Rajdeep Sardesai is senior journalist, author and TV news presenter. His book 2014: The election that changed India is a national best seller that has been translated into half a dozen languages. He tweets as @sardesairajdeep
Articles by Rajdeep Sardesai
Narendra Modi must shun adversarial politics
India cannot afford another bout of endless recrimination and non-cooperation that derails the legislative process. Narendra Modi must shun adversarial politics and attempt a political reconciliation, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on May 30, 2014 10:31 PM IST
Rahul to Akhilesh, Ajit Pawar to media: Modi needs to thank them
When the Gujarat leader writes his blog and thanks the Indian voter, here are a few more thank you cards he should send out, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on May 16, 2014 10:35 AM IST
Box office hit: How Modi managed media focus
The prime minister described the “Modi wave” as a “media creation”. If there is a ‘Modi Wave’ it is because Team Modi has made better use of its election war chest than the Congress, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on May 02, 2014 11:54 AM IST
Choiceless by choice? A NOTA vote is a cop-out
Despite the allure of the none of the above button, I voted for a candidate. At least on voting day, the aam aadmi can feel equal to a khaas aadmi. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Apr 18, 2014 12:38 PM IST
Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
Modi needs to look beyond high-profile individuals
Wherever the BJP government is in power, there is more corruption. Modi has started thinking that by promoting a few industrialists and a constant presence in the media, he can take over the nation, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Apr 04, 2014 03:43 PM IST
Time for media to turn the gaze inwards
The editor as the gatekeeper of news is being replaced by the editor as fixer or editor as larger-than-life egoistical ‘star’. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Mar 24, 2014 07:22 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
In Indira's image: How Narendra Modi is similar to a Gandhi
It is becoming clearer by the day that Modi’s real role model in the 2014 election is former PM Indira Gandhi. Modi’s approach to politics is not too dissimilar to that of Indira's in 1971, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Mar 08, 2014 02:18 AM IST
AAP’s long-term future will not be decided by TV
This constant media scrutiny of Kejriwal has turned out to be a double edged sword. Yes, it gave him an instant national profile in a crowded political marketplace, but it has also eventually overwhelmed his government.
Updated on Feb 21, 2014 02:15 AM IST
1984 riots vs 2002 riots: all that matters is accountability
An important minister in the Modi government like Maya Kodnani was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Naroda-Patiya case in Gujarat; in the 1984 violence, no senior Congressman has been convicted. Writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Feb 10, 2014 11:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
Modi, Rahul, Kejriwal competing to ‘shake up’ the system
A younger, restless India is yearning for ‘change’: is it the promise of change offered by Narendra Modi’s dream of an ‘aspirational India’; is it Rahul Gandhi’s idea of an ‘inclusive India’, or is it Arvind Kejriwal’s notion of an ‘angry’ India? Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Jan 23, 2014 10:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
If Kejriwal fails to deliver he may end up victim of his own success
Corruption was the defining agenda of the 1989 polls and VP Singh rode the wave. A year later, the same middle class, attacked his decision to implement the Mandal commission report on OBC reservations, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Jan 10, 2014 02:26 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
There’s reason for cheer: 2014 may be better than 2013
The year 2013 – which we thought would go down as annus horribilis – hasn’t been so bad after all. And the good news is that 2014 maybe even better, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Dec 27, 2013 03:52 PM IST
Six degrees of separation: why it's tough for Rahul to learn from AAP
Unlike Aam Admi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi can afford to take the long view of politics because he has a legacy to cocoon him from reverses. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Dec 13, 2013 12:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
Kejriwal and Modi - bringing politics back to the common man
Though they are as similar as chalk and cheese, but both Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi have tried to create the basis for a new form of 'us' versus 'them' anti-establishment politics. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Nov 28, 2013 09:55 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
Banning of opinion polls is not a way forward
The culture of seeking a ban on opinion polls is a reflection of a belief that this is the best way to control information flow. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Nov 14, 2013 11:56 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
Confront these painful truths about communalism
It is much easier to engage in a zero-sum high decibel game of 1984 versus 2002 than rehabilitating victims of mass violence. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Nov 01, 2013 06:04 PM IST
Sachin, Dravid's legendary game will remain immortal
The retirement debate will be a footnote. What will dominate are the memories of a Sachin punch off the back foot and of a Rahul cover drive. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Oct 18, 2013 02:06 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
Rahul's attack on ordinance raises more questions than it answers
Let me say at the outset, like you, most right thinking Indians believe that the ordinance that would provide a potential reprieve for convicted politicians was 'absolute nonsense', says Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Oct 03, 2013 09:58 PM IST
Too soon to say goodbye
Most pundits have been writing political obituaries of LK Advani. What if the NDA doesn’t get the 272-plus, a Modi candidacy promises? Will there be another final twist in the Advani saga? Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Sep 20, 2013 11:14 AM IST
The enigma of silence
The Congress posters may have the faces of Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh along with Sonia Gandhi, but in the trimurti, only the party president matters. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Sep 05, 2013 11:43 PM IST
Connecting with youth: Modi has edge over Rahul
Rahul is younger, English-speaking, telegenic and tech-friendly. And yet, as most recent youth surveys suggest, it is Modi who is the preferred choice of young Indians. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Sep 12, 2013 04:51 PM IST
Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
Get past the potholes
Mumbai doesn’t need statehood, but it does need a stronger, more accountable political authority to address its serious governance deficit. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Aug 09, 2013 12:36 AM IST
Not secularism, stupid
The India of 2013 is very different from 1991. A post-liberalisation country is driven by aspiration not emotion, by economic growth not social identity alone. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Jul 26, 2013 03:40 AM IST
Devolution for evolution
The Congress favours centralised rule while the BJP’s model is that of outsourcing power to states. But one thing is clear, the voter places a premium on good governance. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Jul 14, 2013 11:05 PM IST
Lalu model re-caste
Can Nitish do a Lalu by winning the hearts and minds of Bihar’s Muslims with his decision to break with the BJP over Narendra Modi’s elevation? Writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on Jun 27, 2013 11:25 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
With him or against him
If elections were to held in the social media, Narendra Modi would almost certainly be ‘crowned’ PM. The media must reset its moral compass and analyse the Modi phenomenon by moving beyond the extremes of glorification or vilification. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Jun 14, 2013 12:50 AM IST
How the mighty fall
While spot-fixing has put into question the credibility of Indian cricket, the silence of the sport’s stalwarts has damaged the faith of sports enthusiasts even more. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on May 31, 2013 12:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai, New Delhi
Bowling a dot ball
Like Imran, many Indian politicians believe that the sheer force of their personality will propel them to victory in the 2014 polls. They need to review their strategies, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
Updated on May 16, 2013 11:13 PM IST
Silence as a curse
The quiet dignity that once made Manmohan Singh popular with the middle class is fast becoming his greatest liability at a time when his government is being proven corrupt. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on May 03, 2013 03:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajdeep Sardesai
An ‘Ajit’ joke falls flat
A decade ago, Ajit Pawar could have got away with his crude remark. Today, a 24X7 media has forced him to apologise, but sadly it won’t be enough to change a rotten system. Rajdeep Sardesai writes.
Updated on Apr 19, 2013 02:39 AM IST