Across the Aisle: The One-Trick Pony in Delhi
“When one person rides into town on a white horse and claims to have answers to all the problems of the country, and will not listen to advice or brook dissent, the result is what is called a ‘one-trick pony’.” Thus begins P Chidambaram’s column for The Indian Express this Sunday. He is referring, of course, to yet another BJP fail, as he makes a habit of pointing out every weekend; this time, the angst is focused on the rising crude oil prices.
Chidambaram says that low oil prices in 2014 gave the BJP-NDA govt the opportunity to tax consumers to the hilt, breaking their backs, comparing them scathingly to several other nations who came up with other options.
“The BJP-NDA government bought the strategy of ‘tax and spend’. Government expenditure increased sharply in the years 2014-15 to 2016-17. It was believed that expenditure-led growth will crowd-in private investments. That did not happen. Despite various slogans — Make in India, Start Up India, etc — private investment is not taking place. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) has fallen from 31.30 percent in 2013-14 to 28.49 percent in 2017-18. Of this, private capital formation has fallen from 24.20 percent to 21.38 percent (up to 2016-17). Start Up India is a non-starter.”
Fifth Column: Hindutva and Muslims
Tavleen Singh’s column for the The Indian Express this Sunday starts on a certain note, but before you know it, goes on an entirely different path. While it appears that she is about to chastise the present government for its Hindutva politics, Singh instead lays the blame almost squarely on the previous Congress government and its predecessors for having fanned Hindutva sentiments in the first place. She refers to Sonia Gandhi’s recent attempt, as she calls it, to dismiss BJP’s charge that the Congress is, today, a “Muslim party,” and also refers to Rajiv Gandhi’s change of laws for Muslims:
“Rajiv Gandhi changed the law to deprive divorced Muslim women the right to maintenance and it was because he gave Muslims the right to use Shariat rules in domestic matters that Hindus supported LK Advani’s chariot excursion to Ayodhya. It was his slogan of ‘One constitution, one law’ that resonated more than the promise of a temple to Ram where the Babri Masjid then stood. If that is ancient history from a time when Sonia ji was not yet a politician, then she could do well to remember that her chosen prime minister said clearly during his second tenure that Muslims had first right on India’s resources.”
Inside Track: Radical Shift
Coomi Kapoor’s latest compilation of political updates for the week in The Indian Express is an interesting one, since she charts almost diametrically opposite developments in various sectors. Her first observation is on the Congress’ support for the impeachment of CJI Dipak Misra, or more specifically, Rahul Gandhi’s endorsement of it. She speaks of how several more veteran leaders’ position on this was ignored, who would have advised a middle-of-the-road policy, claiming that Gandhi was influenced by Sitaram Yechury.
She also spoke glowingly of the growing social media presence of President Kovind, among other social media buzz:
“President Ram Nath Kovind is creating quite a flutter on social media. The Rashtrapati Bhavan Facebook page has been listed as the second most interactive and popular site run by a government body in India (the PMO’s is No 1). It also figures among the top 10 most visited sites of heads of state or government in the world. Its videos are particularly popular. The Republic Day parade video had over a million views. The President has nearly four million Twitter followers. Credit for the phenomenal rise in Kovind’s social media presence must go to his whiz kid OSD, Ankit Jain, who is still in his 20s and worked formerly for the Tatas.”
Collegium, Roster Row: The CJI Must Act
In this weekend’s column for The Hindustan Times, Chanakya elaborates on the current strained relations between the legislative and the judiciary. This revolves around one fulcrum: the impeachment motion against present CJI Dipak Misra. He talks about how, while the government wants to bring about a more institutionalised method of selecting judges to the Supreme Court, the latter wants to continue with the present method of selection through a collegium of senior judges.
And yet, as he states:
“The credibility of an institution cannot depend on the quality of the individuals that inhabit it. Sure, much of how the institution functions will depend on the individuals, but to sacrifice processes and institutional checks and balances in the hope that the judgment of the individuals concerned will suffice isn’t prudent. This is the problem at the core of the current crisis in India’s top court that has come to a head now.”
Out of My Mind: Face the Truth
Meghnad Desai, in his op-ed for The Indian Express, pens a note that appears to be a continuation of Tavleen Singh’s column, except that it also praises Salman Khurshid for having made the statement that he did — that the Congress’ hands are stained with Muslim blood. It is, Desai argues, a truth that is based on historical facts.
Desai calls to the reader’s mind the “bewildered” Muslim after Gandhi ji withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement post Chauri Chaura’s violence, and how the Congress agreed to the Partition, later blaming Jinnah and the British for it.
“It is convenient to pretend that violence against Muslims started only after the BJP came to power in 2014. Mohammad Akhlaq’s murder was horrible and there have been ugly incidents due to gau rakshaks or the opponents of ‘love jihad’ or those insisting on ghar wapsi. But these catch the eye today because of social media. The bias against Muslims has been around much longer. Lal Bahadur Shastri put Muslims in detention without trial during the 1965 war with Pakistan.”
