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THE HINDU

6 Monday, May 15, 2023

Editorial Delhi

The Karnataka result, a blow to the BJP’s ‘myth-making’

I
t would be tempting to reduce the characterised as the last­to­join and first­to­leave lies in a mismatch of the ‘credit attribution’ of
Karnataka Assembly election 2023 verdict voters of the larger Hindu coalition. The former welfare schemes between the towering
Lessons in a loss to a simple case of State­level
anti­incumbency. However, a simplistic
tendency has scorched the BJP in State elections
in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh,
personality of Mr. Modi and his relatively puny
State leaders.
The Congress can learn more from anti­incumbency narrative, explained in terms of while the latter has stalled the party’s expansion The tragic case of Mr. Bommai in Karnataka
the BJP’s loss than from its win localised factors, might only obscure how the bid in State elections of Telangana, Odisha and can be used to explore another variation of this
present ‘national’ polity also embeds itself deeply Asim Ali Maharashtra, larger story, where the double­engine dragnet

T
he mandate for the Congress in Karnata­ into ‘State’ results. This is because this election operates through the seeding of overt factional
ka is as definitive as it could have been: an is a political
provides an excellent portal to understand researcher and The use of hard Hindutva, top intervention conflict. It would be easy now to attribute all sorts
absolute majority with 135 seats in the certain contradictions in the Bharatiya Janata The national leadership of the BJP (along with a of moral failings onto the deposed Chief Minister.
columnist
224­member Assembly garnering support from Party’s post­2014 project of national domination. pro­Hindutva faction within the State unit) has But he had been dealt a particularly weak initial
across regions and demographic groups. No been planning for a while to move the State party hand — seen in tandem to be beholden to Mr.
doubt, some of the vote share accrued to it nega­ A post-Yediyurappa election beyond its core Lingayat moorings and integrate Modi­Shah as well as to his former mentor, Mr.
tively as the principal party that was in opposi­ Anti­incumbency is a necessary, but not a subaltern sections through hard Hindutva. A Yediyurappa — Mr. Bommai struggled to exercise
tion to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This also sufficient, explanation for the nature of the BJP’s major limitation of this strategy was that the any independent control over factional networks
became clear in the erosion of support for the Ja­ defeat. After all, this was the BJP’s first Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s grassroots within the party, or disciplinary authority over
nata Dal (Secular); the space for a third player ‘post­Yediyurappa’ election in close to three influence hardly extended beyond coastal his administration.
shrank considerably. The BJP won less than half decades. Even as Mr. B.S. Yediyurappa was Karnataka (overlapping, co­incidentally, with the
the number of seats the Congress did, but the integrated into the campaign later, the party specific zone where communal issues find Issue of corruption
party that might have suffered an irreversible fought the election under the face of the Prime electoral resonance). Given this context, it is hard In a State such as Karnataka, corruption is
slide is the JD(S), which was seen as a family syn­ Minister. The key functions of election strategy to believe the BJP’s strategy largely consisted of well­entrenched into mainstream
dicate devoid of any moral compass. Voters could and campaign execution had been centralised in saturating the airwaves with communal issues caste­community based structures. However, as
be forgiven for not having known which way the an unprecedented manner, consequent to the such as halal, hijab, and azaan (later ‘terrorism’ political scientist Harold Gould observed in 1997,
JD(S) would lean after the election. Surely, the op­ national leadership’s dominant control over the and ‘Bajrangbali’) and hoping for a in a paper on the Congress decline in Karnataka,
portunism of individual MLAs and the JD(S) fol­ State unit post­Yediyurappa’s ouster in 2021. near­spontaneously forged Hindu coalition. As it the ‘perception’ of rampant corruption is
lowing a hung Assembly in 2018 weighed heavily Arguably, the national hegemony of the ruling happened, the only significant impact of the BJP’s deduced by the public through other
on their minds. Another indecisive verdict would party post­2014 has been bolstered through hard Hindutva campaign, waged over two years, surface­level political variables such as high
have been as good as defeat for the Congress. certain persuasive myths attached to the ‘new’ remained confined to the 20­odd seats of coastal factional conflict and a weak State leadership.
Throughout the campaign, the Congress stayed Modi­Shah BJP. The use of the term ‘myth’ draws Karnataka. Conversely, the Indian National The perception of ‘out of control’ corruption, as it
united, focused and dynamic, while BJP leaders from French historian Georges Sorel’s conception Congress won a full majority precisely on an adhered itself to Mr. Bommai, might have flowed
sought to settle scores with one another and of myth: any ‘concrete fantasy’ that facilitates anti­BJP consolidation of the subaltern sections just as well from perceptions of his structural
worked at cross purposes. The Congress showed political consensus. The truth­value of a myth is based on a (relatively) progressive weakness rather than any ‘real’ multiplication of
maturity and composure as the BJP tried to make immaterial here; what is material is only its socio­economic agenda. According to an Axis My corruption.
up for its unpopularity by raking up divisive and functional value in the construction of hegemonic India survey, the Congress lead over the BJP Consider some alternative pieces of evidence
extraneous issues. As the ruling party, it refused power. among Dalit voters is 38%; among tribals is 11%; from the sobering CSDS­NDTV pre­poll: 63% of
to be accountable for its track record in govern­ Over the last decade, the BJP has particularly Kurubas 39%, and Muslims 86%. respondents claimed to be satisfied with the State
ment and underestimated the intelligence of the relied on two such myths for political expansion The second governance­based myth of a government’s performance, as opposed to 32%
voters by offering them communal opiates. The and/or legitimation — an ideological myth The State “double­engine” government, exalts Prime who claimed to be dissatisfied. It is almost
Congress largely stuck to issues that could have (‘subaltern Hindutva’) and a governance myth Assembly Minister Narendra Modi as a last­ditch saviour to identical to the satisfaction with the central
an impact on lives and livelihoods. For very good (‘double engine sarkar’). These myths help the an incompetent local leader. The structural government (66% versus 33%). On development
reasons, the BJP deserved its defeat as much as
election and its
party ride over structural weaknesses and project result exposes reasons why so many BJP State governments projects, the government was rated fairly well,
the Congress deserved its victory. a self­perpetuating aura of ‘invincibility’. Insofar require a late­in­the­day intervention by the scoring high on the provision of roads, water and
The Congress and the BJP have lessons to be the key
as the Karnataka election result disturbs the basis Prime Minister, are often left unexplored. electricity. Incidentally, the ratings for the BJP on
drawn from the Karnataka verdict. If the BJP truly of these myths, it leaves a significant national contradictions This intervention typically takes the form of the three criteria of factionalism, corruption and
wants to be a party trusted by all religious and lin­ imprint. in the party’s either replacing a Chief Minister in the latter nepotism were fairly identical (55%, 59%, 59%,
guistic communities, it must learn to respect First, the myth of subaltern Hindutva. It is no project of stages of their term, or the Prime Minister’s respectively), indicating how these three
them. After its failed strategy in West Bengal in doubt true that the BJP has broadened, in the national attempts rescuing a fledgling Chief Minister variables might be co­constitutive. Yet, the same
2021, and now in Karnataka, the party must see recent past, its electoral catchment area among through a prolonged and personalised campaign. voters also held Mr. Bommai to be the most
the writing on the wall. Its totalising project is
domination
subaltern sections (Dalits, tribals, poorer after 2014 — Karnataka, incidentally, saw both of these tactics. corrupt Chief Minister of the decade, not
harmful not only for itself but also for the nation. non­dominant backward castes). However, To cite examples from the recent past, such deserving of another mandate.
A violation of long­cherished and productive re­ around
besides the two national Modi waves, we have interventions were required in Himachal The ‘empty signifier’ of Mr. Bommai,
gional aspirations is unsettling for national inte­ hardly seen widespread support of the subalterns ‘subaltern Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Tripura, and suffocated by the double­engine combination,
grity and progress. The attempt to undermine na­ towards an umbrella ‘Hindu’ coalition. The larger Hindutva’ and a Gujarat, with fairly mixed outcomes. will now assume all the sins of the double engine,
tive dairy brand Nandini is a case in point. In a ideological basis of the subaltern support to ‘double engine Political scientist Neelanjan Sircar, among while credit for the valiant rescue mission will
remarkable shift from the past, the Congress ack­ Hindutva is unclear as they can often be sarkar’ other scholars, argues that the primary reason flow towards the top engine.
nowledged that it must address questions of caste
justice too, while holding on to its opposition to
religious sectarianism, and expanding welfarism.
The Congress needs to move beyond the tired
rhetoric of the old order and frame a new para­
digm that is inclusive towards the regional, reli­
gious, class and caste diversities of the country. It
This strategic-economic bloc will only tighten the leash
has made an experimental beginning in Karnata­
ka. Between the failed experiment of the BJP and

I
n November 2019, India walked out from the removes the tariff element of typical trade deals, but still take years to conclude. The supposed
the successful one of the Congress, Karnataka vo­ trade pact called the Regional and is entirely about all these other areas. In any innocence of the relatively high­level language of
ters have imparted important lessons to India’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership case, traditional trade deals in the U.S. face likely the IPEF is being used as an excuse to rush it
political class. (RCEP) involving China, Japan, South Korea, roadblocks in the legislature. The U.S. has also through. However, this is precisely the kind of
Australia, New Zealand and the 10­state found a tariffs­free trade deal, presented as a new language that will unsuspectingly trap countries
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) kind of win­win economic partnership, as a good in economy­wide permanent commitments, with
Statistical succour grouping. Fast forward to 2023, and now India
along with many of the same countries, but with
Parminder Jeet
Singh
way to get around the resistance of many
countries, including India, to free trade
domestic policy making space considerably
compromised, but whose real implications will
Policymakers cannot afford to drop China replaced by the United States, is getting is with the agreements, as they used to be called. only become obvious by and by.
into the U.S.­driven Indo­Pacific Economic However, the IPEF’s ‘new age’ language itself is The IPEF has four pillars: trade, supply chains,
their guard on inflation Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The obvious
non­governmental
the biggest trap. It knits vaguely­worded webs clean economy, and fair economy. Fearful of a
organisation, IT for

T
he reading for retail inflation braked questions are: what has changed? And how are Change that are not obvious in their actual economic possible trap, India has joined the other three
sharply last month to an 18­month low of the two economic partnership frameworks impact, other than to U.S. strategists who created pillars but not trade. But there is great pressure
4.7%, aided in no small measure by the different? the proposals. Early assessment by many experts on it to join trade too, and India could relent.
fact that price gains had hit an eight­year high of shows that the IPEF would result in a complete Joining the trade pillar is the worst, but the other
7.8% in April 2022. While at the headline level in­ The devil and deep sea stranglehold over the economic systems of the pillars too contribute to developing hard new
flation cooled by 96 basis points from March’s The one clear difference is of China versus the participating countries, in a manner that is to the economic architectures and structures that are
5.66%, the month­on­month price gains based on U.S. Developing a strategic partnership with the complete advantage of the U.S. The IPEF is really not tariff­based.
the provisional Consumer Price Index (CPI) in U.S. is India’s top foreign policy priority. Its about developing a strategic­economic bloc — an In the long run, that could have an even
April showed a quickening to 0.51%, from the relationship with China has, meanwhile, further integrated economic system centred on the U.S., stronger effect on economic and trade flows than
0.23% pace in March. Inflation also slowed in deteriorated. But a strategic partnership with the and, as importantly, excluding China. The tariffs. In the digital arena it is said that ‘code is
April on the back of a year­on­year softening in U.S. need not come at the cost of economic systemic integration caused by the IPEF’s actual law, and architecture is policy’. In an increasingly
food price gains with the Consumer Food Price dependency on it. With China, the big economic long­term impact will leave little leeway for digitalising world, hard­wiring supply chains and
Index easing almost lockstep with the broader in­ fear was any trade deal’s impact on India’s domestic policies to help a country’s own giving up policy spaces in key areas such as
dex — the reading slid 95 basis points from the manufacturing sector; of cheap Chinese goods The U.S.­driven industrialisation (for example through tight digital, labour and environment, and export
previous month’s 4.79%, to 3.84%. Oils and fats flooding Indian markets. But the economic issues supply chain integration that many elements of constraints, would take the form of a gilded
Indo­Pacific
were a vital contributor, with a deflation in prices with the U.S. have been no less problematic, e.g. the IPEF contribute to). techno­legal cage of irreversible economic
widening to 12.3% last month, from 7.86% in about agriculture, intellectual property, labour Economic dependency. Does a strategic partnership with
March. Also, inflation in cereals, which has the and environment standards, and the digital Framework for A trade deal googly the U.S. need to come at such a price?
highest weight of almost 10% in the CPI, slowed economy. Strategic partnership should not mean Prosperity Developing country trade negotiators are used to The IPEF can already be seen to have deep
by 160 basis points to 13.7%, from 15.3% in the accepting a completely U.S. self­interest­driven would result in the traditional language of free trade agreements. implications in agriculture, in terms of genetically
preceding month. economic framework that does not suit India’s a complete Having honed their skills looking for problems in modified seeds and food, surrendering policy
However, a closer look shows price gains accel­ current economic interests. stranglehold them, they find it quite difficult to understand space for regulating Big Tech, and compromising
erated sequentially in nine of the 12 subgroups of Traditionally, trade deals used to be mostly and respond to the sophistry that the IPEF’s a comparative advantage in manufacturing
over the
the food and beverages category that contributes about tariffs. Increasingly though, issues related innocent­sounding text is filled with. This is because of unfair labour and environment
almost 46% weight in the CPI basket. While veget­ to intellectual property, services, investment, economic especially so given that the IPEF is proposed to be standards. It will also seriously affect India’s
able prices remained in deflationary territory domestic regulation, digital, and labour and systems of the concluded by November 2023, and when real ability to create a vibrant domestic ecosystem in
when compared with a year earlier, they regis­ environmental standards, are becoming more participating engagements only began late last year. Traditional emerging areas such as a digital economy and
tered 1.7% month­on­month inflation. And prices important. The U.S.’s IPEF proposal completely countries free trade agreements are much more focused green products.
of fruits surged almost 4% from March’s levels,
even as year­on­year the price gains were half
that pace at 2.1%. Of concern is that prices of puls­ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
es and products as well as sugar and confection­
ery showed accelerations in both year­on­year The Karnataka result also a vote for secularism is people have given a clear sounding pleasing to the show being a case in point. quickly instead.
and month­on­month inflation rates. With the The heading of the report, noteworthy. verdict to enable a stable ear, but Mr. Gandhi should On the other hand, the S.N. Srinivasan,
domestic output of pulses weaker in the current “Congress surge topples Manoharan Muthuswamy, government. Starting with not forget the history of campaigning by the Bengaluru
crop year, the Centre has already moved to tight­ BJP in Karnataka” (Page 1, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu the hijab issue, the people charges and cases against Congress was successful in
en its monitoring of tur and urad dal stocks held May 14), was clever! While were in search of communal the Congress. People are exposing the BJP’s The politics of hatred and
by traders, so as to head off any attempts to one of the tactics of the The decimation of the amity and peace, and going to watch the Congress shortcomings, with its communal divide was
hoard and push up prices. It is also reportedly saffron party to win power Bharatiya Janata Party in efficient governance. The very closely to see how its message resonating well strongly rebuffed by the
mulling more export curbs on sugar amid a pro­ is by toppling Congress the Karnataka Assembly results have shown that the governs and whether it is with the people. intelligent voters of
duction shortfall. To be sure, besides the Centre’s governments in various election 2023 has spelt BJP is not invincible. able to make progress in Attempts to divide the Karnataka. It is a good
supply side measures, last year’s base effect is States using horse­trading much relief to the people of N.G.R. Prasad, the run­up to 2024. people on communal lines omen for democracy. Voters
bound to ensure that headline retail inflation is methods, it is now the turn the State in terms of federal Chennai A.P. Thiruvadi, in a nation like India are cannot always be swayed
unlikely to go back above the Reserve Bank of In­ of the Congress to “topple” governance, communal Chennai short sighted. by the mere eloquence of
dia’s upper tolerance threshold of 6%, at least the BJP government, but by accord and freedom from The Congress should not S.K. Khosla, leaders.
during the current quarter. Still, there is no room following democratic the 40% commission rule. forget about the tall The BJP’s Karnataka defeat Chandigarh Balakrishnan M.K.,
for complacency. As Jayanth Varma, a member processes. That the Grand The verdict was not merely promises it has made in its is also a defeat for the Tattamangalam, Palakkad, Kerala
on the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee, flagged Old Party won convincingly a case of the manifesto. The statement Prime Minister Narendra The electorate deserves
last month, there still loom two major risks to the is satisfying. The Karnataka anti­incumbency factor from Congress scion Rahul Modi. Mr. Modi went to such praise for using its franchise
inflation outlook — oil prices and uncertainty on verdict was a clear mandate alone, but, more Gandhi, that the “Nafrat ki an extent in this election to to vote decisively and
the monsoon. The heightening prospect of an El against the Prime Minister importantly, anti­BJP baazar band hogayi hai, try and win that he intelligently.
Niño forebodes the possibility of erratic or even and the Home Minister too, sentiment too. mohabbat ki dukan khul transformed himself from Hopefully, the Congress will Letters emailed to
significantly deficient rainfall impacting food­ who virtually camped in The over presence of Prime gaya hai (Market of hatred Prime Minister to not become complacent letters@thehindu.
grains production, and policymakers can ill af­ Karnataka throughout the Minister Narendra Modi only has shut down, shop of love campaigner­in­chief, his after such an overwhelming co.in must carry the full postal
ford to drop their guard on inflation. election period. That this is fuelled the sentiment. The has opened”), may 26­kilometre long road mandate but start working address.
CM M ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Monday, May 15, 2023 7
Delhi
LOKNITI-CSDS SURVEY

How the Congress The Ahinda


advantage
won an absolute Sanjay Kumar

majority in Karnataka The rainbow coalition


stitched by the Congress
has been key to the party’s
resounding victory. While
The Lingayats supported
the BJP, while the rest
supported the Congress
70% of Muslims voted for
Focusing on local issues and stitching together a broad social coalition that lent it huge support the Congress, the party al­ large numbers. The Con­
helped the party win a comfortable majority in the State so received sizeable sup­ gress had enjoyed an ad­
port from various castes, vantage over its rivals
except the upper castes among these communities
Sandeep Shastri, Suhas from those with different and the Lingayats. Among even in previous elections,
Palshikar & Sanjay educational achievements, the Lingayats, 56% voted but this election saw a de­
Kumar except those who had a for the BJP and 29% voted cisive shift in favour of the
college degree — a section for the Congress. There party. The shift among the
ince 1985, Karnataka among which the BJP did was no significant shift in Vokkaliga voters away

S has never voted back


a ruling party. The
same trend has continued
better. Congress voters
were drawn from both ur­
ban and rural areas un­
the votes of the Lingayats
away from the BJP though
a prominent Lingayat lead­
er of the BJP, Jagadish Shet­
from the JD(S) explains
why the JD(S) performed
badly this time. It also
failed to retain the support
in 2023. Defying many iformly, while the BJP had
predictions of an Assembly much higher support tar, quit the party and of Muslims. These two
without a clear majority, among urban residents. joined the Congress. Mr. communities were the
the Congress received a While the Congress and Shettar was defeated in the backbone of the JD(S)’s
clear mandate, winning the BJP secured support Hubbali­Dharward Central support base in Karnataka,
135 seats in the State and from the upper class, Assembly constituency, more so in in southern Kar­
increasing its vote share by among the lower classes which further indicates nataka, which accounts for
close to 5% points. The there was a 9% point diffe­ that he was unable to mo­ 51 Assembly seats. Of
Bharatiya Janata Party rence between the support bilise Lingayat votes in fa­ these, in 2018, the JD(S)
Congress workers and supporters celebrate the party's victory in the
(BJP) more or less retained for the Congress and the vour of the Congress. The won 24 seats and polled
Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru. ANI
its vote share, but its seats BJP, with the Congress be­ BJP also enjoyed a massive 37.5%. But in 2023, its vote
plummeted by one­third. campaign seemed to in­ over half the respondents ing ahead. The Congress lead over the Congress share went down to 29.5%.
The Janata Dal (Secular) fluence three of every 10 (56%) had said that the par­ was clearly more success­ among upper caste voters. Karnataka voters are
saw a fall of 5% points in its voters (29%). A higher per­ ty was the crucial factor ful in building a rainbow The OBC votes remained clearly divided on caste­
vote share and a slash in its centage of Congress and JD while voting. For close to social coalition with sizea­ divided between the Con­ community lines, with the
tally by half (Table 1). (S) voters said that they four of every 10 (38%), the ble support among the gress (34%) and BJP (37%). traditional Brahmin­Lin­
Both the Congress and had decided who to vote candidate mattered. The Vokkaligas, Kurubas, Da­ The Kuruba communi­ gayat combination behind
the BJP invested a lot of for during this phase. A lit­ leader mattered for very lits, and Muslims. A higher ty, to which Congress lead­ the BJP and the rest behind
time, energy and effort in tle over one­fourth of them few. Congress voters were share of tribal people vot­ er Siddaramaiah belongs; the Congress — a repeat of
winning this election. The (28%) said that they had more likely to say that the ed for the Congress as the Dalit community, to the Ahinda (minorities) so­
BJP was keen to retain its decided at the last minute. party mattered more than compared to the BJP. The which Congress president cial coalition.
only bastion in the south, One­third of those who vot­ the candidate, while BJP BJP performed better Mallikarjun Kharge be­
while the Congress wished ed for the Congress (32%) supporters gave equal im­ among the Lingayats, but longs; and the Adivasis all Sanjay Kumar is Professor and
to seize the opportunity and the JD(S) (31%) took portance to both. More its support among this in­ voted for the Congress in Co­director Lokniti­CSDS
provided by an unpopular this stand, while a little less than half the JD(S) voters fluential segment has seen
government in the State. than one­fourth of those gave greater weightage to a decline with three of ev­
The Lokniti­Centre for the who voted for the BJP the party over the candi­ ery 10 Lingayats voting for
Study of Developing Socie­ (23%) held this position. It date. Given the multiple the Congress. It is clear
ties (CSDS) post­poll survey is thus clear that the choice party switches that Karna­ that the Ahinda (minori­
indicates at what point vo­ of candidates and the na­ taka has seen, popular per­ ties) social coalition that
ters made their voting ture of the campaign in­ ception among the suppor­ the Congress stitched to­
choice. Four of every 10 fluenced the Congress and ters of different parties gether was more compre­
respondents (39%) assert­ JD(S) voters more than assumes significance (Ta­ hensive than the one sup­
ed that they had decided they influenced the sup­ ble 3). porting the BJP.
who to vote for well before porters of the BJP (Table 2). It is clear that the Con­
the campaign started. A The focus on the local, at­ gress received more or less Sandeep Shastri is National
higher percentage of BJP tempted by the Congress uniform support across Coordinator of the Lokniti
voters took this stand and the JD(S), appears to age groups, while the BJP Network; Suhas Palshikar taught
(47%) compared to Con­ have had a strong impact. drew greater support from political science and is chief editor
gress (37%) and JD(S) (34%) Lokniti­CSDS had con­ younger voters. The Con­ of Studies in Indian Politics; and
supporters. The declara­ ducted an earlier poll dur­ gress drew greater support Sanjay Kumar is Professor and
tion of candidates and the ing the campaign in which as compared to the BJP Co­director Lokniti­CSDS

Methodology
The findings are from the
Dissatisfaction with the The leadership factor
Karnataka Assembly post­
poll study conducted by
the Lokniti programme of
government’s performance mattered Veena Devi & Nagesh K.L.

