Home News India Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just For You
Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just For You
Here is a compilation of the best opinion pieces across newspapers.
The Quint
India
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Nothing like a cup of coffee and your Sunday morning read.
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The Meaning of PM Modi’s ‘One Nation’ Push
In his column for Hindustan Times, Chanakya talks about the governance themes that PM Modi has instituted in his time as leader of the nation, such as one nation-one tax; one nation-one grid; one nation-one mobility card, and the fact that talk of one nation-one poll has also arisen. Chanakya questions the motivations behind the BJP-led government’s approach on these measures, stating that while some of them may be desirable, such moves have consequences, in view of the diversity of India and its delicate federal structure.
“India is remarkably diverse, and any attempt to impose one solution across specific sub-regions and communities with their history could lead to a degree of disaffection. India, of course, must have one Constitution – for this is what binds citizens together. But within the constitutional framework, there is room for diversity. This includes asymmetric federalism, where different states have a different relationship with the Centre given their different histories; it includes affirmative action and reservations for the marginalised; it includes recognition of linguistic and religious heterogeneity. It is important that the “one nation” push by the PM does not seek to suppress these diversities which make India unique. In fact, it is the recognition of this diversity which has helped India remain united.”
Chanakya in Hindustan Times
How the British See the Dilution of Article 370
Having been in London when the Modi government effectively revoked Articles 370 and 35A, Karan Thapar was granted an opportunity to see what the world outside of India thought of this development. Writing for Hindustan Times, Thapar says that many are finding it difficult to accept that a democracy like India could act in such a way, with underlying concerns about how the changes were instituted; the ‘brazen trickery’ and ‘stealth’ in the Modi government’s approach. Questions were also raised as to why the move was made at all, Thapar writes.
“Finally, all of this collectively raised the question: Why has this happened? The British know this is a manifesto commitment of the Modi government, but they’re also aware that was equally true in 2014. So why now? This time the answer is spoken hesitantly but the concern is no less obvious. Is this the Hinduisation of secular India? Even if that’s somewhat exaggerated, has Kashmir been picked upon because it’s a Muslim majority province? After all, special provisions exist for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the whole of the North East as well as territories designated as scheduled areas. So why was Article 370 so upsetting if the others are not?”
Karan Thapar in Hindustan Times
Across the Aisle: Forgotten – The Flagging Economy
In the midst of a political conversation in India that is largely concerned with Jammu and Kashmir, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram sharply brings the debate back to India’s economy, with a reminder that it is showing only signs of decline and that in Mumbai, a city home to business hubs, conversation centres mostly on money, or the lack of it. Chidambaram writes in The Indian Express that despite the alarming status of India’s economy, the power circle in Delhi, centred around Rashtrapati Bhavan, seems to be occupied with other matters.
“Beginning barely 50 kilometres away in all directions from the centre, in practically every village and every poor urban neighbourhood, the conversation is radically different: it is mainly about the economy – the decline or stagnation in real wages and real incomes, the lay-offs and retrenchments, the search in vain for jobs, the death and devastation caused by flood or drought, the crippling shortage of water and electricity, and the fight for survival in an unequal and harsh world.”
P Chidambaram in The Indian Express
Inside Track: Savarkar No RSS Fan
In her column this week for The Indian Express, Coomi Kapoor writes about how some of VD Savarkar’s beliefs would fly in the face of those who venerate him as the father of Hindutva and why the effective revocation of Article 370 was pushed through now. Among other things, she also writes about return of a Gandhi family member to the post of interim party president of the Congress.
“Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is today venerated as the father of Hindutva by the Sangh Parivar. They seem unaware that some of Savarkar’s beliefs fly in the face “of conservative political opinion, but would find a resounding echo in liberal chambers”. This dichotomy is brought out by Vaibhav Purandare in his recently released insightful book on the Hindutva hero. For instance, Savarkar firmly opposed cow worship, Purandare writes. He chatted frequently with Left icon MN Roy while showing little patience for holy men who claimed special powers, and advised them to stop collecting money for religious rituals and donate to the poor instead. Savarkar felt strongly that people should eat what they liked and what they could afford.”
Coomi Kapoor in The Indian Express
What Scares Pakistan Most
In her column this week for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh also writes about the economy of India, but her perspective is one of positivity. She says that she had learnt once, some time ago, from a Pakistani friend, that most Pakistanis were not happy with the way the Indian economy had progressed well, leaving behind its neighbour. Adding that Pakistan would like nothing better than to see India slip back into “socialist sluggishness,” Singh’s advice is that India’s economy would do far better “if the business of doing business is left to businessmen.”
