Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

In his weekly column for The Indian Express, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram points to the dissonance in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pre–Winter Session remarks warning against “drama” in Parliament, given the government’s own track record of constraining parliamentary debate.He argues that in effect, the call for “delivery, not drama” serves less as an appeal for constructive work and more as a means to evade scrutiny.It was classic double-speak. At the start of every session, the government will proclaim to the world that it has nothing to hide and nothing to fear, and that any subject can be discussed in Parliament, but there is a catch: the catch is ‘subject to the Rules’. The Rules are in the book of Rules of Procedure, but the interpretation and the application of the Rules lies in the hands of the Presiding Officer (Speaker or Chairman) often in consultation with the government’s floor leaders.P Chidambaram, The Indian ExpressCommenting on the rupee’s recent decline, Shankkar Aiyar, in his piece for The New Indian Express, argues that it is driven primarily by supply-demand imbalances and structural vulnerabilities, including weak foreign investment, a persistent trade deficit, and heavy reliance on imports. He warns that unless India boosts exports, attracts stable investment, and addresses regulatory and financial bottlenecks, its GDP growth may fail to translate into sustainable economic strength."It is true high tariffs and uncertainty have affected sentiments. That said, it cannot be an alibi for a falling currency. Mexico is yet to get a deal and the peso is strengthening; the yuan has appreciated although the US-China deal is yet to fructify," he writes.One would think that the rupee’s depreciation would merit attention, but it didn’t find mention in Friday’s monetary policy statement. It would seem it was par for the course. At the presser, Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the RBI will intervene to curb volatility and doesn’t have a target level for the rupee. Arguably, there is not much the RBI on its own can do—it has intervened in recent weeks, but clearly there are limitations to using the $686-billion war chest.Shankkar Aiyar, The New Indian ExpressIn his subtly satirical column for Deccan Chronicle, Shashi Warrier recounts a visit from a former professor friend whose refusal to accept a late assignment prompts a wider reflection on fairness, rules and public hypocrisy.Through this everyday anecdote, the piece reflects on how principles are invoked selectively, how injustice becomes “victimless” when no one feels directly harmed, and how political debates around issues like voter verification often turn into theatrical performances rather than serious examinations of democratic fairness.“You’re in a position like that of someone in government who can overlook a lapse,” said Murthy, “but there’s one big difference between you and that someone.” “What?” asked Raghavan warily. “Don’t take this personally,” Murthy said, taking his first sip. “I don’t mean that you might take a bribe. You won’t... The difference is that if you mark this boy Raju, the rest of the class will know about it, and might decide to do something about it.” “What do you mean?” asked Raghavan. “When you bribe someone in government to get a favour,” said Murthy. “It’s unfair to every citizen. It’s unfair to a lot of people who don’t know each other. Everyone thinks someone else should take care of it, so no one really bothers to follow up. It becomes a victimless crime. The few cases in which somebody gets caught, like Lalu Prasad, are pure theatre. Politicians use that theatre.”Shashi Warrier, Deccan ChronicleIn her piece for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh criticises the “hero’s welcome” India extended to Vladimir Putin this week. She writes that while realpolitik may justify pragmatic ties with Russia, treating Putin as a hero undermines India’s moral authority and betrays the democratic values the nation has long upheld.It was not just our government who greeted Putin as if he were a conquering hero, our media did as well. Our ‘independent’ news channels competed to be more servile and effusive in their praise for a man who, in my opinion, is no hero at all. Not only has he invaded Ukraine illegally, he has also broken all the rules of war. At home, he has treated his opponents with cold-blooded cruelty.Tavleen Singh, The Indian ExpressIn his piece for The New Indian Express, Prabhu Chawla examines the crisis in India’s civil aviation sector, using IndiGo’s recent operational collapse as an example to show how market concentration and weak regulation have left passengers vulnerable to cancellations, exorbitant fares, and widespread disruption. "When private dominance diminishes public authority, the state begins to shrink before the shadow of the very forces it should regulate," he writes.IndiGo, holding an astonishing 63 percent of the domestic market, allowed its operations to disintegrate with breathtaking negligence. More than 2,000 flights were cancelled in just three days and over a million passengers were stranded all over the country—weddings wrecked, dignitaries disoriented, and families flung into logistical limbo. Yet as the nation fumed, the government flinched. Instead of confronting this insolent titan, it capitulated with bewildering speed. It withdrew its own safety-driven directive issued 