What was the role of the


Minister Basavaraj Bom­
mai was favoured by a little
less than two of every 10
CSDS, Delhi, between May leadership factor in the (18%) and JD(S) leader H.D.
10 and 12. A total of 1,650 Aaliyia Malik Karnataka Assembly elec­ Kumaraswamy was men­
voters spread across 60 & Devesh Kumar tions? Three­fourths of the tioned by a little over one
polling stations in 15 ran­ respondents admitted that of every 10 (12%).
domly selected Assembly The Congress has emerged Even more than four in they had not attended the In line with the Con­
constituencies were inter­ victorious by effectively every 10 respondents election rallies addressed gress being favoured as the
viewed. The field work was capitalising on the anti­in­ who were ‘somewhat by either Narendra Modi or ruling party, there was cor­
coordinated by Veena Devi cumbency sentiment pre­ satisfied’ with the Modi Rahul Gandhi during the responding support for its
and supervised by Nagesha vailing in Karnataka. Em­ last 10 days of the cam­ leader, Siddaramaiah.
K.L. in Karnataka.
government voted for
ploying a micro­focused paign (Table 1).
The multi­stage syste­ campaign, the party was the Congress. When asked specifically Veena Devi is Professor
matic random sampling able to secure an absolute about the influence of the at the Department of Political
(SRS) design was adopted. majority of 135 seats. How led BJP government at the rallies addressed by Mr. Science, Jnana Bharathi Campus,
The Assembly constituen­ much did anti­incumbency Centre too (Table 2). This Modi on the way they vot­ Bangalore University, and
cies were randomly select­ play a role in shaping this played a decisive role in ed, close to two­thirds of Nagesh K.L. teaches in the
ed using the probability outcome? the electoral choice as the respondents (63%) stat­ Department of
proportional to size meth­ When asked whether nearly 61% of the voters ed that it did not influence Pre University Education,
od. Thereafter, four polling they took into considera­ who were fully dissatisfied the way they voted. For BJP Karnataka
stations within each of the tion the work done by the with the BJP government in voters, however, Mr. Modi
sampled Assembly consti­ Basavaraj Bommai­led Karnataka voted for the still mattered. Six of every
tuencies were selected us­ State government or the Congress (Table 3). Similar­ 10 (61%) respondents who
ing the SRS method. In Narendra Modi­led Central ly, when asked about the voted for the BJP said Mr.
each polling station, 40 vo­ government when decid­ performance of the Central Modi’s campaign speeches
ters were randomly sam­ ing their vote, only one­se­ government over the last influenced the way they
pled (of which 25 were in­ venth of the respondents four years, nearly 65% of voted. The Congress and
terviewed) from the considered the work done those who were fully dissa­ JD(S) voters were more
electoral roll using the SRS by the State government tisfied voted for the Con­ likely to say that Mr. Modi’s
method. The interviews while casting their vote. gress (Table 4). speeches did not influence
(10­15 minutes each) were One­fifth of the voters took Thus, dissatisfaction the way they voted (Table
conducted at electors’ into account both the Cen­ with the government’s per­ 2).
homes by specially trained tral and State governments formance did matter, be­ In the case of the in­
field investigators, mostly while casting their vote. cause even over four in ev­ fluence of Mr. Gandhi’s
students from colleges and The work done by the ery 10 respondents who speeches on the way they
universities. The question­ MLAs in their respective lo­ were somewhat satisfied voted, close to seven of ev­
naire was translated into cal areas was given the the BJP governments both with one­fourth being fully with the Modi government ery 10 respondents said
Kannada. The English least importance (Table 1). in Karnataka and at the dissatisfied. Almost an voted for the Congress. these speeches had little
questionnaire is uploaded The data suggest that Centre. Approximately equal proportion of voters influence (69%). Six of ev­
on the Lokniti website. there was discontentment two­fifth of the voters ex­ were displeased with the Aaliyia Malik & Devesh Kumar are ery 10 Congress voters
Though the sample is re­ with the performance of pressed dissatisfaction, performance of the Modi­ researchers at Lokniti­CSDS (59%) too said that his
latively small, the total speeches did not influence
number of voters inter­ the way they voted (Table
viewed represent the so­ 2).
cial reality of the voters of Of the national leaders
Karnataka. of the two parties, Mr. Mo­
The Lokniti team com­ di’s speeches had a greater
prised Vibha Attri, Aaliyia influence over BJP voters
Malik, Devesh Kumar, Hi­ as compared to Mr. Gand­
manshu Kapoor, Priyanka hi’s influence on Congress
Mittal, Rishikesh Yadav, Hi­ voters.
manshu Bhattacharya and When it came to their
Dhananjay Kumar Singh. preferred chief ministerial
The post­poll study was di­ candidate, Siddaramaiah
rected by Sanjay Kumar, was the choice of four of
Suhas Palshikar and San­ every 10 respondents A poster of Congress leader Siddaramaiah outside his residence in
deep Shastri. (39%). Incumbent Chief Bengaluru, referring to him as the next CM of Karnataka. ANI
CM M ND-NDE
YK
Delhi www.thehindu.com Monday, May 15, 2023
● ●

Text&Context 0
NEWS IN NUMBERS
The huge margin with The State Ministers Voters who opted for Himachal Pradesh to Germany announces
which Cong. won in 12 who lost in Assembly NOTA in the latest cover hectares of land military aid package
seats in Karnataka election of Karnataka Karnataka election for orange production for Ukraine

50,000 14 2.6 1,800 3


votes. Ministers. Infrastructure lakh voters. Many voters hectares. The In $ billion. Germany will provide
With a Development Minister, V. who exercised their proposal was Ukraine with military aid, including
vote Somanna who contested from franchise in the Karnataka made by the tanks, anti­aircraft systems and
share of 75% and with a huge margin of Varuna and Chamarajanagar, and Irrigation polls used the ‘none of the above’ (NOTA) Himachal Pradesh government under the ammunition, according to the government.
over one lakh votes, Congress chief D. K. Minister Govind Karjol, who contested from option, according to Election Commission. HP Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation and The announcement came before President
Shivakumar defeated his closest rival B. Mudhol were among the Ministers who lost NOTA voters form 0.7% of the nearly 3.84 Value Addition (SHIVA) project funded by Zelenskyy’s visit to Germany. AP
Nagaraju of Janata Dal­Secular. PTI the Karnataka Assembly election. PTI crore people who came out to vote. PTI the Asian Development Bank. PTI COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM

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The nutritional value of millets


Why are millets popular sources of nutrition? What are the different parts of a millet kernel? How are nutrients in millets affected by processing and polishing? Can
millets thrive in harsh, resource­poor conditions?

EXPLAINER THE GIST


Vasudevan Mukunth 쑽
Millets are fundamentally
The story so far: grasses. They are cultivated

T
he UN Food and Agriculture worldwide, but especially in
Organization (FAO) has the tropical parts of Africa and
declared 2023 to be the Asia, as cereal crops. Some of
‘International Year of Millets’, the more common varieties
giving these crops a shot in the arm even include pearl millet (Cenchrus
as countries worldwide are looking to americanus), barnyard millet
them for their ability to grow in (Echinochloa utilis), finger
environmental conditions that the climate millet (Eleusine coracana), and
crisis is rendering more common. Millets foxtail millet (Setaria italica).
are becoming more popular in India as 쑽
well because of their low input
requirements and high nutritional Millets have two broad features
density, both of which are valuable for a that render them attractive —
country whose food security is expected their nutritional value being
to face significant challenges in the comparable to that of major
extant food crops (and better
coming decades. However, the
on some counts) and their
consumption of millets face one threat
ability to reliably withstand
that has already overtaken India’s major harsh, resource­poor
food crops — grain­processing. conditions.

What are millets? 쑽


Millets are fundamentally grasses. They Processing and preparing
are cultivated worldwide, but especially in millets for consumption can
the tropical parts of Africa and Asia, as affect nutrients in three ways —
cereal crops. Some of the more common enhance them,
varieties include pearl millet (Cenchrus suppress/remove them, and
americanus), barnyard millet (Echinochloa In abundance: A farmer swats away preying birds around a millet farm at Moinabad in Telangana on the outskirts of Hyderabad on April 22. NAGARA GOPAL ignore them.
utilis), finger millet (Eleusine coracana),
and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). decorticate the grain, that is, remove any
There is both palaeontological and other outer covering and expose the seed.
textual evidence to indicate that millets While studies have found that mechanical
were being cultivated in the Indian and hand­worked decortication did not
subcontinent five millennia ago. have significant effects on the grain, they
According to the Agricultural and both removed crude and dietary fibre.
Processed Foods Development Authority, But decortication also makes the grain
India is the world’s largest producer of more edible and visually attractive, which
millets. In 2021­2022, the country are favourable factors when marketing
accounted for 40.51% of the world’s pearl them to urban centres.
millet production and 8.09% of sorghum. The typical next steps are milling, to
Within the country, pearl millet made up grind the grains into flour, and sieving to
60% of all the millet production, sorghum remove large ‘impurities’, including bran.
27%, and ragi 11%. One 2012 study of finger millet found that
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), adlay whole­flour had a high content of “total
millet (Coix lacryma-jobi), and teff polyphenols and flavonoids” while sieving
(Eragrostis tef), among others, are grasses made the flour more digestible and its
that differ in some respects from millets nutrients more accessible to the body.
but are grouped together with them. However, it also reduced nutrient content
due to the loss of bran.
Why are they sought after? On the other hand, according to the
Millets have two broad features that February 2022 study, germination and
render them attractive — their nutritional fermentation — in which the grains are
value being comparable to that of major soaked in water for an extended duration
extant food crops (and better on some — “showed a positive improvement in the
counts) and their ability to reliably been found to have higher protein and ash (10.4%),” plus “over 72% of the overall nutritional characteristics of
withstand harsh, resource­poor content than rice, maize, and sorghum, total mineral matter”. millets”.
conditions. while being comparable to that of barley. This is why, according to various
They are drought­tolerant, adapted to According to various studies, foxtail millet experts, millets deserve to be included in What is the effect of polishing?
growing in warm weather, and require is rich in the amino acid lysine; finger people’s diets. But whether they’re A frequent last step is polishing.
low moisture (axiomatically, they are millet has more crude fibre than wheat actually included depends on the The longer the grains were milled, the
particularly efficient consumers of water) and rice; proso millet has a significant availability of “delicious products to more protein, fat, and fibre contents the
and loamy soil. They don’t grow well in amount of the amino acids leucine, satisfy the taste, providing knowledge on process removed. A different 2012 study
water­logged or extremely dry soil which isoleucine, and methionine; and overall, nutritional and health facts on millets, found that barnyard millet could be
might occur after heavy rainfall or millets have been found to be important and improving accessibility,” as per a 2021 polished with a rice polisher for up to
particularly bad droughts, respectively. sources of micronutrients and study. three minutes without significant nutrient
Nonetheless, millets have the upper hand phytochemicals. loss. Polishing is the process whereby
over crops like rice and maize with more How does processing affect the brown rice, for example, is changed to
drought­like conditions expected in many Where are the nutrients stored? nutrients? white rice by rubbing off the bran and the
parts of the world, including the newly According to a paper published in 2021 in Processing and preparing millets for germ.
realised prospect of ‘flash droughts’. That the journal Agriculture & Food Security, consumption can affect nutrients in three A 2012 study in the Journal of Cereal
being said, millets don’t abhor better each millet kernel consists of three major ways — enhance them, suppress/remove Science assessed the effects of polishing in
growing conditions, and respond parts, called pericarp, endosperm, and them, and ignore them. In this context, the nutritive value of two major Asian rice
positively to higher moisture and nutrient germ. The pericarp has an outer covering ‘whole grain’ refers to the endosperm, varieties — indica and japonica. Using a
content in the soil. called the husk. The husk and the germ, and bran (pericarp + aleurone) combination of precision abrasive
According to the M.S. Swaminathan pericarp together protect the kernel from whereas ‘refined grain’ refers only to the polishing, plasma mass spectrometry, and
Research Foundation, millets also “thrive inhospitable conditions, disease, and endosperm. fluorescence microscopy, they found that
on marginal land in upland and hilly physical damage. The husk is removed from the grains polishing removed 8­10% of grain weight
regions”; marginal land is land whose The endosperm is the largest part of because it is composed of cellulosic and also removed 60­80% of iron,
rent is higher than the value of crops that the kernel and its ‘storage’ centre. It has a matter that the human body cannot magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and
can be cultivated there. protein covering called the aleurone. digest. But at least one study has found manganese in both varieties. The loss of
According to an FAO article about that when this is done to pearl millets, bran also compromised the grains’ fibre
Are millets nutritious? sorghum, the endosperm is “relatively their phytic acid and polyphenol contents content. Yet rice polishing is considered
The nutritional content of millets include poor in mineral matter, ash and oil drop. (On the other hand, a paper desirable because, as per a 2009 study,
carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, amino content” but “a major contributor to the published in 2021 found that millet husk most consumers favour the resulting taste
acids, and various minerals. Different kernel’s protein (80%), starch (94%) and could be briquetted and used as and texture and prefer the shorter
millet varieties have different nutrient B­complex vitamins (50­75%)”. Similarly, household fuel, and potentially alleviate cooking time, and retailers want longer
profiles. For example, pearl millet — one pearl millet has a relatively larger germ, energy poverty in north Nigeria.) shelf­life, which can be achieved by
of the oldest cultivated varieties — has which is “rich in oil (32%), protein (19%) The second common step is to removing the bran.
CM M ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Monday, May 15, 2023 9
Delhi
Text&Context
PULSE-CHECK

KNOW YOUR ENGLISH

He prostrated
himself before
his teachers
He took everyone who had come
to a gourmet cafe but they did not
particularly enjoy the food

S. Upendran

What is the difference between


‘kowtow’ and ‘prostrate’? (R.
Sivakumar, Chennai)
First, let us deal with the pronunciation of
‘kowtow’. The two syllables rhyme with
‘how’, ‘cow and ‘now’; the word is
pronounced ‘cow­TOW’ with the stress on
the second syllable. It comes from the
Chinese ‘k’o­t’ou’ meaning ‘knock the
A 3D illustration of Mitochondria. ISTOCKPHOTO head’. When you ‘kowtow’, you go down
on your knees and touch the ground/floor
with your forehead. The common man in
China used to show his respect to those in

Explaining mitochondrial donation power by performing this act. Nowadays,


in everyday conversation, ‘kowtow’ is
mostly used as a verb. When you accuse
someone of ‘kowtowing’ to their boss,

treatment: how a baby has three parents what you are suggesting is that he is a
pushover — he shows too much respect
for the person in power, does what he has
been asked to without raising any
MDT is the process through which an egg, which has the genetic material (DNA) from the parents, and mitochondria from a selected female donor, is questions.
The Management is unlikely to kowtow
implanted in the uterus, and carried to full term to yield a baby, free of any mitochondrial disease to our demands.
‘Prostrate’ is what most men do when
they visit a temple. When you ‘prostrate’,
Ramya Kannan organs function, leading to a broad material (DNA) from the parents, and the Newcastle clinic became the first centre to you lie flat on the ground, face down,
assortment of symptoms across the body, mitochondria from the female donor, is get a licence to perform it, and the first with your arms stretched out. Unlike in

T
he announcement that a baby including brain damage, organ failure and implanted in the uterus, and carried to few cases were approved in 2018. the case of ‘kowtow’, the entire front
was born using three persons’ muscle wastage. The symptoms get more full term to yield a baby who will be free “Approval is given on a case­by­case basis portion of the body is in contact with the
DNA in the U. K. on Thursday and more debilitating as a child grows, from the mother’s mitochondrial disease. by the U. K.’s Human Fertilisation and ground. The word comes from the Latin
caused the stir that news of this and have no cure, but can be treated. This process is termed Mitochondrial Embryology Authority (HFEA), which has ‘prostratus’ meaning ‘thrown down’. Like
kind was expected to evoke. The baby, Some estimates put the incidence of Donation Treatment (MDT). given the green light for at least 30 cases,” ‘kowtow’, you usually ‘prostrate’ to
technically, has three parents, deriving mitochondrial diseases as one in 5,000 Priya Selvaraj, Scientific and Clinical the paper said. While details of the cases someone in order to show your respect
the mitochondria from a donor apart people. Head, GG Hospitals, Chennai, an IVF were not revealed to the media to protect for the individual. ‘Prostrate’, like
from the genetic material (DNA) from In this case, the mother had a centre, says: “If we are talking about the identity of the patients, a freedom of ‘kowtow’, has a figurative meaning; when
biological parents. Pioneering technology mitochondrial disease she was intent on inheriting genetic mitochondrial diseases information application by The Guardian used as a verb, it means helpless or
was used to facilitate this, in order to not passing on to her baby. She also did then it’s maternal. That’s why this revealed that there were “less than five defenceless. If you are ‘prostrate with
prevent the child from inheriting the not want to have a donor egg, for the particular technique is of relevance. This cases”. grief’, you are so overwhelmed that you
mother’s mitochondrial disease. baby would carry the genetic material of is specifically only for couples who wish The Newscientist reported in 2016 of a are incapable of doing anything.
the donor. to have their genetic child and are not Jordanian baby born of ‘three parents’, Tina was prostrate with grief after
Why did the baby need ‘three okay with using a donor egg. With this with a technique employed by the team failing the test.
parents’? What is the scientific process? special process, the final cytoplasm led by John Zhang at New Hope Fertility
The baby carried most of its DNA from its Mitochondrial diseases are only passed on (which holds the genetic material and Centre in New York, but working in How is the word ‘gourmet’
parents, and a minor per cent from the by the mother, and research has been mitochondria) has healthy mitochondria Mexico. pronounced? (Anu Mittal, Gurgoan)
donor, whose mitochondria has been attempting to find a way for protecting while the genetic material belongs to the There seem to be different ways of
used while fertilising the egg. the infant from inheriting the disease. biological parents.” Are there any side effects to the pronouncing this word. I will deal with
Mitochondria are basically the Here, through an advanced in vitro procedure? only two here. The British tend to rhyme
powerhouses of the cells. They generate fertilisation technique developed and Is there a law to facilitate MDT? The Guardian, quoting a Pubmed article the first syllable (gour) with words like
energy, and thus are also responsible for refined by the Newcastle Fertility Clinic, The Guardian reported that “research on from February this year, has mentioned ‘sure’, ‘cure’ and ‘poor’, while the
cell function in the human body. Certain the baby’s biological father’s sperm was MDT, which is also known as that sometimes it is possible that a small Americans tend to pronounce the ‘ou’ like
defects might occur impacting the way used to fertilise the eggs from the mitochondrial replacement therapy amount of the maternal mitochondria the ‘oo’ in ‘pool’, ‘fool’, and ‘tool’. Both
the mitochondria produces energy for the biological mother, who has a (MRT), was pioneered in the U. K. by with errors may get passed on during the pronounce the second syllable like the
cells (especially in the ‘energy­hungry’ mitochondrial disease, and a third, doctors at the Newcastle Fertility procedure. Dr. Sevaraj makes the case for word ‘may’. The word, which comes from
tissues of the brain, nerves, muscles, female donor with clear mitochondria, Centre…. to help women with mutated more information on the process itself, the Old French ‘groume’ meaning ‘wine
kidneys, heart, liver), and thereby separately. mitochondria to have babies without the “while largely helpful, the procedure is taster’, can be pronounced ‘GUE­may’ or
impacting cell function. The diseases that Then, the nuclear genetic material risk of passing on genetic disorders.” not without these minimal risks. As for ‘GUUR­may’. In both cases, the stress is
arise out of such mitochondrial mutations from the donor’s egg is removed and The progress in research led the U. K. the process, they use terms such as on the first syllable. A ‘gourmet’ is a
are called mitochondrial diseases. When replaced with the genetic material from government to amend the law allowing reversion or reversal and it’s inexplicable foodie, but unlike the ordinary foodie
the mitochondria are impaired and do not the biological parents’. The final product the procedure in 2015. It was further as of now. More published data is needed who enjoys eating just about anything,
produce sufficient energy, it affects how — the egg — which has the genetic added that it was two years later that the to establish consensus.” this individual mostly focuses on high
quality food; he is not someone who is
easily pleased. Books suggest that this
individual is not only a connoisseur of
good food, but also of vintage wines.
Please send in your answers to
THE DAILY QUIZ dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
He’s a gourmet, and insists on ordering
the food.
upendrankye@gmail.com
May 14 marked the birth centenary of Mrinal Sen. A quiz on the career of one of India’s
greatest filmmakers, who was part of a triumvirate that also had Ray and Ghatak
V.V. Ramanan Amitabh Bachchan debuted as a Questions and Answers to the May 12 edition
voice­over narrator, that earned three of the daily quiz: 1. Tarantino played this
X National awards. character in Pulp Fiction. Ans: Jimmie Dimmick
QUESTION 1 X 2. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly,
Mrinal’s first feature film was the romantic QUESTION 5 Mamie Van Doren, Grace Kelly. Name the odd one
drama Raat Bhore released in 1955. Which What was the subject of his 1967 out. Ans: No one was dressed as Grace Kelly
other icon of Bengal cinema also debuted documentary Moving Perspectives? 3. Mia Wallace speaks of this failed pilot show to
in that film? X Vega. Ans: Fox Force Five
X QUESTION 6 4. The code Vega uses to open the briefcase in the
QUESTION 2 What was the Bengali name of the movie. Ans: 666
Name his third film (a particular date in acclaimed film that opened with this 5. The Bible verse that Jules recites makes an
the Bengali calendar), set against the title card when shown to western appearance in this movie from Marvel. Ans:
backdrop of WWII and the famine of West audiences: 7 September 1980. A group Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Bengal, that brought international repute from Calcutta — a film crew — travels 6. The writer of the song ‘Girl, You'll Be a Woman
to Sen. Why is the date famous otherwise? to a village to shoot a film. The village Soon’. Ans: Neil Diamond
X is called Hatui. The name of the film In Visual: The number of Oscars Pulp Fiction was
QUESTION 3 Search of Famine? nominated for and won. This actor received his
Which are the other two films considered X only oscar nomination for Pulp Fiction. Ans:
part of Mrinal’s ‘Calcutta trilogy’ if QUESTION 7 Seven nominations and one win; Samuel. L. For feedback and suggestions for
Calcutta 71 is one of them? Name the eatery in Kolkata where, in X Jackson Text & Context, please write to
X the 1960s, Sen, Salil Chowdhury, Ritwik Visual question: Early Birds: K. N. Viswanathan| Vaibhav Jain| letters@thehindu.co.in
QUESTION 4 Ghatak, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee Name this 1983 film that won a Jury Prize at the 1983 Cannes Kumar Saurav| Sachin with the subject ‘Text & Context’
Name the acclaimed 1969 work, in which would have ‘addas’. Film Festival. FILE PHOTO
CM M ND-NDE
YK
4 . bl . think
MUMBAI

businessline.
MONDAY ­ MAY 15 ­ 2023

MONDAY ­ MAY 15, 2023 Mitigating


Handsome win
Congress benefits from Karnataka governance lapse
spillovers of
T he State Assembly polls in Karnataka have
brought much­needed relief to the Congress.
With 135 seats and 42.9 per cent vote share in
the 224­member State Assembly, a gain of 55 seats and
financial risk
4.8 per cent vote share respectively over the 2018 Broad macro­prudential regulation reduces
results, the Congress has ample reasons to celebrate.
The BJP has not lost significantly on the vote share incentives for excess risk­taking and can
front — sliding just about 0.35 per cent from its 2018 close arbitrage gaps
performance.
But it has come down by 38 seats to 66,
winning some by a low margin, as in Modernization Act passed in 2000, rumours and withdrawal in the digital A minimal set of macro­prudential
Jayanagar (Bengaluru) where the difference lightened position limits, among other world. measures imposed as universal criteria
between the BJP’s C Ramamurthy and the deregulations, for swap dealers. Oil Thus simple broad macro­prudential across countries and institutions could
price volatility was much higher in the regulation is arbitrage resistant, curb arbitrage flows. These were
Congress’s Sowmya Reddy was a mere 16 subsequent period. This hurt both oil strengthens incentives to reduce risks. discussed in earlier G20s but taxation
votes. However, the fact that a dozen ASHIMA GOYAL
exporting and importing countries. Global norms can be created through was seen as an individual right. Recently,
ministers lost indicates a vote against It is a puzzle why these obvious comply or explain frameworks — like however, G20 has reached agreement on

A
dubious governance as well. The political mong developing arbitrage gaps were allowed to continue. the Basel bank standards. Such a minimum corporate tax under the
fine­print is highly instructive. For the economies, emerging It may be that finance accounts for a market­based regulation would be good initiative to curb base erosion and profit
markets (EMs) are relatively major share of AE output and is a strong for AEs also since it would reduce their shifting.
Congress, what worked in Karnataka was that more open to foreign flows. lobby. It is supported by the free­market financial vulnerabilities. It is feared that G20 can be most productive in the
the party has a strong organisation boasting Therefore they have been ideological that believes regulation stronger regulation would increase provision of collective goods where
of about 75 lakh workers and credible put through a roller­coaster in the cannot succeed and only adds to costs. borrowing costs, but reduction in coordination across countries is
leadership in Siddaramaiah and DK decades after the global financial crisis Since markets are able to outsmart volatility would actually reduce costs. required. One country tightening alone
(GFC). Under zero advanced economy regulation, it is better not to try. In AEs, even for banks the emphasis can see capital flight. It can strengthen
Shivakumar. The central leaders adopted a (AE) interest rates and quantitative Repeated shocks in this century, on self­regulation and own assessment regulators against domestic lobbies and
supporting role and stayed away from stoking easing (QE), EMs saw huge inflows in however, have shown the flaws of of risks continued. Only large banks political pressures that create costly
distant issues such as Adani­Hindenburg or search of yield. These became outflows under­regulated free markets. Financial were thought to create systemic risks. domestic crises as well as global
even Rahul Gandhi’s own disqualification during periods of global risk­off. Foreign liberalisation has many benefits but The Trump government lightened spillovers.
inflows help in deepening markets, requires appropriate guardrails. Market regulations for small banks in 2018. The
from the Lok Sabha. Instead, the Congress supplement domestic savings and discipline alone is inadequate. US Fed investigation after the current WHAT CAN CENTRAL BANKS DO?
ran an entirely localised campaign focusing finance a current account deficit, but Well­designed regulations can wave of small bank failures found Central banks can reduce spillovers by
on the State Government’s alleged excess volatility jeopardises all these mitigate common failures in finance. pressure on staff to reduce regulatory avoiding over­reactions and extreme
corruption, “40 per cent commission” and functions. While some volatility is good Countercyclical macro­prudential burdens on firms, to demonstrate due positions. For example, inflation
“payCM” slogans while stressing on its for market price­discovery, too much regulation can reduce incentives for process and accumulate more evidence targeting must be implemented flexibly
hurts the real sector. excess risk­taking; if it is broad­based it before action. so the economy does not deviate far
welfare guarantees including 200 units of free After the GFC, major source AEs can close arbitrage gaps; if it is market Most American macroeconomists from the equilibrium real policy rate in
power, ₹2,000 for the female head of a family, tightened regulation for banks, where and rule­based it can achieve all this with wanted tighter macro­prudential terms of expected inflation.
10 kg free rice to every member of a BPL the crisis had originated with minimal regulatory distortions, regulations to accompany and mitigate EM central banks need to build slack
household, ₹3,000 for unemployed degree securitisation failures. But they did not discretion and delay. Since there are risks from QE. For example, Yellen after to smooth global shocks and respond to
strengthen regulation for non­bank always temptations in the financial the GFC had called for minimum margin domestic cycle, use multiple
holders, ₹1,500 a month for diploma holders financial intermediaries (NBFIs). As a sector, however, supervision is also requirements on a market wide basis to instruments, build adequate FX
for two years and free bus rides for women. result cross­border flows migrated to essential as well as more transparency reduce volatility and large exposures. In reserves. Such polices have helped India
The encouraging results give the Congress a the latter. Such arbitrage was only to be and standard disclosures. A combination a 2019 talk with Krugman, she regretted do relatively well.
morale booster and a winning template for expected. of self­ and rule­based regulation can that they still did not have tools to Since the dollar is the reserve
Under quantitative tightening (QT) work. prevent risky lending. US applies some currency the Fed has a special
Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya and rising interest rates, there are many For example, margin requirements or measure moderating credit demand, but responsibility to avoid over­reactions
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh later this year. types of risks to both AEs and EMs from a financial transaction tax can reduce none moderating credit supply. that create domestic risks and global
The BJP would do better to read the verdict this arbitrage and under­regulation. For volatility. Exposure limits or higher cap EMs used macro­prudential tools four spillovers. Even if it believes its mandate
as a rejection of its “one size fits all” approach example, fixed income funds are now a adequacy for small banks could have times more intensively compared to AEs is only the domestic economy, now
that relies heavily on Hindutva and Prime major source of portfolio flows to EMs. avoided the series of failures in the US. before the GFC. As more AEs began feedback from EMs to the US itself is
These have fixed liabilities and as rates Systemic spillovers were thought to be using such tools after the GFC the ratio large. The Fed should be cautious and
Minister Narendra Modi’s popular appeal. rise assets may need to be sold at lower limited to large institutions but Silicon fell to 3.3. But in AEs prudential data­based not because it is good for
While the PM’s last­minute campaigning may prices, with possible defaults. Valley Bank demonstrated the speed of regulation stays largely limited to EMs but because it is better for the US.
have helped the BJP consolidate the urban In the UK in 2022, the central bank restraints on borrowers so that NBFIs’ Making a distinction between market
vote, especially in regions like Bengaluru city had to rescue insurance companies
whose unregulated use of derivatives to
Financial liberalisation risk­taking is not restrained. In AEs loan
to value ratios to restrain consumer
making and monetary policy can help
provide support required to calm
where the party won 16 of the 28 seats, the hedge interest rate risks forced them has many benefits but credit are the dominant measure used, markets, even under tight monetary
lesson to be learnt here is that its Hindutva into distress sales of G­Secs as yields requires appropriate in EMs it is FX position limits. policy.
formula can fail without a strong local shot­up after the Truss unfunded Prudential measures seem to have
leadership and provincial narrative. The BJP budget. US small banks are under stress. guardrails. Market discipline helped protect EM financial sectors so The writer is chair of India’s T20 task force on
gave confused signals in first removing BS The US Commodity Futures alone is inadequate. far. repurposing the global financial architecture

Yeddiyurappa, which divided its Lingayat


support base, and then resurrecting him just
before the elections. The local Government’s AYYO, THE BOT RAVIKANTH
poor performance and corrupt image further
diminished its prospects, a gap that could not
be filled by the PM’s last­minute push.
However, the temptation to extrapolate
the Karnataka verdict and declare, as West
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has done, that
this signifies “the beginning of the end of the
BJP”, should be resisted. As seen in Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the
Congress won in 2018 Assembly and lost
spectacularly in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, voters
make a clear distinction between the federal
and provincial elections. It would be a
mistake to over­interpret the Karnataka
verdict.

