Bullhorn economics
In an article for The Indian Express, former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram comments on the recently presented interim budget for 2024-25, and opines that the Modi government “chose to use a bullhorn”. He goes on to write that many of the claims made in the budget about the progress that has taken place in India in the last decade are incorrect. He argues that the masses can see such factual inaccuracies and false promises for what they are, and the media must not fall for them either.
“I think the people are getting tired — and bored — of the repeated claims of the government over the last ten years. They remember that 2 crore jobs a year was promised; what we have is handing over a few thousand appointment letters to fill existing vacancies in the government even while Tech companies reported that they had axed 2,60,000 jobs in 2023. They remember the promise that Rs 15 lakhs in the bank account of every person will be deposited after ‘bringing back the unaccounted money stashed in India and abroad’.”P Chidambaram, The Indian Express
Why LK Advani is a truly special politician for me
In an article for the Hindustan Times, journalist Karan Thapar recalls his 1990 interview with veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani. The leader was recently conferred the Bharat Ratna, and Thapar writes that he is the one of the frankest politicians he has known, and one who could admit to his mistakes, a rare quality among politicians. Thapar looks back at the interview with fondness and admires that Advani sat through a series of questions over his brand of Hindutva and how it may not be in alignment with Indian secularism. Thapar believes a similar conversation would not be possible with any of Advani’s successors today.
“I have no doubt the BJP politician I have got to know best — and through him his family — is Lal Krishna Advani. There was a time when I had clearly won his confidence and, on odd occasions, he would even accept my advice. In the process, he allowed me a glimpse into the secret inner workings of Indian politics. Now that he’s been conferred the Bharat Ratna, I want to recount my first interview with him. It captures the qualities that make him a truly special politician. Someone who is frank and forthright in his speech but also willing to acknowledge mistakes and, even, apologise for them. I know of very few other politicians in India like him.”Karan Thapar, Hindustan Times
Glamorizing violence, gamifying debate
In an article for the Deccan Herald, author Devdutt Pattanaik writes that propagators of violence or hate often turn to religious scriptures and mythologies to justify their deeds, which have traditionally valourised war. Pattanaik writes that Hindu scriptures are no exception to this. However, one aspect in which there is a difference between Hindu scriptures and those of other faiths, is the emphasis on ‘karma’, something not many like to talk about while discussing politics, he writes.
“God is not cursed in Middle Eastern stories. They are in Indian stories. Those who identify themselves as scientific and secular, also secretly believe that one day all problems of the world will be solved, though they prefer the rational route. Right now, many in the Hindu elite believe the rise of aggressive Hindu nationalism will establish Hindu Rashtra forever. They do not read their own scriptures, where even Krishna’s glorious Dwarka is washed away because of the curse of the mother of the Kauravas.”Devdutt Pattanaik, Deccan Herald
A caste census. Seriously?
In an article for The Indian Express, author Tavleen Singh opines that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hasn’t been politically astute in his latest attack on PM Modi. Gandhi, at a Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rally, emphatically argued against PM Modi’s claim of being a member of the OBC community, saying that his caste was given the OBC status much later. Gandhi’s push for a caste census, by way of highlighting that the Modi government hasn’t brought one yet, is not some “new narrative” but an “old idea”, one that most voters “are not stupid enough to believe,” writes Singh.
If the Congress Party is serious about taking on Modi, it needs a more convincing message than caste. Not many voters are stupid enough to believe that ordering a 'caste census' will create for them the new jobs and those other opportunities for bettering their lives that young Indians so badly need. Getting yourself declared an OBC is no guarantee of a job anymore. But nobody appears to have told Rahul Gandhi this, so in other videos from his Nyaya Yatra, he has promised to change the law that restricts reserved jobs for deprived castes to less than fifty percent.Tavleen Singh, The Indian Express
66 years ago, an idea for a House session in South
Writing for The Indian Express, researcher Chakshu Roy recalls how a certain Member of Parliament had repeatedly pushed for a Lok Sabha session to be held in a city down South, showing great foresight over the now growing North-South ‘divide’ in the country. In 1959, Prakash Vir Shastri, an independent MP from Gurgaon, then part of Punjab, had first raised a motion to discuss the possibility of holding a Lok Sabha session in Bangalore or Hyderabad. After that, the MP tried to raise this subject multiple times, but it kept getting dismissed on account of practicality and feasibility.