“As someone who knows Pakistan well, I learned long ago that nothing frightens Pakistanis more than the possibility that India could succeed and Pakistan fail. It may seem from Imran Khan’s recent rantings about the ‘fascist, Hindu Supremacist Modi government’ that it is Kashmir that Pakistanis care about more than anything. This is not true. Kashmir is not the ‘core problem’ between India and Pakistan as military men and jihadists next door like to say. The core problem is that if India becomes a mighty economic superpower and Pakistan remains a bankrupt nuclear power, then the whole exercise of breaking India to make a nation for the ‘pure’ could become meaningless.”
Tavleen Singh in The Indian Express
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Govt Must Control Narrative on J&K
Lord Meghnad Desai has some advice for the Indian government. According to him, while the Centre was able to enact a “surgical strike on Article 370,” it has not been able to control the narrative since then, with mismatches between what the governor is saying and what the military and administration are saying. Writing for The Indian Express, Desai also suggests some methods that the government could use to recapture the narrative on J&K and clarify the legalities of the action that it has taken.
“One lesson for those in politics is never to believe your own propaganda but pay special attention to what your opponents are saying rather than just call it fake news. The government managed a swift and unanticipated surgical strike on Article 370. But that done, it has been unable to keep the initiative. Why not say that a week- or fortnight-long curfew is not unusual in Kashmir as has happened before at times of security emergency? Instead we have the Governor saying it is all peace and quiet while the military and the administration say curfew will continue. It is no good saying a majority of J&K citizens are in favour but a few troublemakers are not. Political activists in every country and every party are always a minority. Astute politics lies in letting the activists expose themselves as representing a minority.”
Meghnad Desai in The Indian Express
CSR Spends Are No Guarantee of Corporate Ethics
In his column Swaminomics, Swaminathan Aiyar makes no bones about the fact that he is against the new law that makes it a criminal offence for big companies to fail to spend 2 percent of their profits on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Writing in The Times of India, he points out that forced donations to NGOs will not solve a problem, since many “shady” businessmen run trusts to launder money, and sometimes CSR allocations can even be used to camouflage unethical behaviour. He adds that making shortfalls a criminal offence could lead to negative outcomes.
“Businessmen guilty of gross irresponsibility to consumers, shareholders, staff and the environment can nevertheless fulfil their CSR quota and win awards. Ramalinga Raju of Satyam Computers forged documents and inflated profits to fool shareholders, banks, the government and other stakeholders, and ended up in jail. Yet, his Byrraju Foundation won several awards. It set up a rural call centre, enabling villagers without college degrees to join the globalisation bandwagon. It took telemedicine to rural areas, enabling villagers to interact with specialist urban doctors. It provided rural services like healthcare, education, water and sanitation. It ran an ambulance service, attracting so much praise that many states replicated it. Did this make Raju a paragon of social responsibility?”
SA Aiyar in The Times of India
Modi Cuts Gordian Knot: Announcement of CDS Position Was Overdue
Writing for The Times of India, Manoj Joshi welcomes PM Modi’s announcement during his Independence Day speech that a chief of defence staff (CDS) would be appointed, a proposal that has been around for 30 years but has not been fulfilled. He adds that with a CDS, the Indian Armed Forces can be restructured and reformed to make them a force to reckon with in the 21st Century. According to him, Modi has once again, in keeping with tradition, used an unorthodox problem-solving technique, but now, the CDS will have an enormous task at hand.
“The decision could only have come the way it did: a political pronouncement of a strong and self-confident PM. In his remarks Modi said that the new CDS would provide synergy and effective leadership to the army, navy and air force. This implies that the CDS would be primus inter pares, unless Modi again applies the Alexandrian method and gives him a five-star rank. The government deserves credit for not going down the usual path of appointing yet another commission to deal with the issue. As the PM pointed out, but for minor differences, past recommendations for a CDS were unanimous. Everyone knew what had to be done, but did not have the gumption to do it.”
Manoj Joshi in The Times of India
Leh Must Not Become Another Shimla
While the two districts of Leh and Kargil have differing opinions on Ladakh having been made a separate Union Territory, they agree on one subject, writes Kumkum Dasgupta. This is the desire for tourists to fuel their economy. However, Dasgupta says, in her column for Hindustan Times, that care must be taken that Leh, which already suffers from water scarcity and air pollution, should not become another Shimla as a consequence of uncontrolled tourism. Dasgupta also adds that a few people in Ladakh have seemed cautious about the effect that “outsiders” could have on their economy and society.
“While all efforts must be done to meet their aspirations, the people of Ladakh must also realise that tourism can be a double-edged sword. For instance, look at Shimla and Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. Or, Haridwar and Srinagar in Uttarakhand. Reckless tourists, greedy locals and corrupt administrations are all responsible for the Himalayan mess (water shortage, plastic menace and air pollution) in these places. Leh, if not Kargil, is already afflicted by the tourist boom, and it could end up being the next Shimla, if proper safeguards are not taken.”