FROM THE VIEWSROOM.


Friends, foes and frenemies in politics
decimating the Congress in the
B Baskar 1967 elections, the DMK helped
Indira Gandhi win a crucial vote of

T
hat there are no permanent confidence in 1971. Barely four
friends or foes in politics years after being dismissed by
was brought to the fore Indira Gandhi, DMK once again
once again last week. Erstwhile allied with the Congress which
foes, O Panneerselvam (OPS) met swept the 1980 Lok Sabha polls.
TTV Dhinakaran, with a promise After a long stint with the
to patch up with VK Sasikala. Their non­Congress, non­BJP Third
objective is to take on the “evil Front in the late 1980s to 1990s,
force” DMK and the “betrayers” in the DMK had no qualms in
the AIADMK. supporting the BJP in 1999. It even
People tracking Tamil Nadu entered the Vajpayee government
politics will recall that in early holding important portfolios. BELOW THE LINE.
2017, it was OPS who went on a DMK patriarch Karunanidhi had
‘satyagraha’ at Jayalalithaa’s even quipped that AB Vajapyee was
samadhi to keep the Sasikala the “right man in the wrong party”. that Telangana — which is preparing to the new Congress Govt in the Group’s Chief Risk Officer, chief minister of the State), now
faction out of the AIADMK. On the eve of the 2004 elections, for its own assembly elections — Karnataka.” Lakshmi Shyam Sunder, are all of faces an uncertain political future.
Edappadi Palaniswamy (EPS) was the DMK switched sides by joining may also follow Karnataka, so those Well, Need we say more! Indian origin. New CCI chief soon
chosen as Chief Minister then, the Congress­led UPA, and who are aspiring for change should World Bank honchos Uncertain future The process of appointing the next
thanks to Sasikala’s incarceration bagging plum portfolios. not take his party, the Bharat Rashtra With Indian­born American business The highly personalised campaign Competition Commission of India
in the “disproportionate assets” The BJP has now emerged as an Samithi (BRS), lightly. leader Ajay Banga elected to become led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairman has gathered fresh
case. OPS and EPS then entered arbiter in AIADMK’s factional The tweet from @KTRBRS on May 13 the President of the World Bank in Karnataka did not work ultimately momentum. Buzz in the corridors of
into an uneasy truce to save the feud, a role which it has relished. read : “Just the way Kerala Story from June 2, there is lot of chatter in but analysts believe that it staved off power is that the Supreme
AIADMK government, nudged in AIADMK’s EPS faction, which is failed to amuse people of Karnataka, corridors of power on how World a bigger defeat given the huge Court­nominee headed Search
no small measure by the BJP firmly in control of the party, has similarly Karnataka election results Bank is turning itself into more of an anti­incumbency and charges of Panel’s shortlist (in the second
central leadership. But once the frowned at the prospect of the BJP Double­edged sword will have NO bearing on Telangana. Indian bank! Reason: The key wings corruption. round) has now reached the
AIADMK lost power in the 2021 supporting the OPS­Dhinakaran­ With so much talk about Karnataka Thanks to the people of Karnataka of this international financial Basavaraj Bommai’s inept handling of Appointments Committee of the
elections, the gloves were off and Sasikala triumvirate. The BJP is election results, it was not surprising for rejecting ugly and divisive politics. institution are now headed by both the party and the Cabinet.
the EPS and OPS factions have keeping its cards close to its chest. to hear from Telangana’s Let Hyderabad and Bengaluru Indians. administration had escaped With Karnataka assembly elections
been at loggerheads since. But given Lok Sabha elections are Information Technology Minister KT compete healthily for investments & Not only Banga, World Bank Group’s attention — till now! Bommai, a now over, the new CCI chief will most
Tamil Nadu has a hoary history barely a year away, it will soon have Rama Rao. What was interesting, creating infrastructure for the Chief Economist, Indermit Gill, Chief dynast himself (his father SR likely be decided this week itself
of political flip­flops. After to reveal its hand. though, was a veiled hint in his tweet greater good of India. My best wishes Financial Officer, Anshula Kant, and Bommai of the Janata Party was a Our Bureaus

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai­600002 and Printed by N. Vaidyanathan at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No. 22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai­400701 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai­600002. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). ISSN 0971 ­ 7528

CM
YK . . . . . . . . BM­BME
>
OPINION 9
STAY INFORMED THROUGH THE DAY @ WWW.BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM

Volume XXX Number 24 ILLUSTRATION: AJAY MOHANTY

NEW DELHI | MONDAY, 15 MAY 2023

Message from Karnataka


Congress must draw the right lessons from its victory
into power and into bigger tangible proofs of prox-

T
he Congress triumph over its victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections imity, which further fuels the campaign. Bombay
needs to be tempered by a sobering reality check. The Congress was knows less than New Delhi who is in favour and
widely expected to do better in a state that has typically voted out the who commands the power, and is more credulous.
ruling party for decades and it beat expectations by outperforming most Small investments in information warfare have
predictions to record its strongest vote share and tally since 1989. It is critical, yielded outsized returns.
How will information warfare play out in coming
however, that neither the Congress nor other Opposition parties consider these
days, and how could we fare better?
results a proxy for national trends in the upcoming parliamentary polls in 2024. A l The media is splitting into an elite media sup-
cautionary tale lies in the results of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 for the states of ported by subscriptions vs a mass market that is
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, just months after the Congress based on clickbait. The elite media (e.g. The New
emerged victorious in the Assembly elections in the three states in 2018. In all three York Times) is more immune to information war-
states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 fare. Even right-wing figures who revile “the main-
stream media” turn to it for truth. In an age where
elections — in Rajasthan, the Congress did not even open its account.
Google searches yield bad information, there is a

Information warfare
Though the BJP’s performance has been worse than expected, pollsters may business opportunity to offer trusted information
need to examine the reasons for its defeat with greater circumspection. The for a subscription fee. It is in our self-interest to
ruling party has been accused of corruption and poor strategy because it alienated buy subscriptions for information and opinions
the powerful Lingayat community, whose leaders switched to the Congress. But that are by authentic skilled humans, and to stop
the impact of the latter is unclear, given that heavyweights such as former chief using mass media or social media. Households that
minister Jagadish Shettar lost by a significant margin to the BJP candidate in
his pocket borough of Hubli-Dharwad Central, which he had held for six terms.
Indeed, disaggregated voting patterns suggest that it is the Janata Dal (Secular),
or JD(S), that has been the major loser. The five percentage point vote swing in
and its limitations don’t pay for media subscriptions will carry a sys-
tematically different worldview, and suffer from
more conspiracy theories.
l There is an arms race between information warfare
and human defences. Information that arrived on
favour of the Congress from 38 to 43 per cent appears to have come entirely
from former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s party, which saw its vote share
The best days of information warfare are probably behind us WhatsApp was once treated as gospel truth. Now it
is treated as something on a par with Twitter or the
drop from 18 to 13 per cent. In contrast, the BJP’s vote share has been steady at shouting on Indian television. In time, the people

T
about 36 per cent. This suggests that as in West Bengal, elections in the state he alleged exploits of Sanjay Rai Sherpuria Research Agency” (IRA) was created by Yevgeny realise they are being gaslighted. There is less naivete
highlight the place of information warfare in Prigozhin, who is now more famous as the military in the masses about information warfare in India
may have become more of a two-way fight, given the slow fading out of the JD(S),
the modern world. Technological advances leader of the “Wagner” mercenary army fighting in today than was the case about 10 or 20 years ago.
which at one stage enjoyed nearly a quarter of the votes. (WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter) have created a many countries including in Ukraine. The IRA and Similarly, the Republicans fared poorly in all elec-
The question as to why the JD(S) voter moved to the Congress, and not to whole new world of possibilities for information war- other Russian agents have run campaigns to push tions in the US after 2016, despite Mr Putin’s contri-
the BJP, may demand objective analysis, not least by the Congress itself. If it is fare which many bad actors are exploiting. the Brexit referendum in favour of Russia, to push butions of support.
to build itself as a credible national Opposition, it is critical it does not make the Authoritarian states are able to meddle in foreign US presidential elections in favour of Donald Trump, l A powerful productivity gain for information war-
mistake of ascribing disproportionate credit to the national leadership and Rahul countries through these tools, even without collusion etc. These methods could arrive into Indian politics. riors lies in modern machine learning software,
Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the impact of which is decidedly unclear. What with local actors. These problems are An important insight from which is able to generate realistic-looking text,
about to get a lot worse owing to improve- investigations into the Brexit ref- images, and video, at a lower marginal cost. In India,
seems to have worked is strong local leadership under D K Shivakumar and ments in machine learning and large lan- erendum and the US presiden- there used to be a cost barrier in getting someone
Siddaramaiah. It is now important for the central leadership to handle state guage models (LLM) . There are many tial election is that there need who can write fake text which would pass muster. A
leadership issues with maturity and nous to prevent the kind of debacle that pathways to do better. not be collusion between the lot of the fake information was identifiable through
saw Punjab and Madhya Pradesh slip from the party’s grasp. Leadership tussles In a recent article in The Print, campaign and the apparent the embedded cultural markers. These protections
have been festering in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, two states that are up for Ananya Bhardwaj tells the story of direct beneficiary of the cam- are on the decline.
Assembly polls later this year, and need to be addressed. But for the BJP, which Sanjay Rai Sherpuria, who allegedly cre- paign. For example, Vladimir l These developments are not in favour of the inter-
ated a public-domain information set Putin did not collaborate with net giants, most notably Google. A lot of searches
fought on a coarse communalist platform — removing reservations for Muslims
about himself, which could be Googled Boris Johnson, who was keen on on Google or YouTube take you to information war-
and opposing the hijab for Muslim girl students — the message should be clear. by the credulous, and then used it to Brexit. Mr Putin supported fare content. This makes people less inclined to use
Polarisation may have run its course in the more educated south. achieve outsized influence. Brexit because he felt that it was Google, which is bad for trillions of dollars of market
When miraculous powers in the form SNAKES & LADDERS in Russia’s interests to engage in capitalisation. A good deal of brainpower is thus
of a smartphone first landed in our this asymmetric warfare, where working on fixing these problems.

Letter and spirit palm, we were all delighted. Our early AJAY SHAH
communications were with our trusted
people, and it was human nature to apply that level
tiny sums of money were spent
on persuading voters, and a
strategic Russian objective (degrading European
It looks bad, but it is not all gloom. The internet
will be islands of LLM-free knowledge floating in a
sea of derivative sewage. The value of trusted sources
SC judgments will strengthen federalism of trust to everything that happened through the unity) is fostered. — ranging from the mighty New York Times to the
smartphone. Bad actors rapidly caught on to this, In India, the essential game of New Delhi has obscure The Leap Blog — will go up. Grandmothers

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wo important judgments delivered by the same Constitution Bench and a new age of information warfare began, aiming always been portraying proximity and then trading reading WhatsApp will learn to be steadily more
of the Supreme Court (SC), led by Chief Justice of India D Y to make us believe things that are false. up. In the age of information warfare, many people sceptical. Deepfake tapes will evoke less excitement
Chandrachud, could go a long way in strengthening India’s federal Information warfare methods have been scaled have run internet-based campaigns to make it seem after the first one million of them. Google search
structure and limiting the interference of the Union in states and the up and industrialised. Thousands of workers are toil- they are in favour of the state. It starts as unsolicited will get better. The best days of information warfare
National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD). In the Government of NCT of Delhi ing, all across the world and all across the clock, lying love. Once the campaign secures tangible mile- are likely to be behind us.
vs Union of India, the matter before the SC was related to control of “services” in to us, pulling a world down in front of our eyes. As stones (photographs, retweets, other measures of
an example, a Russian firm named “Internet proximity), these hard facts are used to trade up The writer is a researcher at XKDR Forum
the NCTD. A notification by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in May 2015
said the lieutenant governor (LG) of the NCTD shall exercise powers and discharge
the “functions of the Central Government in respect of matters connected with

Gender discrimination in farms


‘Public Order’, ‘Police’, ‘Land’ and ‘Services’”. It also noted the LG may seek the
views of the chief minister at his or her (LG’s) discretion. The notification was
immediately challenged because “services” took away the control of bureaucracy
from the Delhi government.

I
ndian agriculture is becoming increasingly wom- seeds, and de-husking grains. They also look after This apart, many women have to face violence
After the petition was heard at various levels, including the SC, the Bench
en-dependent. This is the conclusion drawn from domestic animals by feeding and milking them, man- and ill-treatment from males at home. Though this
headed by Justice Chandrachud ruled in favour of the Delhi government. Some research studies and validated by the data com- aging milk by making its value-added products like may, essentially, be deemed a social issue, it has a
of the observations made in the judgment and the interpretation of Article 239AA piled through agriculture censuses and various sur- curd, butter, and ghee, and dealing with gobar (cow- strong correlation with women’s empowerment in
should help resolve the power tussle in Delhi. The Bench has clearly noted there veys. About 80 per cent of the country’s economically dung). Significantly, there are also a few intricate farm terms of land and property ownership. A study has
is no single homogeneous class of Union Territories (UTs) and Article 239AA active female population is employed in the farm operations, requiring some training, for which women shown that physical and psychological abuse is
accords the NCTD “sui generis” status, which sets it apart from other UTs. The sector. Women comprise about one-third of the agri- are deemed more suitable than men. A typical case in more common for women who do not hold any
Union of India has control over only three entries (public order, police, and land). cultural labour force, and nearly 48 per cent of self- point can be producing hybrid cotton seeds, where land or property in their names, than those who
In effect, the NCTD is envisioned more as a state than a UT. The judgment also employed farmers. On the whole, the work partici- pollination needs to be carried out manually with are legal owners of such assets.
pation rate for women is 41.8 per cent in rural areas patience, precision, and delicate manipulation of flow- Thus, the key to ameliorating the plight of rural
reiterated that the LG was bound by the advice of the NCTD’s council of ministers, against 35.31 per cent in urban areas. ers. Transplanting paddy is another job where women women and improving their calibre to serve as
except in classified entries. Notably, the court underscored the importance of Nearly 95 per cent animal husbandry-related work are preferred over men. engines of agricultural growth lies in their empow-
the “triple chain of accountability” in the parliamentary form of democracy, is performed by women. Their involvement in the However, regardless of such an indispensable erment through enhanced access to resources like
where officials are answerable to ministers, who are answerable to the legislature, production of field crops is 75 per contribution to agriculture, in addi- land, property, credit, technology, and training.
which is accountable to the electorate. cent, and that of horticultural crops tion to routine household work, According to the United Nations Food and
The other important judgment was related to the fall of the Uddhav 79 per cent. More than 50 per cent women are discriminated against in Agriculture Organization (FAO), farm output in
Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in 2022. After some Shiv Sena of post-harvest activities are carried several respects. In fact, gender dis- developing countries can be raised by 2.5 to 4 per
out by women. With more men parity is more prevalent in rural cent by ensuring men and women equal access to
legislators formed a separate group and conveyed they no longer wished to be
migrating from villages in search of areas, particularly in the farm sector, resources, skill development, and opportunities in
part of the government, the governor asked Mr Thackeray to face a floor test. paid employment because of the than in urban centres, though white- agriculture. In India, too, given the notable role
The judgment, however, noted the governor had no objective material to doubt fragmentation and shrinking of land collar jobs are also not wholly free of played by women in the agricultural value chain,
the confidence of the incumbent, and a floor test could not be used to resolve holdings, the management of small it. Head-of-the-family status is gen- from pre-production to post-harvest activities,
internal party issues. But the court decided against restoring the status quo ante and marginal farms is becoming the erally bestowed upon males even if farm development policies need to be gender-sen-
because Mr Thackeray had resigned voluntarily. The governor, however, was responsibility of women. This was they do not do much in running sitive. Extension services, which are now focused
acknowledged officially in the households. The ownership of farms chiefly on male farmers, should also keep the spe-
deemed just in calling Eknath Shinde to form the government.
Further, in another aspect, the judgment said it’s the political party, not the
Economic Survey 2017-18, which FARM VIEW in official land records is mostly in cific needs of women in view. Specialised farm
maintained that growing rural-to- SURINDER SUD the names of males. The bulk of the implements and equipment, designed with the
legislature party, which appoints the whip. The recognition of the new Shiv Sena urban migration by men was leading benefits of government welfare female ergometry in view, are needed to reduce
whip by the speaker after the fall of the Thackeray government, thus, was against to “feminisation” of the agriculture schemes, too, tend to accrue to men the physical strain of strenuous work on farm wom-
the law. The speaker has now been asked to recognise the whip and the leader of sector. More and more women are now playing mul- — due to land pattas (titles) being in their names — en. Incentivising ownership of land and property
the Shiv Sena, duly authorised by the party. The decision of the speaker will tiple roles as cultivators, entrepreneurs, farm labour- rather than women, who actually deserve and need in the names of women by offering concessions in
affect the disqualification case against the Shinde faction of legislators, which ers, and home-makers. them the most. Women are often denied access to registration fees and other charges can go a long
would in fact decide the fate of the current government. While it remains to be Typically, female labour is employed in farms for credit because of lack of ownership of land, property, way in empowering women and facilitating their
low-skilled but labour-intensive jobs. Women are gen- or other assets to serve as collateral. They also face access to benefits in government welfare pro-
seen how politics unfolds in Mumbai and Delhi — the Delhi government has
erally preferred over men because they, besides being difficulties in getting membership of cooperative grammes. That would also enhance the social sta-
already approached the SC with a non-compliance complaint against the Union hard-working and relatively docile, are willing to accept societies or farmers producer organisations (FPOs) tus and say of farm women in domestic and agri-
— both the judgments have clearly marked constitutional limits, which must be low-paid irregular employment. They are deemed ide- for the same reason. Their say in decision-making is cultural decision-making.
respected in letter and spirit. ally suited for work like grass cutting, weeding, hoeing, sub-par. Worse still, women labourers are paid lower
collecting cotton sticks, detaching fibre from cotton wages than men for doing the same kind of work. surinder.sud@gmail.com

The capitalist generation’s space race ventures and thus provides the clearest
story line. What starts as a series of
experiments with Legos and minuscule
satellites develops into a network of
disaster that plans to lob up barely
functional rockets “with the best of luck,”
in one critic’s words, Astra largely lives
down to its billing.
much of the public attention, Vance preservation. Frustration with the working on the smallest satellites they tiny, solar-powered satellites that When the Heavens Went on Sale is an
says, a new industry has flowered, inability of the government to build could come up with — shoebox-size blanket the earth with cameras, able to optimist’s book. That alone has value
thanks largely to the example of SpaceX. things — especially public works — is a contraptions they would call Doves. capture images of any point on earth at now, when many journalists
Instead of the perception of a NASA common theme these days, and the Marshall eventually left NASA’s nest to any time. It’s an extraordinary instinctively extol the virtues of caution
culture that features doom-loop delays scenes set within NASA offer a front- start his own company, naturally achievement, and Vance nicely and red tape. Even Vance’s title is a
and multibillion-dollar cost overruns, row seat to understanding it. Worden’s inciting yet another investigation. illustrates how those images have challenge to the status quo, defying the
BOOK REVIEW this one’s image is driven by Silicon foes think nothing of siccing federal Here, unfortunately, Vance’s story seeped into our lives (as the source, for kinds of earnest experts who can be
Valley principles of cheaper and faster, investigators on him and his team. His loses some of its shape, branching into instance, of many satellite photos we counted on to profess dismay at the
MARK GIMEIN with private companies staking out the team is accused, on the flimsiest of loosely connected sections covering see of the Ukraine war). commercialisation of space.
final frontier at cut-rate prices. pretexts, of sabotaging the US space Planet Labs, the The other In some of its best sections, Vance’s
WHEN THE HEAVENS

T
he period from the launch of Vance’s story is set in motion by the programme for China’s benefit, satellite company narratives hang book is an exuberant ride, happily
Russia’s first Sputnik 1 satellite to exile of Gen S Pete Worden, an mishandling secrets by taking a NASA that Marshall WENT ON SALE: The together less well. hopping around the Pacific Rim from
the end of the Apollo programme astrophysicist and top military science laptop to a space conference in Vienna started, and three Misfits and Geniuses Vance wrote a 2015 Kwajalein Atoll to California, from New
lasted a scant 15 years. A decade later, the official, to the backwater of NASA’s and, at the nadir, misusing government rocket-launching Racing to Put Space biography of Musk, Zealand to Kodiak Island, revelling in
United States was regularly launching Silicon Valley operations. Having resources by taking a morning to dress companies: Rocket Within Reach and looming over the do-it-yourself ethos of the new space
crewed space shuttle missions. But over alienated almost every brand of up as Vikings and film a video. Lab, Astra and Author: Ashlee Vance the stories of the business. It may not completely reach
the following 30 years, the space race bureaucrat, Worden is packed off to In Vance’s telling, NASA and its Firefly. Vance Publisher: Ecco three rocket its destination; between the narratives
turned into a space slog. Ames Research Center, a cradle of space usual-suspect corporate partners were secures enough companies is the here, it’s not fully clear that the new
The long winter of the US innovation that, by the time of his arrival, basically devoted to doing very little — access to allow him
Pages: 513 hope of, well, the industry has reached escape velocity.
government’s space programme is the has turned into a tomb for promising or ideally, nothing — at maximum to follow the work Price: $35 next SpaceX. We But Vance makes a good case that the
dim background for Ashlee Vance’s ideas. Worden, an irrepressible space expense. So Worden’s team went in the of these companies don’t quite get new generation of space entrepreneurs
When the Heavens Went on Sale, a evangelist since the Reagan era, made opposite direction: The simpler and in real time. The hope was doubtless there. Of the three rocket companies has managed to set up the launchpad.
chronicle of what Vance paints as a new the most of this by gathering around him cheaper the better. Will Marshall, a that, as the story was being reported, a profiled, one, Rocket Lab, pulls off a string Most of the mission is still ahead — but
space race, told through the lively young engineers who actually wanted to physics prodigy and space expert, breakout star would emerge. But in of launches and seems on track to deliver listen closely and you can start to hear
stories of three rocket makers and a send stuff into space. became the informal leader of a group of journalism, as with rockets, perfect the goods. Meanwhile, Astra, started by the countdown.
satellite company. The many-tentacled NASA makes Ames recruits living in a Silicon Valley launches are rare. another one of Worden’s protégés, is,
While SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket for an infuriating villain, a rapacious group house, known as the Rainbow Marshall’s Planet Labs is the most according to Vance, mostly a flop. The reviewer is an editor at The Week
and spacecraft company, has sucked up bureaucracy with interest only in self- Mansion. The housemates started unequivocally successful of these Dismissed by competitors as a clownish ©2023 The New York Times News Service
12 NEW DELHI
MONDAY
MAY 15, 2023