One Asaram in Jail is Not Enough, it’s Time to Smoke Out all Fraud Babas
“Organised deception” is the focus of Shobhaa De’s column for The Times of India this Sunday morning, as she speaks of how Asaram Bapu isn’t the only offending baba. She rants and rages against the very practice that has put them where they are: on a pedestal, since many people have allowed themselves to be easily beguiled. But she points out why their fraud should’ve been obvious to all, since:
“Any man or woman who claims a superior spiritual status is an impostor. Anyone who insists he/she has a hotline to God, is clearly a cheat. Anyone who offers to save someone’s soul, is out to financially/emotionally exploit the victim. Anyone who tries to manipulate human frailties and comes up with instant solutions, is talking hogwash. Unfortunately, a lot of that hogwash gets transformed into faux ‘wisdom’ by the media. The vulnerable fall for the slick hardsell, and overnight spiritual empires get born.”
OMG! Midlife Crisis!
Pooja Bedi’s title for her Sunday column in The Times of India is self-explanatory. She quite explicitly talks about how a midlife crisis is often dismissed by people as something frivolous, when really, it is a serious phenomenon that affects both men and women.
She calls it an “inevitable psychological crisis”, something that can best be dealt with by understanding oneself and spending time with oneself during this crucial phase. Before going on to address some concerns/questions posited by readers, she offers some general solutions:
“The feelings and fears are both real and valid, but being freaked out or allowing them to consume you isn’t a solution. Recognise them, calm yourself and tell yourself it’s time to cross a bridge, and walk towards new realities, new journeys, and new beginnings that befit you and those that emerge from wisdom, not fears. Growing old isn’t optional, but growing old gracefully certainly is.”
Macron’s Speech on Nationalism is a Wake-up Call
“When was the last time we had a leader saying such things?” This laudatory question is the crux of Aakar Patel’s Sunday column for the The Indian Express. Patel is referring to French President Emmanuel Macron who, in the halls of Congress, stood and spoke to the Americans and to US President Donald Trump. In his speech, as Patel remembers, Macron spoke undauntedly about the US’ “historical role” in the “illusion of nationalism” and how one should not close the doors to other nations or to minorities, because that would not stop the evolution of the world:
“We can choose isolationism, withdrawal, and nationalism. This is an option. It can be tempting to us as a temporary remedy to our fears. But closing the door to the world will not stop the evolution of the world. It will not douse, but inflame, the fears of our citizens. We have to keep our eyes wide open to the new risks, right in front of us. I am convinced that if we decide to open our eyes wider, we will be stronger. We will overcome the dangers. We will not let the rampaging work of extreme nationalism shake a world full of hopes for greater prosperity.”
Challenges Before Yechury
Hari Shankar Vyas in ‘Gup Shup’, his column for The Pioneer, offers another compilation of political updates with a commentary on each. He speaks of Sitaram Yechury and his problems, where he mentions that the CPM General Secretary will face great new challenges over the next few years, particularly as the party readies its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. Vyas also points out that while debate continues to rage in the country over the “Dalit issue”, what stands out is that there isn’t a single Dalit leader in the politburo.
He also goes on to address Dalit grievances, stating:
Dalit organisations are now pointing out that even though Central Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had said in a press conference that the Government would bring in an ordinance on the SC/ST Act to change the stand of the Supreme Court, no further development has taken place. The Dalit organisations say the Government only filed the review petition and is waiting for the verdict. Now, many Dalit leaders are raising questions on the BJP Government’s proposal to include around one and a half dozen Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) into the SC category.
What’s the Secret Agenda of PM’s China Visit?
“It is clear that Mr Modi is not there for tourism”. Thus begins Aakar Patel’s commentary in The Asian Age on the recent visit to China by PM Modi. He talks of how the visit was completely “unplanned”, not announced till a few days before and speaks of how even notes aren’t being taken during the meeting. He argues how, in a democracy, the govt should make clear the reasons behind such a trip lest it cause “unnecessary panic”, but he does enumerate some of the recent developments with China:
A few months ago, we had a violent confrontation with China over a parcel of land in Bhutan called Doklam. We were able to hold the Chinese intrusion, but the government now says that the Chinese Army is consolidating its presence in the area and might push again later this year. A few months ago, the Maldives thumbed its nose at India and sided with China. This came as a surprise because till recently, India was able to impose its will on the Maldives, a nation of less than five lakh people, located near Sri Lanka and, nowhere near China. In Nepal, the new leader has made no secret of the fact that he dislikes Mr Modi and India and would prefer to realign his nation towards China. China has pushed ahead with its Belt and Road initiative that includes almost all of our neighbours, including Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal, and this has alarmed India.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)