18 months ago on pilot rest rules. What should have been a moment of regulatory resolve became an act of political retreat, signalling that the mightiest state has surrendered to airlines’ authority and arrogance.Prabhu Chawla, The New Indian ExpressIn Deccan Herald, Devdutt Pattanaik argues that turning history into historical fiction can blur the line between fact and imagination, potentially distorting our understanding of the past, and that a reader must know the difference between the two.Underscoring this point, he notes, “A true historian has no heroes,” and adds, “History divides; fiction unites. But both can be misused. The wise reader learns to hold both – the historian’s scepticism and the storyteller’s warmth.”A historian will tell you that the Cholas did not have a navy. The ships that carried their soldiers across the Bay of Bengal were owned by merchants; The same historian will also tell you that these Chola kings marched up the eastern coast of India, raiding temples in Odisha and Bengal, and carrying away images of Bhairava and Kali to their own shrines in Tamil Nadu. And that this happened roughly around the same time Mahmud of Ghazni was attacking Somnath on the western coast. But when you turn this into historical fiction, the story changes. Now, the Cholas are portrayed as defenders of India, sailing eastward to protect Bharatvarsha from Muslim invaders. They are the heroes of a civilisational war, not temple raiders. In fiction, their ships are no longer merchant vessels; they are a royal navy, a symbol of patriotic pride. The historian deals with facts; the fiction writer deals with emotion.Devdutt Pattanaik, Deccan HeraldIn the Deccan Chronicle, Pavan K Varma argues that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must be reformed to safeguard democracy, not just conduct elections.He warns that recent changes, such as a compromised selection process for commissioners and laws that weaken peer-level independence, have eroded public trust and opened the door for partisan influence over elections. Without legal safeguards to restore autonomy and impartiality, he writes, elections risk losing both legitimacy and the basic principle of a level playing field.Amidst the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and the manner in which it is implemented, one thing has emerged with stark clarity: In any genuine democracy, free and fair elections cannot take place unless there is an independent, fearless and impartial ombudsman to conduct it. Under our constitutional system, the body designated to play this role is the Election Commission of India (ECI). If there is a perception that the autonomy of the ECI is compromised, faith in the system will erode and elections will lack democratic legitimacy.Pavan K Varma, Deccan ChronicleDrawing on a recent experience interacting with school students on Constitution Day, Akash Singh Rathore, in his piece for Deccan Herald, reflects on how Delhi’s classrooms are increasingly becoming “wastelands of hope,” where intense academic pressure, neglect of mental‑health support, and a lack of empathetic listening are driving many young students toward despair.On November 26, Constitution Day, I stood before five hundred schoolchildren from some of Delhi’s most privileged academies at the India International Centre. My brief was simple: speak to them about the values of the Constitution. As usual, I focused on fraternity. Other speakers spoke brilliantly on liberty, equality, and also on the duties of citizens. The students listened politely, as they always do. Then came the questions. A girl in the second row asked why she should plant trees and cycle to school when the government allows the city to choke every winter. A boy followed: why should citizens fulfil their fundamental duties when the State so brazenly abdicates its own?...Then the temperature changed. Someone mentioned Bihar. The room sensed what was coming, commenting on the elections of earlier that week. ‘Professor, you advise us to exercise our electoral rights to effect change.Akash Singh Rathore, Deccan HeraldWriting for the Deccan Herald, Seshadri Chari traces the long, fraught history of the Ram Mandir movement up to the temple’s completion under Narendra Modi in 2024.Despite multiple parties trying to exploit Ayodhya for electoral gain, Chari notes that none actually secured lasting political advantage, and that even the BJP lost in Ayodhya after the temple’s consecration.It took five prime ministers, 30 years, an inquiry commission, and intense political manoeuvring for the temple to come up during the term of the second Narendra Modi government, formalised with the pran pratishtha on January 22, 2024. This could have been a movement by the people supported by the political establishment, but it played out like an extended game of chess, with political parties leveraging the demolition to mobilise and consolidate vote banks.Seshadri Chari, Deccan HeraldSanchar Saathi: The Government Has Earned Our DistrustEk BLO Ki Maut: Mounting Deaths Underscore Dark Reality of SIR ProcessPutin’s India Visit: Ukraine War, Debt Trouble & Defence Deals on the TableSaksham Tate's Murder Takes 'Honour Killing' Beyond 'Upper-Lower' Caste BinaryWriting About ‘Writing About Caste’GDP Growth Without Tax Boom: The Real State of Revenues, Expenditures & Deficits

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Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

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