Opinion

{ OUR TAKE }
E STA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 24
It’s time to tweak
A reality check the nuclear policy
from Patnaik In 1998, India became a
nuclear-weapon State.
Yet 25 years on, utilising
help. As the frontline State in the United die was cast.
States’ covert war against the erstwhile The 1998 declaration of India as a
Soviet Union in Afghanistan, Pakistan nuclear-weapon State marked a deci-
managed to make the United States sive break. It generated its own challen-
Odisha CM’s disinterest in a third front shows (US) turn a blind eye to its nuclear ges, both domestic and external. A new
the nuclear arsenal in developments. kind of policy continuity was crafted.
building a common platform will not be easy defence systems remains There was a growing realisation that, Domestically, it related to the nuclear
given technological advances since the doctrine and the configuration of the The Vajpayee government reached out to key countries to ensure that
unfinished. Navigating 1974 PNE, the nuclear option could no nuclear arsenal in the defence and deci- India was seen as a responsible nuclear power

T
ARUN JETLIE /HT ARCHIVE
he Opposition’s plans of bringing together
disparate parties onto a common national the existing and new longer remain viable and needed to be sion-making structures. Externally, it
exercised. Post-Cold War global devel- was to gain acceptance as a responsible systems. Digitisation renders both early rounds of talks in 24 months. It
platform ahead of the 2024 general elections geopolitical hurdles will opments with tightening dual-use nuclear power and second, to stabilise warning and command-and-control remained inconclusive in not meeting
export controls were also squeezing the deterrence relations with India’s adver- systems vulnerable to counter-space either side’s stated objectives; yet, it was
received a jolt of sorts last week from Odisha need policy adjustments Indian option. In 1995, NPT was saries. and offensive cyber action. immensely productive in clearing the
chief minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik. The mercurial

I
ndia’s nuclear tests on May 11 and extended into perpetuity, After 25 years, the domestic These developments have led to path towards the Next Steps in Strategic
politician, one of India’s longest serving CMs, said 13, 1998, stunned the world. This freezing a nuclear order that challenge is still a work in questions as to how to define the “mini- Partnership and eventually the
that as far as he was concerned, there was no was not the first; in 1974, India India had long considered progress. To maintain a credi- mum” and whether the no first-use pol- India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation
had tested but called it a peaceful arbitrary and discriminatory. ble minimum deterrence, a icy needs review. Some critics point to Agreement, following the exceptional
possibility of an Opposition third front and that his nuclear explosion (PNE). In 1998, Negotiations on a Compre- nuclear triad was considered Kargil in 1999 and the Mumbai attacks waiver by the Nuclear Suppliers Group
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was likely to go it alone in the however, Prime Minister (PM) AB hensive Test Ban Treaty necessary. The land-based in 2008 as evidence of the failure of (NSG) in 2008 — another milestone that
2024 elections. Of course, Mr Patnaik’s stance is Vajpayee declared that India was now a (CTBT) began in 1994, with Rakesh missile force has now nuclear deterrence and would advocate completes 15 years in 2023. The NSG
nuclear-weapon State. Addressing Par- the Bill Clinton administra- Sood inducted Agni IV with an esti- a more robust posture. However, such waiver legitimised India’s civilian
driven by a unique set of factors, having been the liament on May 27, he also placed a tion pushing to complete it in mated range of 3,500 km. Agni criticism is ill-founded. Indian doctrine nuclear trade and has enabled over a
most successful fence-sitter in the current political paper — Evolution of India’s Nuclear 1996. V and Agni VI are expected to is intended to deter the threat and use dozen cooperation agreements to be
context, working with the government and Policy — which provided the rationale In 1995, France and China were still extend the ranges to beyond 6,000 km. of nuclear weapons. Dealing with Kar- concluded.
for the tests and spelt out the elements undertaking tests to validate designs The nuclear submarine programme gil-type attacks or terrorist strikes This was possible because the post-
maintaining channels of communication with both of India’s doctrine that defined the and acquire data that would help sus- has made slow progress, with Arihant requires building conventional and 1998 policy, too, was marked by a simi-
sides. 2024 is also when Odisha goes to the polls, and country as a reluctant but responsible tain their capabilities with “zero-yield” having undertaken its first patrol last intelligence capabilities that offer a lar continuity that characterised it in its
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gunning to nuclear power. tests in their laboratories. PM Naras- year. However, it currently carries a range of response options. early years. Today, changing geopolitics
When India refused to sign the imha Rao gave the green light for tests K-15 (Sagarika) missile that has a lim- The external diplomatic challenge of has revived rivalries among major
expand its footprint in the coastal state. With no Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and preparatory work began at Pok- ited range of 700 km. Longer-range gaining acceptance as a responsible nuclear powers even as the geopolitical
strong second-rung leadership in place, the BJD in 1968, its nuclear option was born. In hran. In early December, days before missiles are under development. nuclear power has been achieved in centre of gravity has shifted from Euro-
continues to rely on its senior most leader’s subsequent decades, preserving the the tests were scheduled, US satellites Though India has no intention of great measure. The Vajpayee govern- Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific. Navigating
option became the primary political picked up imagery of activity at Pok- embarking on a nuclear arms race with ment was proactive in reaching out to these challenges may need policy
popularity and grassroots appeal. Unlike some of the and diplomatic objective. Through hran. The tests were postponed till after any other country, it must factor in key countries, particularly the US, since adjustments that will be strengthened
other proponents of the third front, Mr Patnaik has more than three decades of domestic the general elections and meanwhile, technological developments that can it had taken the lead in condemning the by consensus and continuity.
also never signalled having strident national political changes, policy continuity was the Indian stand on CTBT negotiations have an impact on the credibility of its tests and calling for sanctions.
sustained. Meanwhile, Pakistan pushed hardened. PM Vajpayee toyed with the deterrent. Increasing use of dual-use The dialogue between deputy secre- Rakesh Sood is a former diplomat who
ambitions. Nevertheless, the strong words from the ahead with its programme and by the idea of the tests in 1996 but decided systems such as hypersonics and cruise tary of state, Strobe Talbott, and foreign served as India’s ambassador to France and
veteran leader underlined some of the hurdles that early 1980s, it was enriching uranium at against it as his tenure was a mere 13 missiles, and conventional precision minister Jaswant Singh between 1998 the PM’s special envoy for disarmament and
the Opposition’s endeavour to build a common Kahuta and, by the late 1980s, had days. The next opportunity arose when global strike weapons blur the dividing and 2000 remains the most intense non-proliferation
weaponised its deterrent with Chinese he became PM again in 1998, and the line between nuclear and conventional phase of bilateral engagement, with 18 The views expressed are personal
platform faces, especially in attracting leaders who
are not vehemently opposed to the BJP ideologically
or electorally.
The logic of a third front emanated from the
Congress’s atrophying strength and a hardening The SC verdict in the { IMRAN KHAN } FORMER PAKISTAN PM

belief among sections of regional parties that they P


were better off taking on the BJP on their own than
waiting for the national Opposition party to put its Delhi services case is Democracy is at an all-time
house in order. Can the Congress’s impressive low [in Pakistan]. The only
victory in the Karnataka elections undo some of that
impression and convince other Opposition leaders
a boost for democracy hope we have now is
the judiciary.
A
that the Congress is still the best bet to take on the
ast week, a five-judge Constitution numbers under the Modi government-led
BJP? The developments in one state are too little to
make up a political trend, but if the Congress can
follow up its disciplined performance in the
southern province with similar campaigns in the
L Bench of the Supreme Court (SC), ACB in the last eight years.
headed by the Chief Justice of India Next came the order taking away the
(CJI), gave the elected government in most crucial layer of accountability between
Delhi control over the bureaucracy. The any elected government and its officers by
verdict has wide-ranging implications for taking the control of the services depart-
heartland states and Telangana later this year, then it national politics and Indian democracy. ment from the Delhi CM and giving it to the
This is because the court battle was not just LG. This effectively reversed the principle of { STRAIGHTFORWARD }
would have made the case for becoming the pole
another fight between the Narendra Modi- accountability. The Centre started reward-
around which national Opposition strategies led central government and the Arvind Kej- ing Delhi government officers when they Shashi Shekhar
coalesce. riwal-led Delhi government. It was a fight obstructed the work of the elected govern-
between two fundamentally different politi- ment and began to punish them when they
This newspaper has noted that despite the
euphoria of the Karnataka win, the Opposition faces
a sobering and uphill road before it can put up a
cal ideologies confronting the nation. were seen to be working on the priorities of
At one end is the regime that has system- the Kejriwal government.
atically taken powers away from the elected Unprecedented scenes ensued. Officers
What K’taka results
mean for 2024 polls
credible challenge to the BJP in 2024. But before government in Delhi after the historic ver- started routinely skipping meetings called
dict for the Aam Aadmi Party by AAP ministers, some stopped
that, expect a lot of churn in the Opposition space as (AAP) in 2015 and vested it in the even taking calls from their minis-
parties and personalities with rivalling ambitions Lieutenant Governor (LG), an une- ters. In one of the years, out of 20
and ideologies clash. Mr Patnaik’s statement was the lected individual nominated by the meetings called by the Delhi envi- he Congress has received a shot in the will then be the national president of the Con-
first sign of this impending ferment.
Centre. This is an ideology that
sees every political fight as a zero-
sum game and is willing to sacri-
fice the Constitution of India and
fundamental tenets of federalism
Jasmine
Shah
ronment minister to prepare a win-
ter pollution action plan, only one
meeting was attended by the envi-
ronment secretary.
Crucial departments such as
T arm by winning the Karnataka assem-
bly elections with an overwhelming
majority. The party had vowed not to
make the same old mistakes in this election.
The Gandhis kept a safe distance; national and
gress? In the absence of a consensus, would
any other leader from the state be picked as
CM? Surely, the party is deliberating on this,
but given the conflict in Rajasthan between
Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the problem

Why all eyes are on to show political opponents their


place.
education and health started seeing
officers shuffled like a pack of
On the other end is a regime that has, cards. Delhi must be the only state to have
local leaders were strictly instructed not to
speak unnecessarily and to keep internal party
disagreements within the party.
becomes formidable. Salim Ahmed, working
president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress
Committee, has fuelled the flames by declar-

the Turkey elections time and again, sought what is legitimately seen eight health secretaries in the first two
its domain — the unhindered right to gov- years of the Covid-19 pandemic, all
ern the national capital as promised by the appointed by the LG without any consulta-
This was not easy. Given the long-standing
political rivalry between Siddaramaiah and
DK Shivakumar, there was concern about sab-
ing Shivakumar a serious contender for chief
ministership. The Congress high command
will have to play with fire for the next few
hen roughly 62 million people in Turkey Constitution so that the will of the people, tion with the elected government. otage. To deal with this, a unique approach days.

W walk into polling stations on Sunday, they


will vote in an unprecedented election. For
the first time in two decades, the presidential
expressed through the ballot box, can be Several other actions were initiated by the
translated to reality. The power being Centre with the same express purpose of
sought by Kejriwal wasn’t for himself. This rendering the elected government of Delhi
was a fight for the democratic right of the powerless, and centralising all powers in the
20 million people of Delhi who cast their LG. For the first time anywhere in India, an
was devised. Both leaders were spotted hug-
ging each other during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat
Jodo Yatra. Arrangements were made to pro-
mote the notion that this was not simply a
photo-op, but that the old foes had come
Let us return to the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP). The BJP has lost power, but not support.
Its vote share is intact and it can still cause
problems for the government. In this context,
a question arises: Was Prime Minister (PM)’s
elections pose a stiff challenge to president Recep vote on election day, hoping that the gov- elected government had to resort to dharnas together wholeheartedly. Rahul and Priyanka Narendra Modi’s campaign effective in miti-
Tayyip Erdogan, who is facing a serious erosion in ernment they have elected will transform to get their programmes, such as mohalla Gandhi’s election campaigns also took on new gating the anti-incumbency wave? Greater
popularity despite a string of changes in the political their lives. clinics, CCTVs on streets for women’s safety, dimensions. Priyanka was occasionally seen Bengaluru is a good indicator. PM Modi con-
To understand the full implications of the free yoga classes or sending teachers abroad preparing dosas, while Rahul was seen talking ducted a multi-kilometre road show in this
system that opposition parties have decried as SC judgment, one must understand how for training, implemented. to women on a city bus. After Himachal Pra- area, and the BJP won more seats than the
authoritarian. The reasons for Mr Erdogan’s exactly the matter precipitated. Democracy It was only due to the sheer will, persever- desh, the Congress’ victory in Karnataka Congress here. This undoubtedly demon-
problems are not difficult to fathom — Turkey is is all about accountability. Any elected gov- ance and the moral authority of the Kejri- clearly demonstrated Priyanka’s growing strates PM Modi’s magnetism, but the BJP
ernment is held accountable for its work (or wal-led government that it still managed to political abilities and influence. should also learn from it.
convulsed by a severe economic crisis even as the the lack of it) every five years through the deliver a substantial part of its mandate and The Congress performed better in this elec- Though PM Modi has widespread support,
government has doubled down on measures seen by ballot box. In turn, these elected govern- managed to come back to power in 2020, tion across the state’s regions and communi- state elections are contested on local issues.
analysts as undemocratic. The elections also come ments hold the bureaucracy accountable for winning 62 out of 70 assembly seats. ties. It astonished observers by capturing Take Himachal Pradesh, for instance. PM
carrying out their mandate — rewarding Eventually, it took a long legal battle, more seats than its opponents in Lingayat- Modi had staked his reputation there. But the
months after a devastating earthquake in February those who perform efficiently and punish- spanning eight years and multiple benches dominated constituencies. Even BS Yediyur- BJP lost owing to the unpopularity of CM Jai-
killed 50,000 people and displaced nearly six million ing those who don’t or work against the in the Delhi high court and the SC that cul- appa, the most powerful leader from this com- ram Thakur, and its internal disputes.
in southern Turkey and Syria. The administration interests of the people. minated in the landmark verdict of the apex munity, was unable to stop the Congress jug- The party faced the same demons in Karna-
A similar system prevailed in Delhi until court that brought the semblance of democ- gernaut. The Congress also weakened the taka. It is in dire need of CMs and ministers
has been saddled with mounting allegations of 2015, before the AAP government came to racy back to the national capital. Janata Dal (S) by eroding its Vokkaliga voter who can perform. Yogi Adityanath, the CM of
ineptitude and corruption in relief efforts, sparking power by winning 67 out of 70 seats, limit- It bears repeating what the CJI observed base. The JD(S) leadership and workers would Uttar Pradesh (UP), ranks among effective
anger across the country. To be sure, none of this ing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to three while reading out the verdict: “If a demo- not have imagined until Saturday afternoon CMs for the BJP. Results of the municipal elec-
seats. This is when the current saga began. cratically elected government is not given that even DK Kumarasamy’s son Nikhil will tions and assembly by-elections in UP were
means that Mr Erdogan is on his way out. He has Unable to accept the people’s verdict, the the power to control the officers, the princi- lose at the Ramanagara constituency. This declared along with the Karnataka election
tightened his grip on power even as the prosperity of BJP-led central government initiated what ple of accountability will be redundant. If demonstrates that voters cannot be viewed as results, and the BJP and its allies have
his first decade of rule has dulled and people have is nothing short of a constitutional coup to the officers stop reporting to the ministers a fiefdom. emerged clear winners there. The saffron
render the AAP government in Delhi power- or do not abide by their directions, the prin- The Congress contested this election on the party captured all 17 mayoral seats and the
been left in relative economic hardship. less. ciple of collective responsibility is affected.” issues of the government’s lethargic attitude majority of municipalities.
Though economic ties between India and Turkey In a series of orders passed within three The SC’s 5-0 unanimous verdict also and corruption. And voters, especially the Now the question is: Will the Karnataka
have flourished, the relationship was roiled by months of the formation of the AAP govern- unveils the dark truth of the BJP regime’s poor, turned out for change. poll have a significant impact on the Lok
ment, the Centre first took away control of ideology and lack of respect for constitu- But the real challenge for the Congress Sabha elections in 2024? Since the 1990s, the
Mr Erdogan’s statements on Kashmir. Last year, the anti-corruption branch (ACB) from the tional norms. It sees the Constitution as a begins now. It has to provide a stable govern- state has shown different preferences for the
however, saw him meet Prime Minister Narendra Delhi government. This significantly transactional document, to be upheld when ment for five years and select a chief minister Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha. But one
Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation impaired the ability of the chief minister it suits their political ends, and bypassed as (CM) who can advance the public interest thing is certain: This triumph has given the
(CM) Kejriwal to fulfil his most important and when it does not. The price for this will agenda. Most people preferred Siddaramaiah Congress leverage in bargaining with other
Organisation summit in Uzbekistan. India too sent promise to the people: Crack down on insti- not just be paid by the Opposition but by the as CM in all pre-poll surveys. But will Shiva- Opposition allies. Those interested in politics
aid after the earthquake. Turkey’s geostrategic tutional corruption. Incidentally, the num- people of India, as the people of Delhi have kumar and his supporters accept Siddarama- will undoubtedly find the coming days
position and its importance as the link between ber of cases initiated by the Kejriwal gov- in the past eight years. iah’s selection to chief ministership? It is being engrossing.
ernment-led anti corruption branch in the said that if these two factions become vehe-
Europe and Asia means that the world will watch the three months of 2015, and the number of Jasmine Shah is an AAP leader mently opposed to each other, Mallikarjun Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan
results keenly. So will New Delhi. corrupt officers arrested, far exceeds the The views expressed are personal Kharge may be handed the charge. But who The views expressed are personal

R. N. I. No. 503/1957 ● Postal Reg. No. DL(ND)-11/6058/2018-19-20 ‘Licensed to post without prepayment’ LICENCE No. U(C)-113/2006-08, AIR SURCHARGE: Raipur and beyond by Rail or Road - Re 5/-, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Khajuraho, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and beyond by Rail or Road - Rs. 10/-;

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EDITOR: KUNAL PRADHAN


12 MoNDAy, 15 MAy 2023
NEw DElhI VIEWS LIVEMINT.COM

OUR VIEW GUEST VIEW


AFP

Emerging technologies like AI


can revolutionize privacy rights
AI tools could help ensure all Indians are empowered with knowledge to exercise their data rights

largely on the database on which they tional AI software or plug-ins. To over-


are trained. ChatGPT is a large language come this, regulators could explore the
model trained on a variety of online data- option of institutionalizing specific tools
sets. If similar AI tools are trained specifi- for data protection in the public interest.
cally on privacy policies, users could For instance, could every entity be man-
‘talk’ to these policies: ask questions dated to make an AI tool available to
about how their data is used, where it is users when they’re asked for consent?
sent and how it is protected, without Even with the advent of AI, two critical
having to read dense legalese. More barriers which impede accessibility in
SHREYA RAMANN importantly, generative AI can help India are literacy and language. Privacy
is a lawyer and public policy professional, answer in a way that is tailored to each policies as well as associated AI tools
and currently a consultant at law firm user’s level of privacy knowledge and should be able to inform every citizen in
Trilegal as part of the technology, media, awareness of how technologies work, to the country, including about 180 million
and telecommunications practice group. explain a policy in a way the user can illiterate adults and speakers of 3,000+

It takes two to perform


understand. Since privacy policies are languages and dialects. India has already
typically comprehensive all-purpose developed the technology to address

T
he legal mandate to provide documents that cover the entire ambit of translation needs. The Union ministry of
informed consent before process- a company’s data management prac- electronics and IT recently announced a
ing personal data has become tices, these AI tools can also help users project that leverages ChatGPT to

the double-engine tango largely meaningless today. Requiring


users to consent to a privacy policy is
deemed sufficient to prove that their
consent is ‘informed’, regardless of
ask for information specific to their use
of a particular service, the specific cate-
gories of data that they are sharing, or
other unique privacy concerns.
answer questions about government
schemes through voice notes, and com-
bines it with homegrown digital public
infrastructure in the form of the Bhasha
whether they have actually read or We often reflexively accept updates to Daan project to make this service acces-
understood its contents. In an environ- privacy policies because it is difficult to sible across multiple languages. The
The emphatic Congress victory in Karnataka holds a lesson in central-regional balance for ment where privacy is gaining impor- identify specific changes or know how integration of such tools with AI tools for
tance and the risks of sharing data are they affect us. An AI tool with access to privacy can help democratize access to
the BJP too. But the big question is what a clash of ideologies in Lok Sabha polls will yield increasingly evident, informing our- historical versions of a policy can make it information about our data.
selves of each app’s data practices by easier to assess updates by telling us These innovations are by no means a
reading what can seem like an endless exactly what language has changed and silver bullet to resolve the power imbal-
scroll of legalese is unsustainable. Very what implications this has for the data ances of the internet. Several users may

I
ndian democracy is a puzzle of complexity long walk for unity under ‘Bharat Jodo’ as a few of us know how our data is being we share. Even if we do read an entire not value privacy enough to ask ques-
wrapped in an enigma of diversity, so a national slogan, its campaign had the benefit of used, we are unable to exercise rights in policy, many of us don’t understand its tions, while others may be unaware of
relation to our data, and we can’t even implications. Is this company sharing my the risks. Some in the data protection
clear electoral mandate in a state that’s not twin propulsion. In contrast, the BJP relied identify grievances, let alone address data in a way that is particularly risky? community are asking why the burden
given to binary verdicts should make us heavily on the electoral sway of Prime Minister them. Calls to minimize the information Could I find an alternative service that is should be on users at all and reject the
sit up. Has some code been cracked? In Narendra Modi, with much staked on attempts provided in such policy statements are safer? If its database has every privacy existing framework of privacy policies
Karnataka, the Congress party won 136 of to give its local caste calculus the saffron hue of met with understandable resistance by policy that has been published, an AI tool and informed consent on grounds of
the state assembly’s 224 seats, ousting from its core ideology, Hindutva, possibly with an companies on grounds of legal compli- can compile a list of standard practices redundancy. Yet, until there is a funda-
ance. Users are thus forced to accept common across most policies. When we mental shift in how privacy is governed
power in Bengaluru India’s ruling Bharatiya eye on next year’s polls for Parliament, by unknown risks by blindly accepting pri- access a policy, the tool can identify and (if at all), we need to work under existing
Janata Party (BJP), which got 65. The Janata when its Ayodhya temple project may join its vacy policies at every turn. display only those practices which devi- rules. With India’s upcoming Digital
Dal (Secular), which hoped to play the power nation-wide rallying calls. However, neither Can privacy policies be redesigned to ate from the standard. Users need not Personal Data Bill relying on informed
pivot, got 19 seats. This was the biggest poll an earlier fuss over Muslim students in head- correct this information asymmetry? waste time on boilerplate language, but consent as a primary ground for process-
victory in this state since 1989, just before the scarves and burkha, nor later BJP allegations Can they be made more easily accessible focus on specific practices which may be ing, it may be worth looking into how to
and digestible to those who want to be particularly risky. strengthen it. AI could offer a starting
BJP began its national ascent. It’s enough to of a deity snubbed by its archrival could help it informed? Emerging technologies may Keep in mind that generative AI tools point to restore a basic level of user con-
secure the victor its role as the BJP’s principal retain power in Karnataka. Daily-grind matters have some answers. In the blink of an are still fallible and further development trol by providing us an option to better
challenger for power at the Centre, a morale of livelihood and cost-of-living prevailed, eye, generative conversational AI has is needed to achieve better factual accu- understand what happens to our data.
boost it dearly needed, but its lessons for the while the BJP’s offer of a “double-engine revolutionized how we use the internet. racy. Another point of friction for AI Only with this knowledge can we truly
future strategy of both parties lie in the overall sarkar” of both the Centre and state chugging The nature and extent of information solutions is the extra steps a user must contemplate a future where all Indians
these AI tools can provide depends take to discover and download addi- can effectively exercise their data rights.
vote pie’s split-up. The pro-Congress swing of along for development sounded hollow with-
5 percentage points to almost 43% of votes cast out Kannada-speaking vote pullers.
was at JD(S) expense, while the BJP held its Congress celebrations may suggest code-
share at about 36%. It was sharper bipolarity cracker conviction in a revival of its political
that switched power. Look beyond the data, fortunes. Its triumph was in a South Indian
though, and it can be interpreted as a ‘double- state whose politics is like the north’s only up
engine’ triumph as well, this time with the twin to a point, however, and since a northern focus www.livemint.com
New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh*, Pune* Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Vol.7 No.115 `3.00 in Delhi­NCR/`4.00 outside Delhi­NCR 24 PAGES
+ 4 MARKETS PAGES

advantage of national and local appeal working sustains the BJP at the Centre, no such instant MINT MONEY: Investors
too bullish on India >M1 19,715.8
9.15am
Sensex

