Youth Congress in-charge Rahul Gandhi says he would like the younger generation to enter politics to widen the democratic base and to serve the people to make India a developed country. "Come and join politics so that you could improve and bring in transparency," was the advice of 39-year-old Gandhi, the MP from Amethi. But on his visit to Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad on last Monday, it turned out to be almost a wild goose chase at each of his nearly 10 meetings at different venues. The Congress golden boy merely touched the venues, flashed dimpled grins in abundance, shook hands with some in the crowd and left. Rahul's visit to most of the venues did not last more than 10 minutes.

Do you believe that visions and ideas of Rahul would impress youths of the country to join politics?

Can scion of Nehru-Gandhi family Rahul make a difference to the country and politics?

Pakistan's controversial deal with the Taliban to impose Shariat law in large areas of its restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP), including the Swat Valley, has evoked a strong response from the international community. While India has dubbed Taliban a "danger to humanity and civilization", the US too has said that extremists in Pakistan pose a "direct threat" to the Islamic country, America and other nations in and outside the region.

A decision by Pakistani authorities to allow imposition of Islamic law in Swat region, a short distance from Islamabad and within a five-hour drive of an Indian city of Amritsar, is increasing India's fears that religious militancy is growing in its neighbour and traditional rival.

There's also more general concern that "Taliban at India's Door" and Pakistan's nuclear weapons could land in the wrong hands. Do you agree?

Do you think the 'peace' deal would further weaken the Pakistani civilian government who is believed to be not fully in control of its own territory?

Nearly 100,000 skilled Indian workers' prospects of living the American dream may turn sour with the US Congress barring firms that received bailout money from hiring foreigners through HI-B visa programme if they replace the US citizens. However, the move might not affect outsourcing of jobs to India.

Estimates suggest that there are 100,000 Indian nationals among the 163,000 from across the world that had applied for the skilled worker visa in FY2009.

The US has capped the H1-B visa at 65,000 a year, out of which 40,000-45,000 generally goes to Indian professionals, mostly from the IT industry. Restricting hiring of H1-B visa holders forms part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, widely known as the stimulus bill, that was passed by the Congress.

Do you think that the provision to restrict hiring of H1-B visa holders would deprive the US of the best global talent?

Cutting visas for high-skilled immigrants is not the answer to the rising unemployment rate in USA and may undermine efforts to spur technological innovation. Do you agree?


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Finally. 77-days after the 70-hour Taj-Oberai seize in Mumbai, Pakistan has admitted that India was indeed right in blaming it for the terror attacks that had claimed 170-persons from India and 15 other countries. Interior Minister Rehman Malik was short on details. He accepted that "part" of the conspiracy behind the Mumbai attacks was hatched in Pakistan.

Lashkar-e-Taiba was involved in the attacks and three boats were used from Pakistan to reach Mumbai. Malik urged India to provide more information to help secure convictions in the attacks. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, Pakistani authorities have admitted that elements in Pakistan were responsible for terror attacks in Mumbai. Islamabad has taken "some steps" and some persons have been arrested. This is a positive step.

Home minister P. Chidambaram also said "my initial response is that it is a positive development." Do you believe this as Pakistan's positive step?

Do you term Pakistan's admission as India's moral and diplomatic victory?

Should India now join with Pak to probe 26/11 as it has demanded earlier?

An international cartoon award will be instituted by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists in R.K.Laxman's name as a mark of honour for his achievements.

Flimmaker Mahesh Bhatt has said that Slumdog Millionaire isn't Anil Kapoor and AR Rahman's best performance. "Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian film and will not help the country. It is Danny Boyle's film and he is just using India's finest talent to hit hard at the Oscars this year. My question is why is it that the same Indian talent is never recognised by the Oscar Jury when it independently enters the race of awards? When it is a foreign film with Indians, you honor it and when it is an Indian film of same caliber, they don't even have a look at it".

Bhatt also says, in 'Slumdog...' the main leads in fact are not Indian actors. So it is just like making hay while the sun shines for Danny Boyle, who is using Indian effect for grabbig an Oscar."

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan has dismissed the notion that India's films should aspire to win Oscars, saying that the Indian film industry was more creative than Hollywood.

Do you agree that because Rehman's music has a white connection, it comes to the priority list of the Oscar awards?

Is any way Bollywood is more creative than Hollywood?

The Obama administration has imposed a pay cap of US$500,000 for top executives at companies that receive the government bailout money to weather the current financial crisis. The new rule came out amid rising public fury about huge pay packages for executives at financial companies being propped up by federal tax dollars. "What gets people upset, and rightfully so, are executives being rewarded for failure. Especially when those rewards are subsidized by US taxpayers," said Obama. Under the new rules, expected to be adopted shortly, executives at large banks receiving so-called "exceptional assistance" and other financial institutions applying for capital are having their salaries limited to $500,000.

Most immediately affected are the CEOs of American International Group Inc (AIG), Bank of America and Citibank led by its Indian-American chief executive Vikram Pandit.

Do you support Obama to limit fat cat execs pay?

Do you think these CEOs can possibly live on only $500k/year?

Whether new restrictions violates the natural order?