P Chidambaram

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P Chidambaram writes: Millions of citizen non-voters!Sign In to read

March 22,2026 07:00:08 AM

Millions of the adult population — on average 10 per cent — are missing from the electoral rolls. Are the missing persons adult, yes. Are they citizens, yes, unless proved to the contrary. So, why are they missing? 

P Chidambaram writes: He who started war must stopSubscriber Only

March 15,2026 06:55:55 AM

War exposes every country and everyone. When Russia invaded Ukraine, India did not condemn it but said, “This is not an era of war.” Such homilies were absent when the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. They are conspicuously absent in the current war in West Asia

P Chidambaram writes: India bends to world’s policemanSubscriber Only

March 08,2026 07:05:19 AM

The US President cannot declare war against another country without the authorisation of the US Congress. Such interventions are also against the UN Charter. Apart from being illegal, it is illegitimate for any country to change the regime of another sovereign nation

P Chidambaram writes: Brace for a roller-coaster rideSubscriber Only

March 01,2026 06:02:44 AM

The domestic developments could weaken Mr Trump and he may face electoral setbacks in November 2026. The Republicans may lose control of one or both Houses of Congress. That will render Mr Trump’s administration a ‘lame-duck’ with two more years to go

P Chidambaram writes: Aye for AI, but some fear tooSubscriber Only

February 22,2026 07:00:32 AM

If AI will do all our work, and bring prosperity to all, what will humans do? While the impact of AI unfolds during the next few years, it is time to ponder the question

P Chidambaram writes: US audacity, not reciprocitySubscriber Only

February 15,2026 07:05:32 AM

The riddle is what will India buy for USD 500 billion over 5 years. This will wipe out the small trade surplus India enjoys with the United States. The US has few goods that will help bolster India’s economy

P Chidambaram writes: A critique Survey useful, Budget lazySubscriber Only

February 08,2026 07:51:58 AM

My charitable view is that the Finance Minister and the government do not care for the Economic Survey. The uncharitable view is they think we are inhabiting a planet that is not part of the solar system

P Chidambaram writes: Heed favourite economist’s adviceSubscriber Only

January 25,2026 07:01:56 AM

I am unable to put my finger on a measure in 2025 that will qualify as a significant economic reform. In a subtle dig at the government, Dr Panagariya has listed six measures the government ought to take in 2026. The agenda is an indictment of the anti-reform stance of the government in the last 11 years

P Chidambaram writes: No unemployment in India!Subscriber Only

January 18,2026 07:00:29 AM

The theory that unemployment is not a big issue is a myth and hypocritical. While the government is self-congratulatory, we know that joblessness is the darkest stain on the body economic

P Chidambaram writes: A new sheriff in townSubscriber Only

January 11,2026 07:01:42 AM

Two hundred years after the Monroe Doctrine was declared by the 5th President of the United States, and despite the widespread doubt about its power and efficacy, the doctrine was invoked by the 47th President of the United States.

Indian word of the year 2025Subscriber Only

January 04,2026 06:10:38 AM

The main culprits are the State, the leaders in pivotal positions, and some organisations that have been emboldened due to the patronage of the State.

P Chidambaram writes: The second killing of Mahatma GandhiSubscriber Only

December 21,2025 07:04:07 AM

What started with Jawaharlal Nehru has now reached Mahatma Gandhi. The BJP’s grave wrongs will not be forgiven by the people of India

P Chidambaram writes: Distortion of history, disdain for futureSubscriber Only

December 14,2025 07:05:45 AM

No one raised a controversy on the two-stanza national song since 1937. Why now? Parliament and the governments ought to be concerned with the pressing problems of the people in the present and on the ambitious goals of the country for the future

P Chidambaram writes: When debate is stifledSubscriber Only

December 07,2025 07:05:14 AM

To put it bluntly, the government does not believe that a vibrant and debate-rich Parliament will strengthen democracy. The government, led by Mr Modi, is implacably opposed to dialogue, discussion and debate

P Chidambaram writes: Appeal to reason in an unreasonable ageSubscriber Only

November 30,2025 07:15:54 AM

I am afraid some of the ‘lot’ that currently hold the positions of governor are certainly not the ‘good lot’. What they are, I leave it to the reader. What they do and what they do not do are before the people of India.

P Chidambaram writes: We welcome the strange voiceSubscriber Only

November 23,2025 07:05:40 AM

There is an invisible censor; there is 24x7 monitoring of all major newspapers and TV channels; there are discreet telephone calls to the editors... Fear is the worst enemy of freedom. India can have either a fear-stricken Press or a free Press.

P Chidambaram writes: Voting is not the end of responsibilitiesSubscriber Only

November 16,2025 07:00:49 AM

The people of Bihar did not vote for a strong Opposition in the state Assembly, and that brings back the responsibility to the people themselves. It is a greater responsibility than the exercise of the right to vote

P Chidambaram writes: Trump embraces Xi, Modi in the coldSubscriber Only

November 09,2025 07:00:00 AM

India is practically friendless in South Asia. West Asian countries are forging new arrangements among themselves and with Israel, without India. It is time to acquire some humility and go back to the policy drawing board

P Chidambaram writes: Will Bihar escape its self-made traps?Subscriber Only

November 02,2025 07:00:47 AM

The politics of Bihar must change. Who will change it? The answers can vary, but it is common sense that Mr Nitish Kumar is not the person who will herald the change. He is entrenched in his 20-year habits. Add to that the genuine concerns about his health and his unpredictable behaviour.

P Chidambaram writes: Many perspectives, one conclusionSubscriber Only

October 19,2025 07:00:22 AM

While the quantity of infrastructure built in the last decade has been large (and the amounts spent colossal), the quality has been appalling — obsolete design and technology, falling bridges, collapsing buildings, and new highways that are washed away after the first rain. On quality jobs, the less said the better

P Chidambaram writes: Up the down staircaseSubscriber Only

October 12,2025 06:50:54 AM

In my view, the war may stop finally, the hostages (or their remains) may be released shortly, and humanitarian aid may reach the hapless residents of Gaza, but Gaza itself will be a virtual colony under an ‘apolitical committee’ supervised by a ‘Board of Peace’ consisting of the likes of Mr Trump and Mr Blair. The Palestinian dream of statehood is virtually dead

P Chidambaram writes: Two wars that are blots on humanitySubscriber Only

October 05,2025 07:00:58 AM

The world needs leaders with the moral authority of Jawaharlal Nehru, Dag Hammarskjold, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. The world needs nations that can come together and exert influence over the quarreling countries and restrain the superpowers

P Chidambaram writes: Reading from the same hymn bookSubscriber Only

September 28,2025 07:00:11 AM

RBI describes the reduction in rates as landmark GST reforms. What is ‘reformative’ about cutting the high and multiple rates of tax that were the original sin? The design of the GST laws was wrong, the tax structure was wrong, the rules and regulations were wrong, the tax rates were wrong, and the implementation of the GST laws was wrong

P Chidambaram: Rendering interim justiceSubscriber Only

September 21,2025 07:05:13 AM

We may believe that we are secular and tolerant, but the world will view India through the prism of India’s laws, government actions, and the people’s social behaviour. The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act has diminished India in the eyes of the world

P Chidambaram writes: Time for an apologySubscriber Only

September 14,2025 07:00:36 AM

In the first part-year (July 2017 to March 2018), the government collected about Rs 11 lakh crore. In 2024-25, it collected about Rs 22 lakh crore. Every paise earned by consumers through their hard work was sucked by the government through GST — it was rightly, and derisively, called Gabbar Singh Tax