Privacy means people


NATION: Government may take
back 30 more coal blocks >5

in Congress favour. It may be premature at this conclusion can be drawn. It would take a big CONTENT PARTNER
ECONOMY: Global economies on the
mend, India outlook less favourable >7
HEALTH: Scientists closer to developing
indigenous vaccine for diarrhoea >7 Intraday movement 14 May
19,722.29
3.30pm

stage to call the Lok Sabha race for 2024 open, Hindi-belt state flipped for Congress prospects SENSEX 19,722.29 Æ 30.62

Vodafone tax
row: Sibal
NIFTY 5,995.40 Æ 14.95

APRIL DATA

Inflation falls; will autonomy


panel on CBI
DOLLAR `54.81 Æ `0.08 EURO `71.20 Æ `0.12

PM sets up
GOLD `27,030 Æ `45 OIL $102.88 æ $0.22

QUICK EDIT
Dethroning
know what they’re signing
but a plausible basis for such an outlook has to brighten. And even if Madhya Pradesh were opens door to
conciliation
B Y S HAUVIK G HOSH
R EMYA N AIR
&
interest rates follow?
law
B Y S AHIL M AKKAR
sahil.m@livemint.com
·························
NEW DELHI

T aking a cue from last


the dollar
C hina has emerged as
the second biggest
economy in the world.
When will its currency
challenge the US dollar up for, in plain language,
emerged in the tango we saw pulled off. to go its way, taking on Modi’s popular charm
························· week’s adverse comments for supremacy?
NEW DELHI
Wholesale inflation falls by the Supreme Court, Prime Strategic thinkers and

I ndia took a step closer on


Tuesday towards an amica-
below 5%; all eyes on SHARP DECLINE Minister Manmohan Singh
constituted a group of minis-
economists have been
asking this for some time

and repeatedly. I believe


ble settlement of the tax dis- RBI as markets seem Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index slowed sharply to 4.89% in April ters (GoM) to draft a law that now. A survey of central
from 5.96% a month ago on the back of a substantial decline in prices of food
pute with Vodafone Group Plc convinced that interest and manufactured products. Food inflation slowed to 6.08% in April from
will eventually seek to insulate bankers made public by
in a move that is likely to be the Central Bureau of Investi- the International
welcomed by foreign investors, rates have peaked 8.73% in March led by a decline in vegetable prices. Core inflation, or non-food, gation (CBI) from political in- Monetary Fund provides
but which could prove contro- non-fuel manufacturing inflation, also decelerated to 2.7% in April. fluence. hints on why a shift in

How local or centralized should a campaign and the BJP’s ideological hold would pose our
versial in the current political B Y A SIT R ANJAN M ISHRA Finance minister P. financial power is not
environment. asit.m@livemint.com Chidambaram, external affairs around the corner.
On Tuesday, India’s new law ························· Year-on-year minister Salman Khurshid, law A third of the central
minister Kapil Sibal reversed NEW DELHI minister Kapil Sibal and minis- bankers who took part in
(in %)
his ministry’s earlier stance on
a settlement of sorts with Vo-
I ndia’s wholesale price in-
flation decelerated below
Wholesale
Price Index
ter of state for personnel, pub-
lic grievances and pensions V.
the survey said that they
were considering holding

people are smart. Some


dafone over the phone compa- the 5% mark for the first Narayanasamy are among more of their foreign
ny’s `20,000 crore tax dispute time in three-and-a-half years the members of the GoM that exchange reserves in the
with the state. The earlier deci- in April, stoking hopes that the
7.5 will present a draft to the Su- Chinese currency. That

be? In a country of kaleidoscopic identities, oldest party a major challenge. With two terms
sion, taken by former law min- central bank will respond with preme Court before the next suggests that the intent is
ister Ashwani Kumar, was that another interest rate cut when hearing in the case on coal there. But those who
a conciliation with the compa- it undertakes a policy review Food inflation block allocation irregularities were not considering
ny was illegal. next month. Year-on-year (in %) on 10 July. moving reserves into the
Government officials famil- Inflation based on the 13 CBI comes under the depart- renminbi worry that the
iar with the situation said on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) 12 ment of personnel and train- Chinese currency is not
10.92
condition of anonymity that slowed sharply to 4.89% in 11 ing, which is under the overall convertible and the
various options are being con- April from 5.96% a month ago 10 remit of the Prime Minister. sovereign bond markets

people want to share more


sidered, including a waiver of because of a substantial de- 9 The agency’s director Ranjit in that country are

errors on this can be costly. To Congress done, our ruling party has bared remarkably
penalty and interest and a re- cline in prices of food and 8
Sinha will also provide inputs illiquid.
duction in the principal manufactured products. While 7
to the GoM. That is why the moves
amount of tax claimed by the food inflation slowed to 6.08% 6.08 The apex court last week ob- towards capital account
6
Indian tax department. in April from 8.73% in March Apr 2012 Apr 2013 served that CBI was subject to convertibility announced
Currently, Vodafone is fac- led by a decline in vegetable political interference. by the Chinese regime
ing the prospect of paying prices, core inflation, or non- Core inflation “CBI has become a caged this month should be
around `8,000 crore of tax, an- food, non-fuel manufacturing 7 closely watched.
other `8,000 crore as penalty inflation, also decelerated for 6 TURN TO PAGE 4®
and around `4,000 crore as in- the sixth consecutive month to

credit, it rallied state-level rivals former chief little complacency. Also, a failed saffron trial
5
terest. 2.7% in April, below the 3%

than other people do.


Vodafone has been in talks comfort level of the Reserve 4
with the finance ministry to Bank of India (RBI). 3 CONSOLIDATION PLAN
seek a mutually acceptable so- Retail inflation based on the
2
4.89
lution. The company did not
respond to an email sent by
Mint.
The tax, India claims, arises
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
had slowed to 9.39% in April
from an average 10.2% in the
fiscal year ended 31 March on
1
0
Apr 2012 Apr 2013
Biyani: Finally taking
from Vodafone’s 2007 acquisi- the back of declining food
solace in growth
minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka unit run is unlikely to dampen its zest. A clash of
tion of Hutchison Whampoa prices, data released on Mon- Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Ltd’s telecom assets in India. day showed. 2012 2013
The tax department says that Inflation has played spoiler

Ask them.
Source: Department of industrial policy and promotion, Mint research
because the transaction in- in the India story. It has forced B Y S APNA A GARWAL ment had to do with sell-offs.
NAVEEN KUMAR SAINI/MINT
volved Indian assets, Indian up interest rates, discouraged sapna.a@livemint.com He sold his Pantaloons busi-
tax laws apply to it, and that investment, even squeezed economic activity warrant ag- maintained a hawkish tone by ························· ness to Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd
Vodafone should have with- consumption demand. gressive monetary easing, the maintaining that there is “little MUMBAI on 30 April 2012, divested a
held a certain proportion of
the $11 billion (around
Financial markets now seem
convinced interest rates have
higher-than-sustainable level
of the current account deficit
space for further monetary
easing” given the uncertainty F or two years now, Kishore
Biyani, a man often de-
53.67% stake in consumer fi-
nance company Future Capital

chief D.K. Shivakumar to topple the BJP gov- ideology in 2024, the BJP may reckon, would
`60,000 crore today) it paid to peaked. The benchmark 10- and political uncertainty in an surrounding the dynamics of scribed as India’s Sam Walton, Holdings Ltd to private equity
Hutchison, as tax. The tax de- year bond yields closed at an election year (which could inflation and the current ac- has been fighting fires. firm Warburg Pincus India Pvt.
partment lost the case in the almost three-year low follow- prevent the government from count deficit. A basis point is He has given up almost 2 Ltd on 5 June 2012 and signed
ing the decline in inflation reining in spending) have one-hundredth of a percent- million sq. ft of retail space, term sheets to exit both the in-
TURN TO PAGE 4® numbers, falling to 7.47%, the stayed RBI’s hand. India’s eco- age point. renovated half the Big Bazaar surance businesses of Future
lowest since 7 June 2010. The nomic growth is estimated to However, if inflationary hypermarkets he runs, sold off Generali India Life Insurance
ALSO SEE bond yield closed at 7.58% on have slumped to 5% in the last pressure continues to ease, an- businesses, and restructured Co. Ltd and Future Generali
Monday. fiscal, the slowest in a decade. alysts say the central bank will operations. India General Insurance Co.
>Tussle over tax >P6

ernment on pain points drawn from local pulse suit its game plan. Yet, if Gandhi’s walk of unity
Economic affairs secretary Credit rating agency Stand- have more headroom to cut Now, Biyani, managing di- Ltd in March.
Arvind Mayaram made a case ard and Poor’s said in a report policy rates by an additional 50 rector of India’s largest listed Part of it has to do with his
for further rate cuts by RBI to released on Tuesday that India basis points in 2013-14. retail company Future Retail new terms of reference—an in-
boost growth. “We do believe remains an outlier in the Asia- Abheek Barua, chief econo- Ltd, and a man once given to crease in productivity and effi-
that RBI would look at this fig- Pacific region with growth still mist at HDFC Bank Ltd, said hyperbole, usually related to ciency, not necessarily expan-
ure (April inflation),” he said. decelerating and consumer in- that in the current environ- his own expansion plans, is fi- sion, he said in a 9 May inter-
National Statistics Commis- flation at an elevated level. The ment, RBI is in a better posi- nally ready to talk growth. view. And part of it—take that,
sion chairman Pronab Sen said agency has projected gross do- tion to justify a rate cut and “We have done everything Walton—is a move away from

STE V E JOB S
the current easing of inflation- mestic product growth of 6% in should take advantage of this. that was required to be done one of Biyani’s favourite words

readings, while it pitched equitable progress as and talk of love have shaken that premise,
ary pressure is a result of sof- 2013, 6.7% for 2014 and 7% for “We expect a 25 basis points and are now at ease,” said Biy- sasta (inexpensive in Hindi) to
tening global commodity pric- 2015. However, it said for India, rate cut by RBI in its mid-quar- ani, describing his journey as high-value, high-margin prod-
es and producers losing pric- a downside scenario featuring ter policy review on 17 June, similar to the enlightenment of ucts, such as `1,400 a kg Span-
ing power due to a fall in the a combination of weaker global which could be coupled with a Ashoka, the king who ruled In- ish tomatoes.
real income of consumers. risk appetite and a poor mon- cut in cash reserve ratio to dia some 250 years before the The strategy is still a work in
“The trend in wholesale soon season could pull growth ease (the) liquidity situation,” birth of Christ, and who gave progress, but it could herald a
price inflation will continue down to around 5% in 2013, he added. up his militant ways after see- new beginning in India’s retail
and will subsequently lead to a 5.5% in 2014 and 5.7% in 2015. RBI expects inflation to aver- ing the carnage wrought in the market, where many large
decline in retail inflation with “Upside growth would reach age around 5.5% in 2013-14 battle of Kalinga. companies have floundered,

a unifying promise. And to the extent the party somehow, then that bet might be off. And that
a lag as producers are always 6.5% in 2013, 7.2% in 2014 and “with some edging down in the In Biyani’s case, the carnage and where foreign firms can
the first ones to lose inflation- 7.6% in 2015,” it added. first half on account of past had to do with debt accumu- now ply their trade. Indeed,
ary expectation,” he added. Even though RBI has cut policy actions, although there lated as a result of reckless ex- Reliance Retail Ltd, an arm of
Mint is also available for R7 with Although rapidly moderat- policy rates by 125 basis points pansion.
Hindustan Times in Delhi-NCR only
ing inflation and depressed since April last year, it has TURN TO PAGE 5® Part of Biyani’s enlighten- TURN TO PAGE 20®

won support in the tailwind of Rahul Gandhi’s lends ‘Bharat Jodo’ its enigmatic significance.

MY VIEW | MoDerN TIMes

Why India seems short of sympathy for its middle class


their savings in the project or had taken that are uniform across the world. My own of the villa’s cost of ₹1.8 crore. This means, They say he is not in such a bad way because
MANU JOSEPH huge loans that they still service, have joined definition of the middle-class is anyone who apart from sinking in his own savings, he has property prices have tripled, or maybe even
lakhs of Indians who trusted various mar- must work to sustain their present lifestyle; been paying an EMI of over ₹1 lakh every quadrupled in Gurgaon from the time he had
quee builders, but are yet to get possession also anyone whose spending confidence month for the past several years. But the villa paid the down-payment for his 360 square-
of their houses. depends on a regular income. Seen this way, that was to be delivered in 2012 is still not his. yard villa. He says when you consider the
The buyers have been seeking the atten- the middle classes, across the world, share The unlucky buyers of Nirvana II have money spent on the project over the past 15

N
irvana Country is an almost beautiful tion of courts, politicians, regulators and the common features. Just that in rich countries, formed a tight group and have been pleading years, the returns are not so attractive, even
island in the vast dismal ugliness of media. Among them, those who booked any- the middle-class form a with regulators and if he might one day get possession. And what
Gurugram. Some residents call it thing better than cheap housing are at a par- majority, and in poor coun- bureaucrats. They are care- is the price one can put on the failed dream to
“Unitech’s folly” because the colony has ticular disadvantage. There is no real sympa- tries, they do not, making Sorrows like ful never to use the word his own corner of the world.
broad tree-lined pathways, pretty parks with thy for them. In a nation where the bar for them politically insignifi- “villas”. Instead, Aditya told Some of the elderly who wished to live
flower beds and little green mounds, and what constitutes misery is very high, a delay cant, which denies them an dream homes me, they use the expression their last lap in their own villas with their
there are other hints of builder generosity, in the possession of a villa does not count as important form of sympa- “our dream homes”. families have died fighting for what was
which is rare in India. Public life here a misfortune. Judges, bureaucrats, activists, thy: the political considera-
worth crores On some pleading expe- their own. Families have aged since they

is a journalist, novelist, and the


appears to be good. Happy old men amble in
groups talking about the importance of
journalists and empathetic beings do not
consider the issue trivial, but when set
tion. Being middle-class in
a poor country can have
going poof on ditions, they take their
spouses and parents along
made the fateful error to move to Nirvana II
and their children are almost adults today,
creator of the Netflix series,
‘Decoupled’
authoritarianism; their wives sit in a circle
and sing; an American with a mohawk
against what an average Indian endures, the
completion of a half-dead residential project
some aspects of wealth, but
it is a far more fragile con-
builder failure to demonstrate the emo-
tional nature of their
ready to fly away.
Aditya says it is all so cruel; buyers had
teaches teenaged girls karate; and some boys so that some people can get their villas is not dition than the state of are not seen as “dream home”. The buyers faith in Nirvana II because banks had
are so posh they can’t bowl. The place was a priority. being wealthy. A shock like have also asked their banks endorsed the project, effectively. So, Aditya
even prettier about 15 years ago. So, at the There would even be a quarrel over the use a home-buying decision tragic enough to restructure their loans, asks, why should only individual home-
time, when Unitech announced the making of the term ‘middle-class’ for villa-owners. By gone wrong can have disas- which is a euphemism to owners pay the price, why not have these
of Nirvana II, just a few kilometres away, income and assets, they do not represent the trous consequences. permit defaults or reduce banks share their misery? Instead, banks
hundreds rushed to book villas. median Indian household. For some reason, Aditya Mishra is a finance executive who the financial burden in some way. But the continue to make money off people who
The builder was to begin delivery of the development economists and their friends invested in a villa in Nirvana II in 2009. Soon banks have said that their credit-ratings, have been cheated of their homes for nearly
homes around 2012, but no one has got pos- revel in the fact the true Indian middle class after he paid the down payment, construc- open for all to see, will take such a beating 15 years.
session yet. The builder has since perished, is much poorer than most people who use tion began. Typically in such projects, pay- that they may never get a bank loan again. Yet, their pain and rage cannot move the
two of its promoters in jail for fraud, and its terms like ‘middle class’. But then an eco- ments are staggered and linked to comple- India’s lack of compassion for him frus- nation. Sorrows, in India, have to submit to a
management has been taken over by nomic class can exist independent of its tion of phases. The initial work was brisk. trates Aditya, but there is a particular part decorum. They need tremendous reasons to
bureaucrats. Hundreds of people who sank nation’s plight, exhibiting a set of behaviours Over the first five years, he paid up about 85% that irritates him. It comes from his peers. be considered sorrows.
LIVEMINT.COM VIEWS MoNDay, 15 May 2023
New Delhi 13

guEst VIEW M I N T C U R AT O R

Who moved our ghee? It has all Safe banking is largely illusory
so we must pursue it with care
but vanished from store shelves Rule-makers must acknowledge that perfect stability doesn’t exist

GCMMF’s failure to raise milk prices in line with cattle-feed prices has hit our dairy farmers and caused market shortages

MINT

CLiVE CROOK
is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and
member of the editorial board covering
economics, finance and politics.
B.M. Vyas & Manu KaushiK
are, respectively, former managing director and
former senior executive with GCMMF Ltd.

O
n taking over the distressed First
Republic Bank last week, Jamie
Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase,

T
here has been a ghee shortage in the said: “No crystal ball is perfect, but yes, I Stability-aimed regulation could also stifle
market since Diwali season 2022. Top think the banking system is very stable.” banking and be counterproductive AFP
brands have been running out of stock Well, what else was the boss of America’s
at shop shelves and on online portals biggest bank going to say? A determination denly not so stable. SVB was indeed unusual
regularly. With the lean season in milk to declare that things are under control is in relying so much on large (so uninsured)
underway (April to August or the sum- Disproportionate rise widely shared by industry leaders, regula- deposits, but that isn’t the whole story.
mer-monsoon months when production of milk Prices of vegetable oil and mustard oil have risen much more than those of dairy products tors and policymakers alike. It’s under- When interest rates on cash and close
falls in relation to demand), it seems that this including Amul ghee. standable. Nobody wants to start a panic. equivalents are zero, there’s no point in
demand-supply mismatch of ghee will persist for a FAO food price index (% change over Nov 2019)
But that’s also the root of the problem. searching for better terms. But when rates
couple of months. Delve deeper, and one finds not Banking is a fundamentally unstable go up, depositors start shopping around and
Dairy Veg oil Amul ghee MRP Mustard oil MOP
just a milk-fat shortage, but a milk shortfall. Post- business. Depositors might have no good moving their money. Tech makes it easy.
2014, India has averaged a 6% growth rate in milk 200 80 reason to think their particular bank is in With or without insurance, this combina-
production annually. While actual data is not out 187.8 danger, but if they run, they’ll turn out to be tion of frictionless deposits and rising rates
yet, indications appear that this growth in 2022-23 60 right. Making banks safer through regula- can complicate customer retention. It also
160
has fallen to 1-2%. 40 tion, desirable as it might be, doesn’t always unsettles the other side of the balance sheet.
At the heart of the matter is a rise in cattle-feed 40 solve this riddle; depositors also need to If you have to compete for deposits with
prices in the country without a commensurate 120 believe they’re safe. Making banks safer and higher rates, you might be paying short-
increase in milk prices. This is making dairy 142.4 20 making people believe it are often at odds. term creditors more than you’re collecting
farming unviable for dairy farmers and reducing 77.2 Hence a recurring pattern in such crises: from long-term borrowers. If so, you’re los-
growth in milk production. 80 14 Regulators hesitate to act pre-emptively to ing money and seeing capital erode. This is
0
Cattle-feed cost is an expense for dairy farmers, Nov 2019 Nov 2022 deal with stresses before they become dan- a concern for all banks with portfolios heavy
while milk prices multiplied by production is their 64.4 Values rebased to zero gerous, because identifying an issue and in long-term fixed-rate lending for housing
40
income. An important value component of cattle 2005 2022 Sources: FAO, authors’ research acting early to fix it risks causing the alarm or other real estate (like First Republic), or
feed is oil meal, which is the residue left after oil they hope to prevent. So signs of trouble are in supposedly safe assets such as long-term
SATISH KUMAR/MINT
has been crushed out of oilseeds. quietly set aside, complacency rules, and government bonds (like SVB). Keep in mind
To understand inflation in oil meal prices, we or buy cattle. So, what explains this situation? dustan Unilever Ltd’s turnover is ₹58,154 crore and banks are spared the embarrassment of that the prices of housing and commercial
can take inflation in vegetable oil prices as a proxy, Note that milk prices in India are not regulated ITC’s non-cigarette FMCG business turnover in conforming with accounting principles like real estate, hence the value of loans linked
as it’s a by-product of vegetable oil production. A by the government. There is no minimum support 2021-22 was ₹16,023 crore. These numbers make marking assets to market. Partly because to those assets, might not yet have fully
comparison of the Food and Agriculture Organiza- price (MSP) for it, as with farm staples. One must GCMMF the marketing engine for the dairy sector such candour might scare people. adjusted to higher rates.
tion (FAO) food price index for dairy and vegetable dig deeper to figure this out. in India. After the failures, another pattern kicked It’s all but impossible to break the cycle of
oils can give a picture of what has happened. India produces 221 million metric tonnes (MMT) Unfortunately, GCMMF by not increasing its in. Regulators resolved both SVB and First wishful thinking, forbearance and occa-
From 2005 to 2020, for nine years out of these of milk annually. Of this, 46% is consumed at MRPs and procurement prices in 2021 and 2022 in Republic by quietly amending articles of sional panic. The best approach would be to
16, the dairy price index has been higher than the source and the remaining 54% is the marketable relation to inflation of cattle feed prices, has led not faith about sound bank regulation, like accept that banking is unavoidably risky
vegetable oil index by an average of 14 percentage surplus—around 120MMT. Of the marketable just itself but the entire country’s dairy sector into three canons of the post-2008 regime. SVB, and learn to live with it. In that world,
points. For the remainder of seven years, the dairy surplus, 60% is procured by the unorganized a quagmire. For the first time since Operation a medium-sized bank hitherto deemed sys- nobody would be unduly alarmed by the
price index has been lower by an average of 10 per- sector, which becomes a price taker. The Flood concluded in 1996, we are experiencing a temically insignificant, was upgraded to asset-value volatility laid bare by mark-to-
centage points. Then in 2021 and 2022, the dairy remaining 40% is procured by the organized milk and fat shortage. This mismanagement, systemically significant to justify an exten- market accounting, or by prudent early
price index was below the vegetable oil index by 28 sector—48MMT. Half of this goes to the private whether attributable to political compulsions or sion of deposit insurance to all its deposits. action to reduce leverage—such as selling
and 24 points, respectively. sector—24MMT, which is procured by as many as managerial incompetence, is unforgiveable. It can First, this acknowledged broader fragility equity in what might be a falling market or
In layman terms, this explains why in 2021 there 700 companies across India that are to an extent be called Operation Anti Milk Flood. than was allowed. Second, it abandoned the using bond-conversion triggers that draw
was an increase in mustard oil prices whereas ghee also price takers. The remaining 24MMT is pro- This also is a reason why Verghese Kurien, who idea that limits on deposit insurance are attention when they replenish capital.
prices stayed firm. Even the Economic Survey of cured by the cooperative sector, which has some pioneered the country’s cooperative movement. necessary to apply market discipline to Yet, the need to see banks as stable is hard
India 2022-23 reported, while inflation in milk and 25 organizations across the country. had created 25 different state federations. So that banks. And with First Republic, regulators to dislodge. Regulators are again insisting
products was 2.8%, for oils and fats it was 27.4%. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation the mismanagement of any one does not lead to kept it from collapse by letting JPMorgan that small rule tweaks will make banking
One can see this dichotomy while observing the Ltd (GCMMF), the marketer of Amul, procures negative repercussions on the whole sector. acquire the business. Think ‘too big to fail.’ safe, finally, without eliminating risk. This
market operating price (MOP) of mustard oil and 270 lakh kg per day (LKPD) milk, which is around In the context of the recent Amul-Nandini con- Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic ignores the trade-off between risk and
Amul Ghee maximum retail price (MRP). 10MMT or 20% of all organized procurement and troversy, with talk around of their possible merger, were special cases, but not as special as one return: A bank with more capital, say, or
While Amul Ghee MRP decreased from ₹500 40% of total cooperative procurement (24MMT), that is why they should remain separate. This is might wish. Both were brought down by a assets and liabilities with better matched
per litre in January 2020 to ₹485 per litre in making it the lodestar for the country’s coopera- risk reduction through hedging at its best. It’s just combination of runnable retail deposits and maturities, is indeed safer—but also less
August 2021, mustard oil MOP increased from ₹136 tive sector. In turn, the cooperative sector becomes that the founding fathers of Operation Flood did unrealized losses on long-term assets. profitable and somewhat impaired in its
per litre to ₹214 per litre in the same period. the lodestar for private dairies. Thus, GCMMF is not foresee that mismanagement could happen so There was nothing mysterious about core role of allocating resources.
Thus, dairy farmers faced a situation in 2021-22, undoubtedly the price maker in the market. close at home. As far as the government’s approach either vulnerability. Managers and regula- Worst of all, many ideas for making banks
where prices of their raw material—cattle feed— GCMMF’s ability to procure such huge volumes goes, rather than focusing on Amul now, other tors had the data. But believing that banks safer really do the opposite. Insuring all
were increasing but the revenues they were of milk comes from its ability to market and distrib- state federations need to be strengthened in the are stable induces one to think deposits are deposits makes runs less likely but pushes
earning did not grow in that proportion, and ute milk and products made of it. At an annual next 5-10 years and made bigger, so that GCMMF’s sticky and that falling asset values due to banks to take bigger risks. ‘Too big to fail’
even reduced for some. This pincer grip had made turnover of ₹72,000 crore, the GCMMF group is share of the country’s marketable milk surplus higher interest rates cause ‘paper losses’, creates essentially the same moral hazard.
dairying financially unviable and would have led not just the biggest food product organization in stays within 5%. May the new management of not real losses. This is reassuring until, at a As long as there are banks, there’ll be crises.
many to reduce their herd size, and further served the country, but its biggest fast-moving consumer GCMMF overcome its forced legacy errors and get certain point, such beliefs become not just The slower we are to see the risks, the bigger
as a deterrent to those planning to enter this sector goods (FMCG) organization. For perspective, Hin- back to hitting Anand aces. false but untenable. Then the system is sud- the eventual damage. ©BLOOMBERG

