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Derek Obrien

Derek Obrien

The Times of India

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Opinion | Parliament Session: BJP Don't Want To Answer Some Hard Questions

We are into the second week of the Winter Session of Parliament. The first week was washed out. MPs from Opposition parties, like the Trinamool...

03.12.2024 30

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | India Is Failing Its Young. But Happy Children's Day, I Guess

As the nation celebrates Children's Day, can we look a child in the eye and say: ‘Happy Children's Day'. Have we let the kids of our nation down....

14.11.2024 30

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Big Poll Promises From Maharashtra To Michigan - But Where Are The Jobs?

Photo Credit: AFP Eight thousand miles away, across an ocean, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have desperately tried to woo youth and women before...

04.11.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Trump To Bolsonaro To Many More, The Death Of Decency In Politics

Days to go for the most high-profile election in the universe. As the two candidates enter the final lap of campaigning, the messaging has decidedly...

28.10.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | When Will Centre Understand That India's Malnutrition Problem Is Real?

This fortnight's column is on a subject that will never make the 9 o'clock news: Malnourishment.  In 2012, Gujarat was grappling with one of the...

07.10.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | One Nation One Election (ONOE) Is Oh Noe!

Some people on Twitter say it like no other. "It's rather amusing that One Nation, One Election abbreviates to ONOE - oh noe!". After the Union...

20.09.2024 8

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | 12 New Opposition MPs India Should Watch Out For - Part 2

This is the second part of a two-part column: 12 new MPs in the Opposition to watch out for. In the first part, I wrote about six of the 446 new MPs...

09.09.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | 12 New MPs To Watch Out For - By Derek O'Brien

Of the 543 MPs in Lok Sabha, 280  are spanking new - into their first few months as Members of Parliament. Add to that the 166 MPs who have been in...

02.09.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Here's To Tribals And Their Endless Fight For Jal, Jungle, Zameen

There is a lot going on this week. Opposition parties united in their demand to ask the government to roll back 18% GST on life and health insurance -...

09.08.2024 9

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | The 12-Letter Word Giving The Government Sleepless Nights

The BJP floundered in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The floundering continued on the floor of both Houses where Members of Parliament from the INDIA...

29.07.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Amitabh Bachchan To Suchitra Sen, Derek O'Brien's Favourite Reel Politicians

From film and television studios to Parliament. The 18th Lok Sabha is all set for Lights. Camera. Action.  Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram on...

12.07.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Here's An Unlikely Combination: Narendra Modi and Billy Joel

In the last ten years (2014-2024), Mr Modi has done all it takes to turn Parliament into a deep dark chamber. Early in 2024, after a long gap of 30...

28.06.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Bengal Has Lessons For India In Sending More Women To Parliament

The 18th Lok Sabha is upon us. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 13% women amongst their MPs. Their alliance partners, the Janata Dal (United)...

18.06.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | My Home Is The Nation - Notes From A 12-Year-Old On Vote 2024

My name is Vaibhav. I am 12 years old. I live in Mumbai. My best friends are Rajiv, Sai and Zubin. We all live in the same building and have so much...

30.05.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: As A Sports Fan, I Am Angry

In June 2023, the Indian World Cup winning Team of 1983 issued this statement: "We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our...

27.05.2024 50

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Know Your Alphabet: A Random A-Z List For 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

We have crossed the halfway mark for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Here is a random A-Z list. You too can think up and share your own A-Z lists. A....

17.05.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Labour Day: Remembering A Four-Letter Word Missing In BJP's Campaign

“When the UPA were in power, they said that Muslims have the first right to the country's wealth. This means that they will collect wealth and...

01.05.2024 80

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Election Commission: Four Questions To Ask India's 'Neutral' Umpire

Phase 1 done. Six more to go. Over the next few weeks, few institutions across the universe will be under more public scrutiny than the Election...

20.04.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Fluid Friendships: Over A Quarter Of BJP Candidates Are Defectors

One out of four BJP candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are defectors from other parties. An analysis of the 417 candidates announced shows...

15.04.2024 40

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Derek Obrien

Opinion | Memes, Politics And The R.K. Laxmans of Today

The election process has started. The Model Code of Conduct is in place. A sitting Chief Minister has been arrested for the first time since...

26.03.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: Calcutta Judge's Political Turn - An Arranged, Love Marriage?

"I approached BJP and BJP also approached me" A sitting Calcutta High Court judge said this on the very same day he tendered his resignation as a...

07.03.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: Calcutta Judge's Political Turn- An Arranged, Love Marriage?

"I approached BJP and BJP also approached me" A sitting Calcutta High Court judge said this on the very same day he tendered his resignation as a...

07.03.2024 6

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: For My Mother Language - It's Time Bengali Got Classical Status

আমি আমার মাতৃভাষা নিয়ে গর্বিত | मुझे अपनी मातृभाषा पर...

22.02.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: Indian Parliament And Ten Pieces Of Useless Information About It

Goodbye to the 17th Lok Sabha. This was a Lok Sabha of many dubious firsts. (i) In terms of the number of workdays, this was the least productive...

09.02.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

20 Questions With Derek O' Brien: What's Your IQ Or India Quotient?

As we celebrate India's 75th Republic Day, how well do you know our great nation. Test your IQ or India Quotient with these 20 questions. 1. The...

25.01.2024 20

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: Let Young MPs Light Up This "Deep, Dark Chamber"

Very happy with the news that Swati Maliwal, the young firebrand chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), has been nominated by the Aam Aadmi...

12.01.2024 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: An A to Z List For 2023

A random A to Z List for 2023. You too can draw up your personal A to Z List for the year that just slipped by. A: Artificial Intelligence. ChatGPT...

30.12.2023 10

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Derek Obrien

Opinion: In Parliament, NDA May Well Be 'No Data Available'

Parliamentary questions rarely make the headlines. However, questions raised and answered in parliament are a treasure trove of information. In the...

27.12.2023 10

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Derek Obrien

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