In his column for The Indian Express, ‘Across the Aisle’, P Chidambaram writes of the economic reforms of 1991 initiated by the PV Narsimha Rao government. He asseses the role of major players in the devaluation, including Dr Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister, S Venkitaramanan as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Dr C Rangarajan as Deputy Governor of RBI. Looking back at the intervening 25 years, he argues that while there have been some achievements, India’s inability to build government’s capacity in taxation and delivery of goods and services still leaves much to be desired.
Subramanian Swamy’s demand to sack Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian since he holds a green card and has made ‘anti-India’ remarks in international conventions has been criticized by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar in his column ‘Swaminomics’ for The Times of India. Arguing that globalization has erased narrow identity notions, Swamy lists down Non-Resident Indians who have done exemplar work in their chosen field like Amartya Sen to argue that it is insulting to expect the world’s best minds to toe the Indian government line.
Indian diplomacy is generally about playing it safe, but it needs to take well calculated risks to further its own interests like it did with an attempt to obtain membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group in the last week, argues Chanakya in his column for the Hindustan Times. Knowing full well that securing membership in the restrictive technology council would be tricky, Chanakya lauds Prime Minister Modi’s perchance for taking risk in diplomacy; especially when the stakes are high.
A referendum is a strange process to gather consensus, but Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has not only shocked the world, but is a deeply divisive and irreversible decision, argues Lord Meghnad Desai in his column ‘Out of My Mind’ for The Indian Express. Furthermore, he writes that with Brexit, not only is the existence of European Union threatened, but the unity of United Kingdom is also under question with Scotland demanding a new Scottish referendum.
Uniting Europe has been a project with roots as far back as in Ancient Greece, argues Aakar Patel in his column in The Asian Age. Starting from Julius Caesar, there have been many who have in their own ways attempted to unify Europe, including German tribals, Christianity, Protestantism and Adolf Hitler. The European Union, Patel argues, is the latest instance of a historical unification project in Europe.
In his column for the Hindustan Times, Karan Thapar argues that given the political jibes directed at Raghuram Rajan, without any censure from the Prime Minister, Rajan’s exit is not a surprising development. Giving the example of Mark Carney, the Canadian governor of the Bank of England, who spoke against Brexit despite criticism, Thapar argues that if the Indian government keeps meting out shabby treatment to its best and brightest economics and academics, it would be difficult for them to recruit Indians living abroad.
In the aftermath of Brexit, there have been calls of referenda in France and Netherlands indicating that suspicion of European Protocols is widespread and deeply entrenched in the Union, writes Ashok Malik in The Asian Age. Furthermore, he argues that this sentiment of Euroscepticism has always been in existence. It has taken the form of a populist feeling after the 2008 economic crisis and the recent influx of Syrian refugees in the continent.
Leafing through the pages of old issues of the CIA-funded, centre of Left magazine ‘Encounter’, Ruchir Joshi writes in The Telegraph of how history can provide solace in the frenzied present; where news is dominated by end-of-time announcements such as Brexit, Orlando massacre and Donald Trump. Looking forward to 50 years later, he writes that it might be that many of our current fears and triumphalism be reduced to absurdities, especially since issues covered in 1961 in the ‘Encounter’ seem wpefully dated and amusing to read in 2016.
Gazing at geraniums, Ruskin Bond in his column ‘Musings from the Mountains’ in The Times of India wonders over the difference between contemplation and meditation. Furthermore, he reminisces about his encounter with a nurse in a hospital, and how it led him to fall in love with a school nurse among unromantic things like an elderly matron and an unfortunate case of mumps.
From The Quint:
Tharoor on Brexit: Dangers of Rule by Emotions and Referendum
Brexit Camp’s Win Is the Victory of Feelings Over Facts
Why a Brexit-type Referendum Is a Bad Idea to Replicate in India
Why Are Swamy – and His Antics – Not Being Put To Check?
Why I Don’t Care If Salman Khan Apologises for His Rape Comment
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