MY VIEW | PaRaLLax ViEw

Political agenda pushers should let Tagore’s quotes be


dispensation”, went further, quoting some- largely by nationalistic egos. tion for the provincial civil service and began the horrendous Moplah massacre in north
SANDIPAN DEB thing Tagore wrote in 1911: “In order to sal- Two, it is obvious that a man who wrote hiring a disproportionately large number of Kerala. Thousands of Hindus were killed.
vage this inequality (between Hindus and Jana Gana Mana, with its magnificent sweep Muslims. In 1901, Muslims held roughly one- Ambedkar, arguably the most rational
Muslims), the Muslims have started demand- across all of India, saw India as a nation. Even eighth of the 1,235 higher appointments. In Indian in public life of the 20th century,
ing more than the Hindus. We should genu- a cursory study of his essays reveals that he 1911, they occupied almost one-fifth of the condemned it as an act of jihad to “establish
inely be in agreement with their demands. It believed that nations should be proud of their 2,305 gazetted appointments held by Indi- the kingdom of Islam”. However, the

R
abindranath Tagore’s 162nd birth will be beneficial for Hindus (and) Muslims.” identities, but should not attempt to impose ans. Naturally, Bengal’s Muslims, who were Mahatma thought that it is “more necessary
anniversary was celebrated a few days Those who have a very different view also them on other nations. generally poorer than its for a Hindu to love the Moplah and the Mus-
ago. Hundreds of people posted on had enough quotes in their arsenal. For Who can argue against this Hindus, gravitated towards lim more, when the latter is likely to injure
social media, paying their respects and quot- example, Tagore wrote in 1922: “There are logic, other than imperial- Citing him out supporting the partition of him or has already injured him.”
ing from his writings. Op-ed pieces told us two religions in earth, which have a distinct ists, whether it’s the West this state, because they— Tagore was aghast. His subsequent writ-
what we can learn from the greatest-ever enmity against all other religions. These are which says it wants to bring of context may quite correctly—saw that ings reflect his disappointment and frustra-
Indian multidimensional genius—poet, nov- Christianity and Islam. They are not just satis- ‘democracy’ to countries their economic and politi- tion. He had discovered that his vision of a
elist, painter, philosopher, educationist. fied with observing their own religions but that never asked for help, or
suit those with cal clout could increase. new world had few takers. But he spoke his

is a former editor of ‘Financial


But the trouble is this. When we quote
people who wrote and spoke a lot, we do not
are determined to destroy all other religions.”
A few years later, commenting on the
the Soviet Union during the
Cold War years?
axes to grind In many ways, this action
plan laid the seeds of for the
mind fearlessly. His views should be judged
within this context.
Express’, and founder-editor of
‘Open’ and ‘Swarajya’
keep in mind the context in which they said
what they did. Contradictory quotes from
assassination of Arya Samaj leader Swami
Shraddhananda by an Islamist radical, he
Three, when he wrote in
1911 supporting extra rights
but does the 1947 Partition. Tagore’s
words were a desperate
Of course, it is futile to ask political oppor-
tunists to not use the words of people like
magazines them are also easily available. Swami Viveka- wrote: “We can appeal to our neighbour Mus- and privileges for Muslims, poet laureate plea for a Bengal not Tagore as random and potentially inflam-
nanda (was he a Hindu fundamentalist?), lims, ‘Please don’t be cruel to us. No religion he was trying, against all divided by religion. matory soundbites. When Mamata Banerjee
Mahatma Gandhi (was he against scientific can be based on genocide’—but this kind of odds, to keep Hindus and a big disfavour Four, when a decade became chief minister of West Bengal, she
progress?) and Babasaheb Ambedkar (was appeal is nothing but the weeping of a weak Muslims together in Bengal later he sharply criticized had a brainwave—blare Tagore songs at traf-
he anti-Muslim?) are obvious examples, person… Possibly, Hindus and Muslims can back then. Islam, he was expressing a fic lights. I have no words to describe how
apart from Tagore. To use their words in an forge a fake friendship for a while, but that Lord Curzon had partitioned Bengal in deep disillusionment with the Congress’s ridiculous and disrespectful the whole exer-
ahistorical vacuum is political opportunism cannot last for ever.” 1905 on communal lines, and Tagore was politics of those times. Mahatma Gandhi had cise was—crackly speakers emitting music
and intellectual laziness. One, Tagore’s oft-quoted views on nation- one of the leaders of the movement that allied his non-cooperation movement with precious to Bengalis while impatient grid-
Last week, Tagore’s vision of a harmonious alism are from a time when he was horrified fiercely opposed this. But the British knew the Khilafat agitation. This was a disaster. locked drivers honked their horns to get
world that rises above narrow nationalistic by the ongoing First World War—an avoida- how to divide and rule. They opened up The Khilafat movement collapsed after Mus- somewhere on time. Thankfully, that audi-
pride was cited a lot. One columnist, worried ble carnage of innocents on a scale never many new jobs in Muslim-majority East tafa Kemal Ataturk took charge of Turkey tory horror died a quick and unlamented
about a “majoritarian political and religious before seen in human history, a war driven Bengal, abolished the competitive examina- and made it a secular state. But not before death. Please let Tagore be.
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��� �����
To accomplish great things, we
must not only act, but also dream; Anatole
not only plan, but also believe France

06 CHENNAI MONDAY 15 05 2023


� �

A
legislative Assembly election There is euphoria in the Congress camp, some glum the bastion of the JDS) area voted, it ap-
that covers just about 5.22 crore pears as if the Congress gained at the cost
INDIAN EXPRESS IS NOT AN Indians in Karnataka has just introspection in the BJP’s ranks, and big disappointment in of the JDS. The Congress narrative of be-
INDUSTRY. IT IS A MISSION. been completed. A big election, the JDS’ ranks, which this time is neither king nor kingmaker ing a party that could form a government
— Ramnath Goenka then. The campaign has closed, was sold well to the region’s electorate. The

AFTER THE K’TAKA


and the votes have been counted. JDS did not have the same clout of narra-
The mandate of the people of tive. The JDS, of late, has been seen as a
Karnataka has been announced decisively kingmaker party. A party that chips in

IMRAN IN HEAD-ON
and recorded. The people of the state have
decided on a change of government. The BATTLE, A FEW when push comes to shove but one that can-
not form a government on its own. This

KEY TAKEAWAYS
BJP government has been voted out, and a seems to have hurt the vote.

COLLISION WITH PAK’S decisive majority has been given to a Con-


gress-led government.
As the election hurly burly settles, the
BJP will go into a huddle and introspect.

POWERFUL MILITARY There is euphoria in the Congress camp,


a certain degree of glum introspection in
The party, which has a very strong “always
on” cadre, unlike cadres of other parties

B
the BJP’s ranks, and a big degree of disap- which are rather “election time-mobilised”
y squarely blaming Army Chief Gen Asim Munir for his pointment in the ranks of the JDS, which or “individual constituency leader-
dramatic ‘abduction’ from the Islamabad high court and this time is neither king nor kingmaker. focused”—is not giving up. One election
arrest last week, former Pakistan prime minister Imran Time to then analyse the victory and the HARISH Brand Guru and Founder, loss in the state that paved the way for its
defeat in equal measure. Time to sit back BIJOOR Harish Bijoor Consults Inc first-ever South Indian entry will not damp-
Khan appears to have put himself on a collision course
neutrally and check on what went right en its enthusiasm.
with the country’s powerful military establishment. Both and what did not for the three major parties Work will begin immediately to get its
share a bitter history, as Gen Asim had as head of the ISI in 2019 in the fray. cadre into election mode again for the 2024
uncovered a racketeer co-opting Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi for When I look at Karnataka, a state that Lok Sabha polls. The BJP knows that the
his shady deals. Imran sought to shoot the messenger by trans- has been at the forefront of economic state votes differently in every election and
ferring him out of the ISI. Known to be otherwise upright, Gen prosperity for the last decade, there is a will look forward to repeating its record
Asim has no sympathies for Imran, against whom serious cor- sense of relief among all concerned that contribution of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the
there is a government with a clear mandate last election. The BJP is a party with a deep
ruption charges seem to be crawling out of the woodwork every to rule in place. The state has seen succes- and abiding plan. It is a party that thinks
other day. The former PM had earlier charged that a top ISI of- sive sets of years with a fractured mandate not about the next election alone but with a
ficer, Major General Faisal Naseer, was plotting to kill him. Fix- that has had governance suffer. The state canvas of the next 25 years in mind. It will
ing political opponents is among the skill sets ISI officers are has wanted one of the three parties to be back to the drawing board to plan its next
known to possess, as Imran’s loyalist Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had have a clear mandate to run its affairs rath- step and action. It will be business as usual.
forced his predecessor Nawaz Sharif into exile through a mesh er than live in the shadow of a mixed This time round, as the primary opposition
governance structure. party in the state.
of graft cases. The cricketer-turned-neta, during his tenure as
What do I see to be the clear trends and The JDS looks decimated for now. It does
PM, had cultivated a clutch of top army officers, including a issues this election result throws up? Here still have a concentration of seats in its kit-
Corps Commander posted in Lahore. That officer refused to act are the top five ones from my perch of ty. The party has already articulated its role
against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vandals who ransacked perspective. as a local party of significance amidst a set
his residence following Imran’s arrest on May 9. PTI mobs also Firstly, Karnataka votes differently in of national parties that aspire to rule the
stormed the Army General headquarters in Rawalpindi, mak- every election. This is a clear trend the state state. The Tamil Nadu model where Dravid-
is famous for. The electorate is considered ian parties keep national parties out is
ing it a black day for the military.
to be a very savvy one. One that distinguish- something the JDS will look at keenly for
Imran had urged his party to hit the streets if he were to be es issues that are local and issues that are sure. Local issues are best dealt with by the
arrested but refused to take responsibility for their rampage. national. It votes differently in the Lok Sab- local parties. The JDS then has a plan of
After the surprise attacks by rioters, Gen Asim has announced ha elections as opposed to the Vidhana Sab- SOUMYADIP SINHA action ahead for sure. And to do this, it does
zero tolerance for further acts of vandalism on security estab- ha elections. The very same voter would need a lot of money (which it did not have
lishments. Parallelly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the vote for the BJP when it comes to managing it has a clear-cut 60 months to deliver on its which finally heard them. in this election), and a lot of focus and pas-
law enforcement agencies three days to round up all involved in the nation and in favour of the Congress many promises. Fourthly, politics gets divided into rich sion to pursue this purpose.
when it comes to the state. I would go one Thirdly, Karnataka reinvents the model politics versus poor politics. This was an For now, however, with this big and deci-
the violence, which could lead to fresh confrontation. Given that step further and wager a bet that the same of a local election with local issues. The election that divided the audiences econom- sive win, it is party time for the Congress,
Gen Asim does not want Imran back in power, any further un- person might consider a whole new party strategy team in the Congress party has ically. The post-Covid reality of stressed introspection time for the BJP and deep-
rest would give the government a handle to ban the PTI, citing for the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahana- got it right this time. Just as the narrative homes—families struggling with low in- introspection time for the JDS. Congratula-
the threat to national security. gara Palike) city corporation elections of the BJP has been centred on the comes and high prices of essential com- tions to the leadership team of Mallikarjun
At present, the judiciary appears to be Imran’s lone ally. But ahead. AAP, are you listening? good governance and leadership given to modities—hit hard. The LPG cylinder Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and
with Pakistan Chief Justice Bandial due to retire in September, Secondly, Karnataka changes its govern- the country by Prime Minister Narendra hogged the limelight once again. This time Priyanka Vadra. And a bigger congratula-
ment every five years. The state believes in Modi, the Congress has been saying that as an icon of imagery of the steep increase tions to the untiring efforts of D K Shivaku-
that crutch would crumble before the nation goes to polls. In the
change. It started in the 1990s, and the state this is a state election and you need credible in prices poor homes faced. The woman of mar and Siddaramaiah. Whatever happens
end, Imran’s ability to arouse passion and create a cadre frenzy has continuously changed its governments state leaders to manage the show. Both D K the house was up in arms and used her vote from now on, it can’t be said that the two did
could be his biggest undoing. Politics is more like Test cricket; from one party colour to another. Karnata- Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have to say what she wanted to say. not do what they were meant to do. And
playing it the T20 way could be counter-productive. ka has done it again this time round. The been very vocal on this. It looks as if the And finally, Karnataka goes bipolar. If they did it well.
winning party needs to keep this in mind as message has sunk deep into the electorate, one looks at how the Old Mysuru (hitherto (harishbijoor@hotmail.com)

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN


THWARTING AI ADOPTION
WHEN A YOUNG LAD HELPED
M
any technology experts, including those who worked
extensively in shaping Artificial Intelligence (AI) over
the years, have woken up to the risks AI poses to human-
ity—the most immediate being the huge loss of jobs.
HIMSELF TO SOME PUTTU Congress wins
The Karnataka electorate has given a clear
and comfortable majority to the Congress. The
Some estimates peg the number of job losses due to AI BJP never deserved to retain power because of

I
at 300 million. The fear of job loss is more alarming this time. n Southern tradition, Lord Shiva its manipulative politics. Both rivals openly
often gets actively involved in employed “divide and appease” policies,
Unlike previous technology shifts, the adoption of AI may en-
the lives of his devotees, as we RENUKA NARAYANAN and this time round, the Congress’ brand
danger a large number of white-collar jobs as well. While the saw in the tale of ‘Thayumana- of “politricks” gained an upper hand. But it
concerns may be real, technology enthusiasts sometimes exag- var’ (Faithline, When the manli- remains to be seen whether the winning party
gerate the risks posed by new technology by overstating its est of gods became a mother, will be able to fulfill its electoral promises, all
potential. March 20, 2023). This popular FAITHLINE huge burdens on the exchequer.
Artificial Intelligence is getting increasingly sophisticated Shivlila or divine game that I would like to Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada
with big data and machine learning techniques, so much so that retell is also from the Thiruvilayadal or ‘Sa- “Child, I don’t have the strength to do my Meanwhile, the king himself arrived to
cred Games’, a collection of 64 Tamil Shiv- share of work. So I’m hoping someone will inspect the work. He was very annoyed to Lessons galore
machines can be developed with human-like capabilities. We lilas. It came about one Shravan in the take my place in exchange for some food,” spot a teenager sleeping the morning away. Even the BJP cannot deny that the “40%
had already experienced the capabilities AI can render to de- ninth century in Madurai, at a place called said Vanti Amma. He dismounted from his horse, strode up to commission” slogan of the Congress did
vices when audio assistants like Alexa flooded the market a Puttu Thopu on the south bank of the river “Oh, is that all? I can do that for you,” the boy and delivered a smart blow of his make a difference. Lessons to be learnt for
few years ago. Alexa can respond to your audio queries, Vaigai. The tale goes that the Pandyan king, laughed the boy, flexing his arm. whip on the boy’s back. the BJP: Caste politics can also backfire,
play songs for you, and even get your questions answered. Then Varaguna Varman II, ordered every house- “May Lord Somasundara bless you, “Aaah!” screamed the workers and so did Assembly elections are essentially fought
came ChatGPT, an AI chatbot which can be trained to follow hold in Madurai to help build a bund on the child!” said Vanti, invoking Shiva’s name in the king. They had all felt the lash. What on local issues, and the lack of an effective
banks of the river Vaigai to protect the Madurai. “Take as much puttu as you strange happening was this? local leadership was glaringly evident. The
orders and provide detailed answers. ChatGPT and other such
kingdom from seasonal floods. like.” Now, Varaguna Varman knew something biggest problem for the GOP? Trying to stem
tools—most in infancy vis-à-vis their abilities—have already An old lady called Vanti Amma was told The boy delicately helped himself to a about the god he prayed to every day. Who dissidence once the government is formed.
become popular. They can be used to write essays, program by her local overseer to help carry baskets small handful of puttu. After eating it, he else could it be, playing such tricks? Srinivasan S K, Bengaluru
codes, edit copies, etc. Big technology companies are already of earth. But she was too weak for this task. smacked his lips and grinned cheekily. He fell to his knees beside the boy who
exploring ways to reduce employee strength by deploying AI. It Nor had she anyone to call her own who turned over and smiled sleepily. Election agenda
is predicted that IBM will replace nearly 8,000 jobs in 2024 with could take her place. However, if she did “I’m sorry it hurt. But it couldn’t be It is outright appeasement of the Muslim
nothing at all, the guards were sure to send helped, could it, when I’m in each one of community that helped the Congress win in
AI. The effect of AI deployment could be different for different
her to jail for dereliction of duty. Pandyan you...even in old women with no strength to Karnataka. Promises of blanket reservations
sectors as far as job losses are concerned. As many as 40–50% of law was strict. work?” he said and vanished. for Muslims and the ban of Bajrang Dal tipped
legal and administrative tasks can be automated using AI. Apart So Vanti Amma gamely came up with a The king could not believe his luck. “I the scales in favour of the Congress. Both are
from job losses, AI poses challenges like social media manipula- scheme, which she dedicated to Lord Shiva saw Him. He spoke to me!” he said joyfully. highly communal and divisive agendas put
tion, breach of privacy, and many other ethical and moral issues whom she loved with all her heart. She After making enquiries, he deeply regret- forth by the so-called secular party.
like creating a more inequitable society. counted out a few coins from her scant ted his sweeping diktat that had not spared Athulya M, Hyderabad
While these challenges and risks could be genuine, like in all hoard and went shopping, after which she the old and the weak. He excused Vanti
carefully prepared some puttu, mixing Amma from bund duty and humbly re- 2024 polls
previous technology shifts, the current narrative of painting AI coarsely ground rice, grated coconut, jeera, quested her to pack the remaining puttu for With the defeat in Karnataka, BJP is now out
as the Frankenstein monster could be due to the fear of the salt and water, which she steamed in him as prasadam. of power in South India. Its communal politics
P RAVIKUMAR
unknown, and hence exaggerated. The use of technology opens bamboo cylinders. She planned to offer por- When the workers realised what had and imposition of Hindi have angered the
up new possibilities—possibilities many would not have imag- tions of this puttu to anyone who would happened, they fell to their knees, arms people of Dravidian states. Unless corrective
ined. And at the same time, it throws up new challenges. Hu- help her. Vanti Amma sat near the river bank upraised. “We must have done something steps are taken, BJP will find it difficult to
mankind has, over the centuries, learned to use the enormous Shiva, who was idly watching the people with the fresh puttu enticingly laid good in our past lives that He showed come back to power in 2024.
of Madurai scurry around like ants, no- himself to us so affectionately,” they said, N A Joseph, Ettumanoor
possibilities of technology adoption and minimise its ill effects. out on a banana leaf. She waved a
ticed her activities. He understood her plan eyes overflowing.
This time it should not be any different, and so, while we need at once and liked the genuine effort that the palm leaf fan over it to keep flies The old lady thanked Shiva, heart and Chawla’s talent
to be mindful of the negatives, we cannot shut the doors on the old lady was making to both do her duty and away and also fan herself. “Puttu soul. She died soon after in great peace and Piyush Chawla has been a revelation in IPL
technology revolution called AI. save her dignity. “She deserves some help, for any good person who will work happiness, for Shiva gave her mukti for just 2023. The veteran leg-spinner has taken fans
see how she’s trying to cope alone,” he told that handful of puttu. down memory lane, deceiving batters both in
Parvati and promptly thought of a new in my place!” she called Krishna gave Sudama unimaginable the air and off the pitch in a fine display of
Q U I C K TA K E game to play. wealth for two handfuls of poha. Shiva gave leg-spin bowling. IPL not only provides ample
Meanwhile, Vanti Amma sat near the “Excellent puttu, Granny,” he said and Vanti liberation itself for a handful of opportunities for youngsters to make their
CRIMINALISE BODY-SHAMING river bank with the fresh puttu enticingly
laid out on a banana leaf. She waved a palm
strolled off towards the guards to pick up a
stout cane basket. “I’m standing in for that
puttu. How the gods love to serve those who
love them.
mark, but for seasoned campaigners to do so
too. And Piyush Chawla has proved it.

N
ew York becomes the sixth US city to outlaw weight discrimi- leaf fan over it to keep flies away and also old lady, see? Better tick her name off your Everywhere you look, you find us by a R Sivakumar, Chennai
fan herself. list,” he told them and set to work. riverbank, a lake, a hill or shore, celebrat-
nation. In India, the fight is yet to begin. Most Indian house- “Puttu for any good person who will work The boy carried soil steadily to and fro ing the lilas of the gods. Eradicating casteism
holds routinise fat-shaming, and women and girls of mar- in my place!” she called. from the earthworks. Coming and going, he So you won’t be surprised that every This is with reference to the column SC/ST
riageable age are the biggest victims. They’re made to suffer But everybody who passed by was al- sang and whistled, made funny remarks, Shravan, to this day, the people of Madurai markers: One size doesn’t fit all (May 13).
taunts for not having hourglass figures. It‘s nightmarish for ready on embankment duty and Vanti helpfully caught the arm of anyone who make puttu to take on a picnic to Puttu The basic reason for the mayhem is that
obese boys and girls alike in schools and colleges, leading to Amma grew nervous. Would nobody come stumbled and cheerfully laboured with the Thopu in remembrance of Shiva’s lila there unrestrained casteism persists in the region.
depression. Genes, stress and medicine lead to obesity, but in- forward? Would she have to go to jail after people of Madurai. The atmosphere around (‘Thopu’ means ‘grove’). The Meenakshi Without the eradication of casteism from
all? However, after some time, a boy of not him grew light and carefree despite the temple is apparently closed for two days India, we cannot expect a perpetual peaceful
sensitivity ignores these facts. Influencers and celebrities cur-
more than sixteen, dressed in a faded dhoti, hard work going on. When the overseer during that time so that Parvati and Shiva atmosphere. Political parties still directly
rently campaign for respecting the natural body, but the malaise came by and greeted her. gave his section a short break, the boy put can go in procession to the banks of the and indirectly encourage caste polarisation to
runs deep. India needs legislation criminalising body-shaming “Why are you giving away free puttu, the basket down under a tree, turned his Vaigai to join the party. enjoy benefits from the regime.
to make size a protected attribute like gender. Granny?” he asked, squatting beside her. back on the bustle and went to sleep. (shebaba09@gmail.com) Thomas K M, Muvattupuzha

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS


Chairman of the Board: Manoj Kumar Sonthalia Editor: Santwana Bhattacharya
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06
OPINION THE TRIBUNE JALANDHAR | MONDAY | 15 MAY 2023

THE TRIBUNE
established in 1881 Local leaders make their presence felt
Poll outcome exposes BJP’s failure to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims
Karnataka mandate polls and the veteran himself a
Congress thrives on clamour for change role in the campaign.
But it was too little, too late.

