Sheila Dikshit would be missed as a liberal democrat, a great and visionary administrator, a symbol of urban modernity, a refined connoisseur of arts and culture, and an affable and amiable person with a big heart full of warmth and generosity.

Despite a commendable effort during the Lok Sabha Elections, Rahul Gandhi faced defeat and now he feels he must deal with the consequences

The state is not as communally polarised as neighbouring UP and Bihari sub-nationalism had a stronger pull than religious issues in the polls

Congress must embrace an inclusive agenda based on the recognition that market-driven economic processes cannot deliver social opportunity or minimum needs to the poor. Imperative is public action and initiatives like NREGA, loan-waiver for farmers, and other pro-people social programmes

The bucolic settlement in Durban where Mahatma Gandhi began nurturing his long commitment to unrelenting humanism has finally been turned into a South African heritage site