Opening the debate, Shastri marshalled data about the proposal's feasibility. But the core of his argument was that such a move would help strengthen national integration. While some MPs supported the idea, others opposed it. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also in his first term in Lok Sabha, proposed a middle path. He suggested that the government keep an open mind on the issue and form a committee to examine the idea. The government however, opposed Shastri's proposal on practicality, leading to its rejection by Lok Sabha.Chakshu Roy, The Indian Express
The many promises and challenges of new India
Writing for the Hindustan Times, Chanakya analyses what makes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) so confident about winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The author argues that the party has been laying the ground for a monumental victory for some time now, setting the stage for Narendra Modi to potentially secure a historic third consecutive term as Prime Minister. While the short-term emphasis may have been on scoring political points, Chanakya argues, PM Modi's long-term vision during his tenure underlines the BJP's intent beyond immediate politics, whether be it by challenging the Congress's legacy, conferring civilian awards on opposition leaders, or highlighting ongoing social welfare initiatives.
“Another BJP-led government approached another election with the same gusto two decades ago, they might argue, only to be made to pay the price of its hubris, undone by a clever patchwork of regional alliances and subliminal anger from the hinterland. But the BJP believes, and with good reason, that 2024 is not 2004. This is why the interim budget was just that, a speech listing the government’s achievements and intentions, and not a laundry list of sops for various target demographics. And that is also why, over the course of two speeches in Parliament last week, Modi chose to outline his vision for a potential third term and told the country what he thought the national priorities should be.”Chanakya, Hindustan Times
Fall of the ‘Iron General’
In this article for The Hindu, Stanly Johny assesses the legacy of Ukraine's now sacked commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Zaluzhnyi was recently sacked by President Zelenskyy after a failed counteroffensive with Russia and growing rift between the two men. In the article, the author analyses the downfall of Zaluzhnyi, who was once known as the "Iron General,". His dismissal could significantly create tensions within the Ukrainian armed forces, with greater implications for the country's military strategy and leadership, writes Johny.
General Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the U.S., once said. “His leadership enabled the Ukrainian armed forces to adapt quickly with battlefield initiative against the Russians.” But the Russians also learnt from their battlefield experiences and adapted to the new realities. By the time Ukraine launched the much-anticipated counteroffensive in June 2023, the Russians were in a stronger position. Mr. Putin had already mobilised some 3,00,000 troops and changed his commander.Stanly Johny, The Hindu
Profits for corporates, taxes for individuals
In an article for the Deccan Herald, author Vivek Kaul analyses the interim budget, and says that one of the aspects of it which hasn’t garnered the kind of attention it ought to, is that the personal income tax (PIT) now contributes more to the central government tax collections than that paid by corporations. Kaul says this might be a big contributing factor in why many Indians are increasingly giving up Indian citizenship and moving abroad.
“First, the income tax system, which needs to be fair before anything else, now favours corporations over individuals. Second, the collection of personal income tax has increased primarily because those in higher income brackets have had to pay significantly higher surcharges on their income. These higher taxes might be the reason behind the jump in individuals giving up Indian citizenship. The government recently shared that around 2.16 lakh individuals gave up Indian citizenship in 2023, a jump of 50% since 2019, when the number was 1.44 lakh. The jump in the four-year period prior to 2019 was 9.5%.”Vivek Kaul, Deccan Herald
The gang of three
In an article for The Telegraph, author Mukul Kesavan critiques the dominance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in global cricket. Kesavan argues that its implication can be seen in how long test series are now a "luxury sport" that most countries can no longer afford. That T20 has become the more common format of cricket world-over, is a byproduct of this, says Kesavan.
The abbreviated two-Test series between India and South Africa and Australia and the West Indies were symptoms of two, interrelated tendencies in cricket India's control over world cricket and the encroachment of T20 franchise tournaments on Test cricket's calendar. Everyone who watched these abbreviated series agreed that they were wonderful contests that should have been spread out over at least three Tests. The reason that didn't happen is that a long Test series is now a luxury sport that only the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its two principal clients, the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia, can afford to play.Mukul Kesavan, The Telegraph
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