Kargil war: ‘Izzat’ and honour for the soldier, after the headlines fade
The 20th anniversary of the war is a good time to internalise issues that have alienated the military
Updated on Jul 27, 2019 10:12 AM IST
It’s not about streamlining, it is about freedom of the Press
The finance ministry’s paternalistic curbs on PIB-accredited journalists must be revoked
Published on Jul 12, 2019 06:32 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi wants to resign. Here’s why this may be farcical, writes Barkha Dutt
If the Gandhis continue to control the party, they may as well give up any insistence on quitting
Updated on May 26, 2020 09:45 PM IST
Analysis | India needs a new Opposition party. Here’s what the Congress needs to do
India desperately needs a new opposition. Among the available options, this can only emerge if one of the existing regional leaders develops a national footprint or if the Congress is reorganised to be a newly born mélange of assertive state chieftains. If Narendra Modi’s mega mandate isn’t enough to shake them out of their stupor, they must ready for political extinction.
Updated on Jun 14, 2019 06:27 PM IST
Opinion | Modi’s mandate shows that the age of the part-time politician is over
Modi clearly lives and breathes politics every waking minute of the day. As does Shah. In fact that the PM is a bachelor and has no children has also reinforced the perception of him as a spartan leader whose life is fully consumed by politics. More than dynasty, the Gandhis have to contend with a new-style politics that demands absolute mindspace from them.
Updated on May 31, 2019 08:32 PM IST
Opinion | Seven ways to unpack Modi’s handsome victory
The story of Modi’s rise and rise cannot be told without chronicling the abject failure of the Congress and the complacency of its leadership. Even in the three states it won in the December assembly elections, the party was unable to consolidate its position
Updated on May 24, 2019 01:54 PM IST
Will 2019 be a wave election or an election driven by silent voters?
Many people may have decided not to open up to pollsters or journalists about their preferences
Published on May 03, 2019 06:20 PM IST
Pragya Thakur is anti-national. So is the BJP’s decision to field her
This humiliation of a gallant Ashok Chakra hero by the BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate is an insult not just to Hemant Karkare’s individual sacrifice; it is a smear on the uniform.
Updated on Apr 19, 2019 07:03 PM IST
Opinion | Adityanath calls the Indian Army ‘Modi Sena’. Why we should all be furious
Surveys routinely show that the Indian Army is the country’s most trusted institution. It remains unscathed by the cynicism and lack of trust that has plagued almost every other pillar of democracy. But while the army has always been the first frontier of protection; it must now rise to keep its own essence secure.
Updated on Apr 05, 2019 06:36 PM IST
Opinion | Is the Congress playing for 2019 or 2024?
It appears to be hell-bent on revival instead of resuscitation. When the fight is existential, shouldn’t the party opt for pragmatism over pride?
Updated on Mar 22, 2019 09:17 PM IST
Opinion | We must reclaim our nationalism from the clutches of pseudo-patriots, writes Barkha Dutt
The Left is embarrassed to show any loyalty to the Indian State, leaving the space to the rightwing
Updated on Mar 08, 2019 06:43 PM IST
After Pulwama, be tough with Pakistan. Be smart internally with Kashmir
To smear all Kashmiris - as the Meghalaya Governor has done without any public admonishment from the Modi government - is not just wrong; it only helps Pakistan.
Published on Feb 22, 2019 08:02 PM IST
Opinion| The BJP has got its timing on corruption all wrong, writes Barkha Dutt
To act on corruption charges in the twilight of its tenure is not smart politics. It may have handed over the advantage to the opposition
Updated on Feb 08, 2019 09:07 PM IST
Will the ‘behen’ be the Congress’s counter to ‘Behenji’ in UP? | Barkha Dutt column
The Priyanka Gandhi-Jyotiraditya Scindia project is about the long-term revival of the party in a state that has voted for three Congress prime ministers of the Nehru-Gandhi family. A respectable performance in UP, which can constrict the rise of non-BJP parties, will give the Congress the pivot position in any negotiation by opposition parties over who should be the next PM.
Updated on Jan 25, 2019 07:46 PM IST
More transparency was required in Alok Verma’s removal, writes Barkha Dutt
Verma ought to have been given an opportunity to appear before the panel and present his defense. The government should have also addressed the issue in the public domain. If the charges against the head of India’s premiere investigative agency are so grave and are seen to have prima facie merit, don’t the people have a right to know?
Updated on Jan 11, 2019 07:40 PM IST
Opinion | Mistakes Modi and Rahul could make after the assembly elections, and should not
Both parties need to understand that arrogance has no place in Indian politics and hubris will extract a cost.
Updated on Dec 15, 2018 01:24 PM IST
Barkha Dutt
Kartarpur exposes a lack of coherence in India’s Pakistan policy, writes Barkha Dutt
This is not to say that Pakistan speaks in one voice or is consistent in its India policy. When Shah Mehmood Qureshi met us in Islamabad, he categorically said: “This is no googly” to emphasise the sincerity of its intentions. A day later at a public function, he did a complete u-turn and boasted that his government had bowled a googly that compelled India to send two ministers to Pakistan.
Updated on Dec 01, 2018 10:28 AM IST