E
VEN as a one-party stranglehold seems a given, The Lingayats had begun
shifting towards the Congress,
a Himachal happens, and then a Karnataka.
shaking the pillar that held the
The electorate has its own ways of maintaining
BJP aloft for decades.
checks and balances. The verdicts have no The JD(S) had again made
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
trace of ambiguity too — enough of you for now, SENIOR JOURNALIST calculations to emerge as the
it’s time to give others a chance. If they falter, they should

T
‘kingmaker’ in case Karnata-
know what awaits them. Voter sentiment has little HE Congress’ ka threw up a fractured ver-
patience for big slogans and big leaders when governance thumping victory dict. It contested 200 of the 224
issues that impact lives are neglected. The BJP’s failed in the Karnataka seats, hoping to eat into the
bid to retain power in Karnataka has insightful lessons for Assembly elections Congress’ minority votes. The
the party ahead of the Assembly elections in Madhya has ensured that it Muslims and Christians ral-
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, as well as the 2024 will form the government on lied behind the Congress,
Lok Sabha polls. If corruption and anti-incumbency are its own in the state. The last while the JD(S) forfeited its
the key factors, electoral concoctions such as caste affilia- time it happened was in 2013; own Vokkaliga base to the
tions and religious polarisation can quickly dissipate. before that, back in 1999, the Congress in the process.
Congress won the election and Even in victory, the Congress
Prime Minister Modi’s vote-collecting magic spell, too,
formed the government head- has lessons to learn from Kar-
has its limitations in the face of public anger.
ed by SM Krishna; later, nataka. Its state leaders credit-
For the Congress, the comprehensive victory is a huge Dharam Singh took over. The THREESOME: Congress chief Kharge (centre) with state party leaders Siddaramaiah (right) and DK Shivakumar. PTI ed the success to the Gandhis,
morale-booster. The party can count itself lucky that its self- intervening period was particularly Rahul Gandhi’s
goals during the campaign got buried under the clamour for marked by various coalitions the Congress’ Iqbal Hussain The BJP replaced mid- Bharat Jodo Yatra that criss-
change. How the Congress handles its newly gained heft is struck by the principal players testified to the breakthrough stream its CM, BS Yediyurap- crossed the state. Karnataka
the real test, especially while stitching an Opposition alliance — the BJP, the Congress and the party made in a community pa, with a younger leader, Congress president DK Shiv-
for the General Election. One battle has been won, the other the Janata Dal (Secular). The whose fealty it lost with the exit Basavaraj Bommai, hoping akumar tearfully recalled
has just started. The prospects of harmonious co-existence uneasy alliances often threw of SM Krishna and the rise of that the Lingayat support Sonia Gandhi calling on him in
between astute veteran Siddaramaiah and the high com- the state, notable for the the JD(S). Indeed, the move- would remain intact (like the Tihar jail where he was
mand’s loyalist DK Shivakumar look bleak. Party chief strides it has made in informa- ment of the Lingayats and the Yediyurappa, Bommai is from detained by the Enforcement
tion technology and infra- Vokkaligas towards the Con- the Lingayat community). Directorate in a money laun-
Kharge has a job on his hands. A difficult one, considering
how the infighting in Rajasthan is being allowed to fester. structure, into political and gress proved that it transcend- KARNATAKA The move underlined the per- dering case. But was this mam-
Such has been the BJP’s dominance of late that any administrative disarray. ed an earlier coalition of the VERDICT ils of over-centralisation, a moth win possible without the
Of the 224 Assembly seats, Backward Castes, Dalits, Adi- characteristic of the present leadership of Siddaramaiah,
setback it suffers is seen by the opponents as a reversal
the Congress won 136, way vasis and Muslims, knit BJP regime, which appoints Shivakumar and others? Did
of fortunes. That’s an illusion best ignored when deal- ahead of the BJP (65). The together by a former CM, Sid- CMs without allowing region- the anointment of Mallikarjun
ing with a party that is relentless and incredibly organ- JD(S), with 19 seats, was a dis- daramaiah. The coalition, al leaders to grow organically Kharge as the Congress presi-
ised in its pursuits, even to strike hard at the slightest tant third. The 7 per cent vote christened AHINDA, symbol- The Cong breached — a throwback to the era of dent play a role in garnering
hint of any fissure in the rival camp. swing towards the Congress ised a caste divide between the PM Indira Gandhi. Bommai votes in the Hyderabad-Kar-
reflects the degree to which the well-off castes and the under-
the BJP’s Lingayat joined the BJP in 2008 after nataka region to which he
party consolidated its position empowered social groupings. stronghold and took quitting the Janata Dal (Unit- belongs? For decades, the Con-
among the castes and commu- The 2023 outcome has exposed ed). Like his Assam counter- gress paid the price for pub-
away a considerable
AAP back in LokSabha nities that tilt the balance of
power, dashing the BJP’s
hopes of a last-minute upset.
the BJP’s failure to drive a
wedge between Hindus and
Muslims by the single-minded
chunk of the votes of
part Himanta Biswa Sarma, a
former Congressman, Bom-
mai endorsed and imple-
licly putting down veteran
Veerendra Patil, a Lingayat.
The community had turned its
Bypoll win brings cheer to ruling party in Punjab It is apparent that the Con- pursuit of a one-point agenda the Vokkaligas. mented the party high com- back on the party.

T
gress’ victory cannot be attrib- that revolved around the forcible mand’s instructions to the The Gandhis and the Con-
HE win of AAP candidate Sushil Rinku, who uted solely to the support of a removal of the hijab among girl letter, particularly the Hin- gress have got the adrenaline
left the Congress weeks before the Jalandhar few castes and communities. It students in schools and colleges humiliating Lord Hanuman, dutva agenda. rush they badly needed and this
byelection, marks the party’s re-entry into the breached the BJP’s Lingayat that led to dropouts; enforcing a an allegation that was high- On the other hand, Yediyu- fact cannot be sidestepped in
Lok Sabha. Rinku defeated his nearest rival, stronghold and took away a ban on the selling of meat; resur- lighted by its top leaders in the rappa was the one who raised the ultimate analysis. It is the
Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, considerable chunk of the recting old temple-mosque dis- election campaign. Commu- the BJP in Karnataka, like states that make up the ‘high
by a big margin of over 58,000 votes. This is a huge leg-up votes of the other dominant putes; and rewriting history, pri- nalism lost to the infirmities of what Keshubhai Patel and command’ — be it of the Con-
group — the Vokkaligas. The marily to portray Tipu Sultan as governance; corruption in Shankersinh Vaghela did in gress or the BJP. It is not tenable
in many ways for AAP, the ruling party in Punjab. With this
defeat suffered by Nikhil a persecutor of Hindus. The the government’s higher Gujarat. The BJP’s central for both parties to ignore the
triumph, the party has consolidated its position in the state
Kumaraswamy, the son of for- BJP’s faith-driven programme echelons, which the Con- leaders belatedly realised the Yediyurappas, Vasundhara
a year after its resounding victory in the Assembly elec- mer CM and JD(S) leader HD was finally overlaid with the gress emphasised in its folly of marginalising Yediyu- Rajes, Kamal Naths and Shivraj
tions. After Bhagwant Mann resigned as MP from Sangrur Kumaraswamy, from the charge that the Congress’ prom- pushback, was encapsulated rappa and made amends by Singh Chouhans and enforce
to contest the 2022 Assembly poll, there had been no AAP Vokkaliga-dominated seat of ise to ban Sangh Parivar outfit in the ‘40 per cent commis- giving his son, BS Vijayendra, their writ through cherry-
representative in the Lok Sabha. The party had suffered a Ramanagara at the hands of Bajrang Dal amounted to sion sarkar’ slogan. the ticket in the Assembly picked nominees.
massive setback when the Sangrur seat was won by SAD
(Amritsar) veteran Simranjit Singh Mann, who edged past thought for the day
AAP’s Gurmail Singh in the bypoll held last June.
Regaining the electoral mandate, thus, indicates that We shouldn’t be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas. — Noam Chomsky
the Arvind Kejriwal-led party learnt lessons from the
Sangrur debacle and left no stone unturned to woo the
voters. It is a vindication of the policies that AAP has
rolled out in Punjab since it came to power in March
2022 — mainly providing free units of power and estab-
lishing mohalla clinics, besides giving government jobs
When romance Backchannel diplomacy
letters to the editor
Central Government. Governors and
to thousands of young applicants.
The main rival parties — the Congress, BJP and SAD
— fell by the wayside in the Jalandhar battle. Finishing
was in the AIR Refer to ‘Power play keeps Pakistan on edge’
(Nous Indica); Pakistan’s woes are of its own
making. Its founder thrived on anti-India
Lt Governors in Opposition-ruled states usual-
ly interfere in government functioning; this
cannot be regarded as a coincidence. These
second, the Congress lost its stronghold. Even during Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd) sentiment; later, the Generals, with their per- actions and reactions of the Central and state
the 2022 Assembly elections that witnessed an AAP sonal ambitions, repeatedly extracted their governments let down the people who elect

I
surge across the state, the Congress had bucked the N the 1980s, love came to a young fauji deployed on the pound of flesh. With the army and the govern- representatives in the hope of getting civic
trend in Jalandhar. A poor show in the bypoll is a new frontier through letters or via All India Radio (AIR). While ment on one side and the higher judiciary, issues resolved. The governments at the Cen-
low for the SAD, which recently lost its towering leader, FM channels are a rage today with their cacophony that which is backing beleaguered former PM tre and in the state must work in tandem to pro-
five-time CM Parkash Singh Badal. A formidable force passes for music, it was AIR’s medium-wave transmission Imran Khan, on the other, backchannel diplo- vide good governance.
in Punjab politics for decades, the party ended up third that ethereally brought the fragrance and touch of your macy is at play for a rapprochement favour- WG CDR JS MINHAS (RETD), MOHALI
in Jalandhar. The SAD direly needs to reconnect with loved ones to those lonely locales. ing the former cricketer. Given the massive
the masses to regain lost ground in Punjab. The BJP, The Leh valley is beautiful beyond words. In those pre- uprising in the streets, any attempt to impose SEBI must act now
cellphone days, it was distant too in more ways than one. martial law will have irreversible conse- Apropos of ‘Hindenburg row: SC may give
which was the SAD’s junior ally in the state till they
During the day, we would fly our Chetak helicopter to quences. The mandarins in the Ministry of SEBI 3 months for probe’; the Adani controver-
parted ways over the Central farm laws in 2021, finished
places with exotic names such as Daulat Beg Oldie, External Affairs need to cautiously watch sy has been hogging the limelight for months. It
fourth. It’s obvious that the party’s strategy of poaching Chushul, Turtuk and Demchok, while the evenings were India’s interests amid the developments in shows that till now, SEBI has not been able to
state Congress leaders has not turned the tide so far. spent downing Old Monk or holding a soft drink in the crisis-ridden Pakistan. come up with a suitable solution. Any dilly-dal-
bar, with an LP (long playing record, for the Gen Z and LALIT BHARADWAJ, PANCHKULA lying on its part will only erode investors’ confi-
millennials) belting out songs. dence. At a time when SEBI should perform its
After dinner, as you would enter your room from a frigid Fine-tune foreign policy protective role, it seems to be shying away from
on this day...100 years ago -20°C, a blast of hot air hit you, courtesy the bukhari — the Apropos of ‘Power play keeps Pakistan on its responsibility. It is high time the apprehen-
cylindrical metal contraption (the same one that was seen edge’ (Nous Indica); amid the political crisis in sions are laid to rest in order to attract both
in the popular M*A*S*H comedy series of those times) Pakistan, India must fine-tune its foreign poli- domestic and foreign investment.
whose shade of red depended on the kerosene flow rate set cy to focus on strengthening its partnership AANYA SINGHAL, NOIDA
by your orderly. If you were a junior officer, you had the with the US. The Pakistan army has been deep-
lahore,tuesday, may 15, 1923 ‘Sridevi’ bukhari. If you were up the hierarchy, it was ening its ties with China. Also, a Pakistan-Chi- CBSE results
‘Hema Malini’ bukhari that warmed the room quietly. You na-Russia alliance is looming large over our Refer to ‘CBSE Class X, XII results see dip in
WHAT TO DO IN THE COUNCILS see, idle young minds had nothing to do in the evenings geopolitical region. Imran Khan’s comeback pass percentage’; though the authorities
THERE seems to be some confusion in the minds of a section of the and hence were adept at such verbal novelties. would enhance his image as a leader of Pak- have said the pass percentage this year as
public regarding the new party’s resolve to capture the Councils. It A quick change and you dived into bed with your transis- istan’s masses and also rattle the West. compared to that in the 2019 offline exams
does not seem to be quite clear to them what this party will do in the tor, pulled the razai over and tuned in to Vividh Bharti GURPREET SINGH, MOHALI has gone up by nearly 4 per cent, there is
Councils consistently with the non-cooperation principle. They from AIR, Delhi. The medium-wave transmission reached scope for improvement. Rather than focus-
seem to imagine that Congressmen following the principle of non- Leh only during late evening due to the ionosphere mov- Shot in the arm for Delhi govt ing too much on marks and results, it is
cooperation with the present government cannot justifiably take ing up etcetera etcetera. Through the static crackle, you Apropos of ‘Delhi govt vs Centre’; it won’t be an important to make efforts for the overall
part in the activities of any institution forming part of that govern- waited for the Chhaya Geet programme to start at 10 pm. exaggeration to say that the Supreme Court’s development of our children.
ment. The reasons for entering the Councils and carrying on the Those melodies transported you back home to your par- decision is a shot in the arm for the Delhi govern- BIR DEVINDER SINGH BEDI, SANGRUR
non-cooperation aims have been fully explained and need not be ents, wife, fiancée, crush… whoever. ment. Since the court has made it clear that the
reiterated. When a considerable body of Congressmen decides that Imagine, in pitch dark, with the ‘Sridevi’ bukhari gur- elected government has the control over bureau- Progress-ecology equilibrium
Councils should be captured by party members and is of the opin- gling close by, Mohammad Rafi starts crooning, ‘Abhi na cracy, the ball is now in the Kejriwal-led govern- Refer to ‘Don’t let ecology fall victim to fixa-
ion that they must be made use of for the attainment of Swaraj, it is jao chhod kar, ki dil abhi bhara nahin’. And then Asha ment’s court to utilise resources optimally for tion with economic growth’; unprecedented
not in fairness to be opposed in its attempt nor should obstacles be Bhosle teases you with ‘Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko, the larger good of the people of the Capital. If it growth in recent years has raised serious
placed in its way by the other section of the Congress. As Jayakar nazar nahin churana sanam…’ For the next 30 minutes, indulges in vendetta politics, it will defeat the questions about the cost at which it has come.
explained, non-co-operators should be able to co-operate with each you relished the warmth that came with the thoughts of whole purpose of this decision. The verdict is also Mankind’s obsession with growth and
other in carrying out their respective programmes. He regretted that your special ones, especially if you were engaged to be mar- a clear message to the Centre that it should not progress has blinded it to the extent that it
Rajagopalachari was not quite successful in his campaign, and ried, as I was. Even today, Chhaya Geet brings back the venture into Delhi government’s territory. has become totally oblivious to the reckless
hoped that his own party would be able to pursue its object with bet- euphoria of those courtship-period evenings spent in the BAL GOVIND, NOIDA damage being caused to the environment.
ter results. As we observed in a recent issue, the two sections of Con- razai, listening to tender love songs. The world today is facing an unprecedented
gressmen must agree to differ on certain points and co-operate with And yes, there was a competitor — the Monday evening’s Centre, states must work in tandem crisis due to human greed. It is the dire need
each other. The ‘Council entry’ party is just now endeavouring to ‘ Forces Request’ programme. For sure, there were guys who Refer to ‘Delhi govt vs Centre’; the federal of the hour to maintain an equilibrium
influence the electorate to believe in the effectiveness of its own pro- liked listening to English numbers, but try beating ‘Aap ki framework of the Indian democracy cannot between ecology and progress.
gramme. It has to address the voters, who, on the last occasion, were nazron ne samjha, pyaar ke kabil mujhe’ in the lonely silence survive if it is targeted time and again by the SUMITA KANWAR, YAMUNANAGAR
told that the Councils were to be boycotted. Its candidates have a of Leh, where your companions are the bukhari, your transis-
naturally difficult task because the great bulk of people have been tor and some sweet memories. Thank you, All India Radio, Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit.
accustomed to a particular view of the Councils. for you kept us in touch with our loved ones. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com
THE TRIBUNE JALANDHAR | MONDAY | 15 MAY 2023
OPED 07

Congress’ victory gives Why voters didn’t give


Oppn a new lease of life BJP another chance

RESURGENCE: The success in Karnataka underlines the Congress’ resilience amid adversity and gloom. PTI TOUGH CALL: The BJP may have to abandon its ‘double-engine sarkar’ slogan. PTI

T C
HE Congress’ spectac- port with Kharge and the Gand- HHATTISGARH CM their naive belief in the mys-
ular victory in Kar- his. He has reportedly requested Bhupesh Baghel and tique of the Nehru-Gandhis.
nataka is a big boost Priyanka to focus on Madhya Congress general sec- Leaders of the BJP are also
for the Opposition a Pradesh, where the Assembly retary Jairam aware that they cannot win elec-
year ahead of the Gen- elections are due in November- Ramesh have said, tions on the basis of ideology
eral Election. Choosing a non- December. In March 2020, barely and they are right in a way, that in alone, though PM Modi and oth-
Gandhi as the party chief seems 15 months after he took over as Karnataka, the Congress has won ers try to play it up as if their
to have worked for the Congress. RASHEED KIDWAI the chief minister, Nath had and Prime Minister Narendra PARSA VENKATESHWAR RAO JR electoral survival depends on it.
The spotlight is on Congress SENIOR JOURNALIST & AUTHOR resigned from the top post with- Modi has lost. But it is Congress SENIOR JOURNALIST They know that local issues mat-
chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who out facing a floor test in the leader and former Chief Minister ter much more; the BJP harping
is proving to be the lucky mas- Assembly — days after rebel Siddaramaiah who has described on the contentious Hindutva ide-
cot for the grand old party. Jyotiraditya Scindia had the outcome more accurately. He ology shows desperation that if
Kharge’s litmus test would, switched over to the BJP. has said that the people of the other things fail, this should see
however, be to ensure that there Kharge also reportedly wants to state have voted against the mal- them through. It might be
is no confrontation over the resolve the party’s ideological administration and corruption of argued that where they win, it is
selection of the state’s new dilemmas. When the Congress the BJP despite numerous visits because of Hindutva, as in
Chief Minister. During cam- inserted a sentence in its mani- by the PM and Union Home Min- Assam, Uttar Pradesh and
paigning, he had remained on festo, promising a ban on the ister Amit Shah. Gujarat, but when they lose, as
the job, reducing the chances of Bajrang Dal, there was muted crit- This is the third time in a row in West Bengal, Delhi and Pun-
rebellion or factionalism. icism from within. There was no that the BJP has lost the electoral jab, it is not due to Hindutva.
After the victory in Himachal dearth of party leaders who in battle in Karnataka. It had been But it is clear that even in
Pradesh last year, the Congress whispers had criticised general defeated in 2013 and 2018 too. In states like Uttar Pradesh and
has now won a big state that sends secretary Randeep Singh Surjew- 2013, the Congress had a decisive Assam, people voted for the
28 Lok Sabha members to Parlia- ala for insisting upon the Bajrang majority. That’s why the party, BJP not for the sake of PM
ment. It was in December 2018 Dal ban and scoring an alleged led by Siddaramaiah, managed a Modi or Hindutva, as many of
that the Congress had won Assem- self-goal. The Karnataka outcome full term. In 2018, the Congress us have assumed to be the case,
bly elections in Chhattisgarh, has shown that the and Janata Dal (Secu- but because they do not consid-
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Unless the Congress gamble has paid off. lar) formed a coalition
BJP leaders are aware er the alternative good enough.
Kharge now has the task of projects itself as aparty Unless the Congress government; a year that they cannot win And in places where they find
bringing together Opposition par- projects itself as ideo- later, defections an alternative, like in West Ben-
ties for the 2024 General Election. ideologicallydifferentfrom logically different from helped the BJP turn elections on the basis gal, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal
Alliances in Indian politics are the BJP,it can’t consolidate the BJP, the grand old the tables on its rivals. of ideology alone. Pradesh and Karnataka, they
forged from a position of strength. party cannot consoli- The Congress is now voted for the other party.
While the Congress may not get its support base among date its support base back to the pole posi- They know that local This should alert the Congress
the leadership role, it would now
have greater scope to negotiate
non-BJP supporters. among the non-BJP
supporters who are in
KARNATAKA tion of 2013.
It is also clear that
issues matter a lot. and other Opposition parties
that it is not necessary to be an
with non-NDA partners. The party great numbers and
VERDICT the BJP has held on anti-Modi coalition or use an
needs to get Nitish Kumar, Arvind looking to the Congress to its stronghold in anti-Hindutva plank to defeat
Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and K be in the CWC or the AICC secre- as an alternative. urban Bengaluru, coastal Man- elections in Bihar, 2015; the BJP in 2024, but they have to
Chandrashekar Rao on board. tariat. Pilot, it’s an open secret, The Karnataka success indi- galore belt and the Hubballi Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and show that they are strong on the
The Opposition is fancying its aspires to replace Chief Minister cates the longevity of the Con- area. It is in rural Karnataka, in Madhya Pradesh, 2018; West ground in different states and
chances as the political situation Ashok Gehlot. The high com- gress and its resilience amid the old Hyderabad-Karnataka Bengal, 2021; Himachal that they speak in the same
in Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal mand may not be able to fulfil adversity and gloom. The party areas of Raichur and Gulbarga, Pradesh, 2022; Punjab, 2017 and voice about the issues that are
and Maharashtra has the poten- this demand, but after the May 13 lives on to fight another day. For that the Congress maintains its 2022; and Delhi, 2015 and 2020. mostly economic and social
tial to reduce the BJP’s 2019 Lok victory, the party has the heft to those who called the Congress majority. At the end of the day, PM Modi is perhaps no longer rather than ideological.
Sabha tally by at least 60 parlia- appoint him as the Rajasthan dead, the news is that the party is the Congress is the clear winner the mascot for the BJP that he is The ideologically committed
mentary seats. If this becomes a Congress president if Pilot insists alive and kicking. and the people of Karnataka being projected as. voters are a minority, while the
reality in May 2024, the prospects on staying in state politics. At the same time, the Con- have shown that there is no The lesson is also clear for the majority keep their options
of a non-NDA government will Kharge has taken a lot of pres- gress needs to be wary of com- ambiguity in their choice. Congress. It is not Rahul Gand- open. One cannot say that the
become somewhat bright. sure off the Gandhis, who were placency. The BJP, after this It would be hasty to assert that hi, Sonia Gandhi or Priyanka people of Karnataka voted for
Kharge, for tactical reasons, had saddled with organisational electoral setback, would retal- the defeat of the BJP in Karnataka Gandhi Vadra who won the elec- secularism of the Congress
put the AICC’s organisational responsibilities. In the days to iate and try to shatter the Con- is a prelude to its defeat in the 2024 tion for the party in Karnataka. and rejected BJP’s Hindutva.
revamp on hold even after get- come, one would see him meet- gress’ new-found morale. The General Election. This has been a It is the local leadership led by Rather, they voted on the issue
ting the mandate from the Raipur ing many more Opposition lead- Congress needs to keep its purely local election, which is Siddaramaiah and DK Shivaku- of local governance. It would
plenary. He is empowered to ers. Rahul would have the free- house in order in Karnataka what it should be. The BJP, too, mar which steered the party to be misinterpretation to view
nominate 35 Congress Working dom to embark upon more and other party-ruled states. It fought it as a local poll but it has victory. This should also alert the Karnataka verdict as a vic-
Committee members and AICC yatras and tours, while Priyanka also has to insist on good gov- been trying hard since 2014 to the analysts that the Congress is tory of secularism. People are
office-bearers. He hopes to Gandhi would get time to cam- ernance and accountability, leverage the image of Prime Min- not weak or strong on the basis pragmatic and do not care
accommodate aspirants from the paign across the country. besides zero tolerance for cor- ister Modi to win the Assembly of the leadership provided by much for ideology. Of course,
erstwhile G23 group and those The next major challenge for ruption, communalism and elections. It has, however, not been the Nehru-Gandhis; it has an each party needs to maintain
chosen from the states. The tricky the Congress is the Assembly abuse of power, in all party- lucky. The party may have to identity and strength of its own its set of core beliefs, whether
part of the exercise entails the elections in Madhya Pradesh, ruled states. Unless the Con- abandon the ‘double-engine that goes beyond the much secular or communal. But peo-
settlement of long-standing dis- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. gress showcases itself as a sarkar’ slogan, which intends to vaunted charisma of the family. ple generally vote for parties
putes in the party-ruled states of Kharge is likely to push for the credible alternative to the BJP convey that a BJP government in This should give hope and on grounds other than belief
Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In Karnataka model in Madhya in its socio-economic and the state would be better because courage to the Congress leaders systems. That is why all politi-
Kharge’s scheme of things, Pradesh, where Kamal Nath is political thinking, the psycho- there is a BJP government at the that the party can stand on its cal parties make those cynical
Sachin Pilot, who is currently on known for his hard work, grit logical advantage gained with Centre. It is turning out to be a own feet. This does not mean compromises to win elections
a padyatra in his home state and perseverance. Nath, given the May 13 win may be lost politically immature message. that the party and the coterie and to be in power. Ideology is
Rajasthan, is a suitable person to his seniority, enjoys close rap- sooner rather than later. The party lost the Assembly around the family will give up put on the back burner.

quick crossword su do ku forecast


SUNSET: MONDAY 19:09 HRS
SATURDAY’S SOLUTION
ACROSS DOWN SUNRISE: TUESDAY 05:29 HRS
1 Helpful factor (7)
5 That is to say (2,3)
1
2
A race (5)
Gist (3) 9 6 7 4
2
3
8
1
9
8
3
5
7
6
1
9
6
2
4
7
5
CITY
Chandigarh
MAX
40
MIN
25
8 Adequate space to 3 Behave servilely (4) 5 7 6 4 2 9 1 3 8
work (5,4)
9 Sequence (3)
4
5
Prize of victory (6)
Impaired by age (4-4)
3 1 6 9 7 5 3 4 8 1 2
New Delhi
Amritsar
42
41
24
24
6 Fine painting for 3 1 2 7 9 8 5 6 4
10 Responsibility (4)
12 Decisive confrontation (8)
7
example (4,2,3)
Temporary occupation of
1 7 4 8
1
5
2
4
8
6
9
1
6
2
7
3
4
7
5
9
3
Bathinda
Jalandhar
43
41
27
24
14 Placard (6)
property (7) Ludhiana 41 24
15 Dismal (6)
17 Power of seeing (8)
11
13
Worth mentioning (2,5,2)
Laughably small (8)
6 2 4 7
9
4
6
5
3
1
2
8
4
3
5
2
7
9
8
6
1 Bhiwani 42 25
18 Excitement (4)
21 Invite (3)
14
16
Be predominant (7)
Gratitude (6) 8 9 calendar Hisar
Sirsa
43
43
25
26
22 Ineffectual (2,2,5) 19 Mass meeting of supporters (5) MAY 15, 2023, MONDAY Dharamsala 30 16
24 Exalted (5)
6 3 5
20 Impartial (4)
25 Magic (7) 23 To mimic (3) ■ Shaka Samvat 1945 Manali 24 10
■ Vaisakh Shaka 25 Shimla 25 15

SATURDAY’S sOLUTION 5 4 3 ■ Jyeshtha Parvishte

■ Hijari 1444
1 Srinagar
Jammu
24
38
10
22
Across: 1 Cold feet, 5 Calm, 9 Shrug, 10 Tuition, 11 Beat
2 8 ■ Krishna Paksha Tithi 11, up to 1.04 am
Kargil 19 04
a retreat, 13 Rising, 14 Lessen, 17 Heart and soul, 20
Vanilla, 21 Excel, 22 Sole, 23 Seasoned. ■ Vishkambha Yoga up to 6.35 am
Leh 21 04
Down: 1 Cast, 2 Largess, 3 Fighting talk, 4 Extort, 6 Arise, Dehradun 38 19
7 Monotony, 8 Listlessness, 12 Archives, 15 Soupcon, 16
In case, 18 Annul, 19 Plod.
1 9 2 ■ Purva Bhadrapad Nakshatra up to 9.08 am

■ Moon in Pisces sign


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LVWKDWWKHELJWZRDUHQRWYHU\IRQGRIDOOVWDWHOHDGHUV7KLVZDVWKHUHDVRQWKDW eign ministers of the
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.DUQDWDND³WKHRQO\VRXWKHUQVWDWHZKHUHWKH%-3LVDSDUW\RIVRPHFRQVHTXHQFH Organisation (SCO)
in the Indian city of Goa took
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graphic scope and population,
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world powers – China, Russia, increasing concern in the deal with the menace of ter- al political order. In fact, one
WLPRQLRXVQHVVDQGVHQWLPHQWDOLVP7KHUHZHUHVHULRXVFKDUJHVRIFRUUXSWLRQDJDLQVW and India – as well as some oil Chinese strategic communi- rorism. issue on which Beijing can eas-
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DOOHJHGPLVGHPHDQRXUV,WPXVWEHPHQWLRQHGKHUHWKDWWKHOHVVRQVPXVWEHOHDUQW Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and cultural, linguistic, and reli- violated the SCO charter that democratic space in China
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tions facing the organisation.
One such structural problem is
tiatives to prevent the influ-
ence of foreign terrorism and C742A40C8>=>5 One example in this regard is
its efforts to undermine
purpose. India has in fact
questioned China’s move to
HOHFWLRQPDFKLQHKDVEHFRPHULFNHW\ZLOOEHDQRWKHU\HDU China’s intent to dominate SCO. separatists in Xinjiang. B2>;84B8= India’s sovereignty over the undermine SCO’s fundamen-
After all, the creation of SCO lies Furthermore, with the Indian state of Jammu and tal principles. But New Delhi
in China’s desire to improve ties return of the Taliban, the Xi 278=0³B34B8A4 Kashmir through the China- finds itself alone on this mat-
?82D1<; with Asia to achieve its interests
in the post-cold war era. Thus,
Jinping regime has become
more anxious about security C>8<?A>E4C84B Pakistan Economic Corridor.
But China’s bullying behav-
ter in the groping. The
dependence of Russia on
the Shanghai Five (China, situations in the Xinjiang F8C70B80C> iour is not limited to only China due to the Russian
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, province, given the nexus SCO member countries. invasion of Ukraine has fur-
Tajikistan) was formed in 1996 to between Uighur separatists 02784E48CB Another limitation facing ther strengthened China’s
enable China to resolve border
problems with its Central Asian
and the Taliban terrorist
organisation. Consequently, 8=C4A4BCB8= SCO is the uneven econom-
ic benefits that China has suc-
position in the SCO.
Hence, amid high expec-
neighbours, Beijing’s political, China lost no time in recog- C74?>BC2>;3 ceeded in garnering from tations from this region
security and economic interests nising the Taliban regime in other member countries. grouping towards promot-
led to the creation of SCO. More Afghanistan and Beijing is F0A4A0 More to the point, China ing peace, security, and devel-
to the point, China’s foreign pol- also contemplating the possi- enjoys surplus trade with all opment in Eurasia and
icy objectives have had a pro- bility of including Kabul as a member countries of SCO. beyond, the immediate chal-
found impact on the philosophy member of SCO. China’s imports and exports lenge facing SCO is to free
and objectives of SCO. On the other hand, China with other member countries itself from China’s clutches.
For example, while the idea has remained hostile to SCO of the Shanghai Cooperation Only time will tell if it will
of promoting cooperation taking tough efforts to erad- Organization (SCO) touched happen or not.
among member countries to icate terrorism. This is evi- a new high of $250 billion in
fight against the evils of terror- dent from the fact that China 2021-2022. This trend con- (The writer is Assistant
ism, separatism, and extremism has openly supported firms the imperialistic ten- professor, Dept of Political
is a major objective of SCO, Pakistan and other countries dency of China. Science, DU)

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Sir — Al Qadir Trust for the study of the
Sufi sect, Al Qadir University was to be
3_^WbUccgY^cXQ^TcT_g^Y^;Qb^QdQ[Q
built in Punjab province in Pakistan in Z\[^]V:PbW\Xac^:P]hPZd\PaXU^^c\PaRW

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2019. In the same case, Imran Khan is _PXScWT_PachWXVWSXeXST]Sb7^fTeTaU^acWT
accused of having scammed 50 billion 19?bR^]b^[PcX^]cWT_PachaTcPX]TSXcbe^cT
rupees. On behalf of Imran, the lawyers bWPaT^U"%8]cTaTbcX]V[h\P]h_^[XcXRP[_d]
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solidate all the cases and their hearings. aTbd[cbfX[[WPeTPWdVTQTPaX]V^]P]SbX\d[
$JUL7HFKSODWIRUPVSURYLGHKLJKTXDOLW\LQSXWIRUIDUPHUVZKLFK In one corruption case, Imran was
granted bail for two weeks by the
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other cases, Imran is under remand. bW^d[SQTR^]cTbcTS^]cWTaTP[XbbdTbcWTR^\
The screen flashes, and tory to the farmer. Directly and effectiveness of farming During the hearing, Imran's lawyer \^]_T^_[TPaTVT]TaP[[hUPRTSfXcWVXeT]cWPc

T Bimal Roy's 'Do Bigha


Zameen' comes to life
with an opening scene of
working with peer partners,
retailers, and farmers, nego-
tiating prices and dispatching
practices, enabling farmers to
make informed decisions and
optimize their crop yields.
told Imran It is true that they left the
court in a panic by shouting slogans, but
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farmers anxiously looking at
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goods, these platforms cir-
cumvent the involvement of
intermediaries and local sup-
Amidst a considerable
emphasis on technology
adoption in our contempo-
After that, the court started after Friday
prayers, Imran's bail was granted, but
after two weeks, the hanging sword of
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the rains to bestow their pliers. rary era, Agritech Platforms arrest will be on Imran. This political cWTaTQh_[PRX]VXcX]PR^bh_^bXcX^]c^U^a\ aT_[TcTfXcWP[^c^UX]STRXbX^]P]SWT]RTfWPc
fields. It has been 70 years Often classified under have emerged as a catalyst in instability in Pakistan is evident. cWTV^eTa]\T]cPbfT[[QTbXSTb[TPeX]VcWTad[ WP__T]b]TgcXbP]TgRXcX]V`dTbcX^];TcbfPXc
since Roy's classic, and this disruptive tech for having the endeavour to neutralize Dattaprasad Shirodkar | Mumbai X]V19?P]S93BfXcW%%P]S (bTPcbX]cWTXa P]SfPcRWcWTfPhcWXb_^[XcXRP[R^^ZXTRad\
scene is as true of Indian revolutionized the agricul- the effects of substandard ZXccXTbaTb_TRcXeT[hcWTbRT]PaX^R^\TbPRa^bb Q[Tb]Tgc
farmers today as it was just mediaries to procure such ture sector and existing pro- inputs on farming. B5=?D53?>DB?<<547?FD PbPR[TPaX]SXRPcX^]cWPcAPWd[6P]SWX[TS"$ 0iWPa0:WP]kAP\_da
after Independence, looking input, resulting in low valua- curement arrangements, The potential for growth Sir — All public policies of Bhagwant
upward for innovations to tion. Increasing intermedi- AgriTech platforms procure in the Indian Agrotech mar- Mann's government in Punjab are being too failed to garner any votes as anti- that India leads the countries that have
empower them. aries and other factors in this high-quality input for farm- kets has become increasing- controlled through the remote control incumbency against SAD continues the highest number of maternal deaths,
Agriculture has been the chain engender a reduction in ers, including high-yielding ly apparent, with an increas- of Delhi's Kejriwal government. This was especially in rural areas. The BJP failed stillbirths, and neonatal(newborn) casu-
backbone of sustenance and transparency. As we head varieties (HYV) seed, which ing number of startups enter- an allegation of all opposition parties in to make even entry into rural Punjab alties. Notwithstanding the fast pace of
livelihood in India, marking into our Amrit Kal, accompa- has proven to be instrumen- ing the industry and building Punjab. However, AAP's Lok Sabha as farmers still remember the contro- development of health care and infra-
a significant aspect of the nied by their innovative dig- tal in driving up crop yields. seamless digital platforms bye-election win for its candidate Sushil versial farm bills and the death of 700 structure in India, the maternal mortal-
country's socioeconomic itized designs, AgriTech plat- In addition to providing that can fully integrate value Rinku has proved them wrong. In all farmers. Overall AAP's victory proves ity rate remains a cause for concern.
landscape. With 55% of our forms emerge as the much- farmers access to authentic chains and fruitful harvests. nine legislative constituencies of their great efforts of outreach to the It is incumbent upon the Centre to
population dependent on needed relief clouds, safe- and high-quality input, With government sup- Jalandhar, congress has lost. The people common man through mohalla clinics upgrade India's primary health centres
agriculture, it remains one of guarding farmers against Agritech startups offer knowl- port and the introduction of of Jalandhar have given a huge mandate and better education facilities in schools with investment by way of personnel
India's primary industries. unadulterated input. edge support by connecting cutting-edge technologies to AAP due to their pro-people policies etc. and funds. The WHO mandate of 8
Traditionally, farmers in India AgriTech platforms them to experienced agrono- such as 5G, these platforms like monthly 300 free units of electric- Harvinder singh, | Jalandhar antenatal checks of a pregnant woman
have encountered restricted enable farmers to procure mists from the industry. By have ripened a fertile ground ity per household, immediate compen- has to be scrupulously adhered to.
access to credible information dependable and superior leveraging their expertise, for disruptive innovation in sation to farmers for crop loss due to =1D5B>1<451D8C Care of a mother and child does not end
concerning the quality of quality input by harnessing AgriTech platforms guide the agriculture sector. We recent untimely rains, accessibility of Sir — Globally, in 2020, there was one in staff and medicines. Potable water
agricultural input, including technological advancements farmers on the optimal selec- may have come a long way their MLAs to common people, and fre- maternal death every two minutes. and an uninterrupted supply of electric-
seeds, fertilizers, and pesti- such as data analytics and tion of seed and agro-prac- from Do Bigha Zameen but quent visits of CM Bhagwant Mann and Most of the deaths were in low and ity are essential for unhindered care. As
cides. The farm-to-fork food machine learning. tices suitable for Indian and aided with these platforms, Kejriwal to all sects of society. Though lower middle-income countries. In the nation has successfully recovered
value chain is extremely pro- These platforms safe- specifically regional farming the relief clouds may not be Jalandhar is a traditional seat of 2020, there were 223 maternal deaths from the pandemic, it is time for
tracted and is riddled with guard farmers against the conditions, thereby improv- far away, and we might be Congress but still it fails to unite its per 100000 live births, and one of the healthcare personnel to focus on moth-
multiple stakeholders who aforementioned malpractices ing the likelihood of a success- looking at another revolution MLAs. United Nations'(UN) lofted SDG er and child.
might not necessarily priori- by bridging the last mile ful harvest. in India: one bought about by Sidhu Moosewala's father though cam- achieving less than seventy maternal Ganapathi Bhat | Akola
tize the welfare of farmers. between the suppliers and The accessibility to such AgriTech paigned against the AAP party but he deaths per one lakh live births by 2030
This compels them to depend farmers via doorstep delivery, expert advice has been crucial (The writer is the Founder too failed to convince voters for the looks tough though not impossible. BT]Shh^daUUTTSQPRZcc^)
on local suppliers and inter- providing input from the fac- in enhancing the efficiency and CEO, of Gramik) Congress party. The SAD-BSP alliance The latest report from the UN has said [TccTabc^_X^]TTa/V\PX[R^\
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Pakistan is witnessing multiple onslaught on the army was an in Pakistan and he undertook a Pakistan is facing a serious cri-

P levels of confrontations like the


supreme court and president,
Arif Alvi versus Shehbaz Sharif
government and former prime
minister, Imran Khan’s head-on collision
with the powerful army which may cre-
ate a civil war-like situation leading to the
error of judgement as he may cer-
tainly face a vicious type of retal-
iation in future though the
Shehbaz Sharif government may
be kept at the forefront. Khan took
on ISI which oversees the internal
security and is known for infamous
misadventure of lambasting army
officials (ISI)for ensuring his defeat
in parliament and later conspiring
to kill him.
Imran had also accused
America of helping Shebahz in
snatching the power from him and
sis thereby endangering the sur-
vival of democracy which has
been compounded owing to the
confrontation between executive
and judiciary besides the head-on
collision of President Arif Ali
with the Shehbaz Sharif govern-
imposition of either emergency or take tactics to crush even political it had irked the army which keeps ment thereby putting the future of
over by the army. rivals. in touch with the US administra- countrymen at stake. While help-
Pakistan is heading towards chaos and tion. Imran Khan was the creation ing bankrupt and economically
a civil war-like situation which can be IMRAN’S BIGGEST of the army and former army chief depressed Pakistan, IMF has forced
attributed to the confrontation between POLITICAL BLUNDER Qamar Javed Bajwa played the it to accept yet another retreat
former prime minister, Imran Khan and The biggest blunder commit- main role but ex-Pm turned hence Shehbaz Sharif government
the army which rules the roost and com- ted by Khan pertains to his assess- against Bajwa and tried to have a had to agree to impose a 1 per cent
mands the authority to create or destroy
any government or political leader in this
C7418664BC ment of undermining the power-
ful army which was accused of
say in promotions of the army
which was unacceptable hence
poverty tax on firms earning Rs 15
crore, 2 per cent on those earning
2QHVKRXOGUHPDLQDZLWQHVVWRZKDWHYHURFFXUVLQOLIH%\DGRSW country. Imran’s supporters went on a 1;D=34A hatching a plot to kill him. It has lost his prime minister’s post. Rs 20 crore, 3 per cent on over Rs
LQJVXFKDQDWWLWXGHZHSURYLGHURRPIRUGLYLQLW\LQWKHFRVPLFGDQFH rampage and the police could do nothing
which is allowing the army to step in and 2><<8CC431H been solely responsible for the
storming of rangers in the court-
Khan has been demanding
elections in Punjab province and
25 crore and 4 per cent on Rs 30
crore and above. In the original
RIOLIH7KHUHDOLW\RIOLIHLVWKHSUHVHQWPRPHQWDQGQRWWKHPHP
RULHVRIWKHSDVWZKLFKDUHGHDGDQGJRQH$SHUVRQZKROLYHVLQ
control the violence. :70=?4AC08=B room to arrest him though in a
case related to a corruption case
the supreme court had fixed May
15 as a date to hold polls but the
budget, the government had set a
2 per cent poverty tax only on
WKHSUHVHQWPRPHQWOLYHVDQXQDOOR\HGOLIHDQGKHLVWKHKDSSLHVW IMPACT ON INDIA C>78B involving an allegation of earning Shebhaz government refused to those earning Rs 30 crore and
LQGLYLGXDO,WLVDNLQWRWKHEUHDWKZHKDYHH[KDOHGRUWKHPDVVRI
ZDWHULQDULYHUWKDWKDVFURVVHGXVDVZHVDWRQWKHEDQNVRIWKH
The existing turmoil in Pakistan
immensely affects India as instability 0BB4BB<4=C>5 billions of rupees through illegal
land transactions. National
honour the verdict which led to
open confrontation. Second, Imran
above. Pakistan’s negotiating team
led by Finance Minister, Miftah
ULYHU:HPHUHO\QHHGWRIRFXVRQWKHSUHVHQWPRPHQWDQGWU\WR may give an impetus to terrorist groups
that are being given shelter by the Sharif
D=34A<8=8=6 Accountability, an anti-corrup-
tion body, arrested Imran with the
is facing more than 140 cases
including Toshakhana's expensive
Ismail, agreed on an understand-
ing on the 2022-23
DSSUHFLDWHWKHHWHUQDOWUXWKZKLFKLVEH\RQGWLPHDQGVSDFH'XULQJ C740;;
government and army. Second, chaos in help of rangers who whisked him gifts of millions of rupees and a budget after the authorities
RXUVWD\KHUHRQSODQHW(DUWKKXPDQVVKRXOGUHPHPEHUWKDWZH
DUHRQO\WURXSHUV:HPD\EHFDOOHGXSRQWRSOD\DQ\NLQGRIUROH
Pakistan may also give a fillip to the ter-
rorists’ activities in Kashmir and China ?>F4A5D;0A<H away thereby resulting in vio-
lence by Tehreek-e-Insaf party
case was filed against him in
August 2022 Third, EX PM stands
committed to generating Rs 43,600
crore more taxes. Moody’s
EHLWWUDJLFRUFRPLFDQGZHPXVWHQDFWLWZLWKDSORPE can exploit such a grim situation to F7827F0B (PTI) workers who went on a ram- disqualified by the Pakistan elec- Investors Service has downgraded
6WDUVSODQHWVSODQWVDQLPDOVDQGKXPDQEHLQJVDUHDOOOHWORRVH harm India. page in several parts of the coun- tion commission on the charges of Pakistan’s credit rating outlook to
RQDEHDXWLIXOFRVPLFVWDJHZLWKHDFKRQHSOD\LQJDQDVVLJQHGSDUW 022DB43>5 try. corrupt practices on Oct 21, 2022. negative from stable due to its sink-
2QO\YHU\IHZSHRSOHXQGHUVWDQGWKHPHDQLQJRIWKHSOD\EHFDXVH ARMY MAY TRY TO REGAIN ITS
PRESTIGE 70C278=60?;>C THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF PAKISTAN’S WOES DO
ing economy and lack of resources
mobilization. The IMF has not
PDQ\RIXVGRQRWSDXVHWRWKLQNGHHSO\DERXWLW7KHIHZH[DOWHG
SHRSOHPD\UHPDLQGXWLIXOO\LQWKHZRUOGKRZHYHUWKH\DUHOLNHEXW
It happened for the first time in the
history of Pakistan when a politician like
C>:8;;78< IMRAN IS UNCERTAIN
Analysts opine that entry into
NOT END HERE
It is irony of circumstances
signed an agreement with Pakistan
to restart a $6.5 billion loan which
WHURQZDWHUDQGQRWOLNHWKHHDVLO\GLOXWHGPLONZKLFKLVQRWSURS Khan dared to challenge the authority of the army may endanger the polit- that common people in Pakistan are has been stalled since Nov 2022
HUO\FKXUQHGVLQFHKXPDQVDUHPRUWDOVZHVKRXOGQRWEXUGHQRXU the army which has endangered his life ical career of Imran who may be fighting for survival as prices of and has endangered economic
VHOYHVZLWKHDUWKO\OLPLWDWLRQV7KHRQO\SXUSRVHRIOLIHLVWRJHWDZD\ besides taking a hundred percent risk of tried and jailed to keep him away essential commodities have gone sky survival.
IURPWKHGHOXVLRQRIWKHPDWHULDOZRUOG ending his political career. Army chief, from general elections. Khan may high including 20 Kg Atta for Rs Experts say that Pakistan is in
+XPDQVVKRXOGWUDYHOWKLVZRUOGOLNHWKHOLRQVRIVHOIFRQWURO Asim Munir is playing safe though the go Nawaj Sharif 's way which will 2,100-Rs 2,599, Milk for Rs 120-Rs deep soup and arson and looting
present prime minister got full support create a void in his Tehreek-e-Insaf 130 per litre etc. but the Shebaz by ex-PM, Imran Khan’s support-
DQGHQVXUHWKDWWKHIURJVRIZHDNQHVVGRQRWNLFNXVDURXQG:H from the army which may be called if the party (PTI) and new leadership Sharif government and main oppo- ers may push the country into
VKRXOGDOZD\VSHUIRUPVPDOODQGLPSRUWDQWGXWLHVZLWKGHHSDWWHQ civil administration collapses. Army is will be required. Shehbaz Sharif sition led by former PM, Imran anarchy which is not good for the
WLRQDQGPLQGIXOQHVVUHPHPEHULQJWKDWWKHDOPLJKW\LVJXLGLQJDQG confronting the terror attacks which have seems to be scared of the popular- Khan are bloodthirsty of each other entire region everything will
VWLPXODWLQJHYHU\ZRUWKZKLOHHIIRUWZHXQGHUWDNHWRDFKLHYHDQREOH increased and people are feeling unsafe. ity of Imran after he was ousted one former wants to stick to Chair depend upon the role of the army
PLVVLRQ It is a fact that such incidents of terror (Writer is a political from premiership last year with the and latter wants to snatch power which needs to adopt restraint to
7KHZULWHULVWKH&(2RI&KDWWLVJDUK(DVW5DLOZD\/WG(DVW attacks have been gradually lowering the analyst and a senior help of the army. But Imran Khan which may force the public to save democracy in this troubled
ZHVW5DLOZD\/WGDQGLVDIDFXOW\RIWKH$UWRI/LYLQJ confidence of the public. Imran Khan’s journalist) forgot that the army rules the roost come on the streets like Sri Lanka. nation.

,QGLDQHHGVWRDGRSWVPDUWSURWHLQWRIHHGLWVJURZLQJSRSXODWLRQ
=OZNYSGXZVXUZKOTHKOTMZNKQK_ZULKKJOTMHORROUTVKUVRKH_/TJOGS[YZIGZIN[V]OZNZNKMRUHGRYSGXZVXUZKOTRGTJYIGVK
t’s not every day that lead- cells that provide a viable and a loyal customer base. lack of market sizing data. Yet, ties or hire talent that can oper- organizations and industry good start, they are only that.

I ers from around the world


sit together to share a meal.
Yet, last year, at the United
alternative to animal-derived
meat, eggs, and dairy. As of
today, fermentation-derived
While these entrepreneurs
have different destinations,
they encounter similar obsta-
the most critical bottleneck is
the lack of R&D infrastructure
required at the lab, pilot, and
ate them.
While this may paint a
grim picture, let’s not forget
experts have stepped up to
embrace the challenge and
are committed to providing a
With smart protein being the
key to feeding 10 billion peo-
ple by 2050, nearly a sixth of
Nations COP27 conference, and cultivated protein prod- cles in terms of forming a large manufacturing scale to that the smart protein sector is significant leg-up to these star- whom will be Indian, there’s
when senior officials from ucts (like the GoodMeat strong founding team, accu- convert experimental solu- already home to a rapidly tups. There are nearly 900+ much work to be done to sup-
Singapore, Indonesia, @??BF1C81:0A chicken) are not commer- rately assessing market and tions into market-ready prod- growing cohort of resilient accelerator programs active port the right innovators and
Cambodia, Malaysia, and cially available in India, the technical viability, fundraising ucts. While the food process- startups. To multiply this num- in India with little to no focus bring India up to speed with
other countries gathered plant-based sector boasts from investors, and developing ing sector in India is well ber and move towards a future on this growing industry. Their the global smart protein land-
around the table to share some 400+ products and 60 brands. a strategic business plan. For a established, there is limited of sustainable food, the need of mandate is often restricted to scape.
delicious chicken, it wasn’t While the sunrise sector is first-time entrepreneur, it is availability of equipment the hour is to bridge the gap fintech, healthcare, climate To truly create an indus-
the company that made the brimming with potential and daunting to unravel the legal, required for conducting novel between the two kinds of tech, SaaS and logistics star- try capable of transforming
dinner special - it was the food. optimism, there is a widening financial, and commercial food R&D and running pilot entrepreneurs and create struc- tups. how the future of food is
It was Good Meat’s cultivated chasm in its startup ecosys- processes of setting up a start- trials. tures that can improve the ease This leaves early-stage made, decision-makers in
chicken, grown directly from tem. On the one hand, a up on its own. This complex- Often, even the limited of setting and scaling up smart smart protein startups to com- India too, need to gather
animal cells, that gave the handful of entrepreneurs have ity only increases in a nascent pieces of equipment are spread protein startups. pete for limited spots in sector- around a table over a smart
officials their first taste of a been able to push through sector like smart protein where across universities and Ask any early-stage smart agnostic programs that aren’t protein meal. They too, need
future of food that underpins their challenges and bring a the underlying ecosystem is research parks and gated by protein startup what they need able to support all their to acknowledge food technol-
the climate goals that are at the stellar product to the market still being built from the levels of bureaucracy, complex and you’ll get a similar laun- requirements of technical ogy solutions to the ecologi-
very heart of the conference. - one that resonates with the ground up. partnership agreements, and dry list: technical mentorship, expertise and food innovation cal crisis and commit to turn-
That clever piece of chick- mass market. On the other This often leads smart high lab fees. Needless to say, infrastructure access, skill infrastructure. One niche pro- ing ‘food for thought’ into
en is what we call smart pro- hand, some entrepreneurs protein entrepreneurs to face as most startups at this stage enhancement, capital from gram that aims to fill this gap actual food. After all, how
tein – part of a category of (The writer is Innovation continue to push forward in unique industry challenges are self-funded, they don’t investors, and entrepreneurial is the India Smart Protein exciting would it be to serve
pioneering foods made from Associate at Good Food the industry one step at a time like unclear regulatory policies, have the capital or volumes support. Though this might Innovation Challenge (ISPIC). plant-based keema and
plants, microorganisms, or Institute India) but are yet to build relevance shortage of skilled talent, and required to set up their facili- feel like a big ask, several While these initiatives are a biryani at COP28?

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