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THE HINDU

6 Monday, April 15, 2024

Editorial Delhi

A manifesto where inclusivity takes centre stage


T
he publication of party manifestos is a the Damage.’ From promising to probe the which has undoubtedly garnered the support of
big moment in a general election electoral bonds scheme and the PM Cares Fund, subaltern castes and classes, but which remains
Fleeting relief campaign. Political parties contesting
elections announce their plans for
to rejecting the concept of one nation-one
election, to reviving the Planning Commission,
at its core a conservative majoritarian party. Also,
we must not forget that the Congress and Muslim
Food prices still bite even as fresh running the country, setting out the policies they several sections of the manifesto promise to undo League were bitter rivals during the anti-colonial
would deliver on, if they were to win. Manifestos key policy initiatives of the BJP government, if the struggle. It was the BJP’s ideological progenitors
pressures could weigh on inflation contain a description of the party’s world view Zoya Hasan Congress party comes to power. who entered into tactical alliances with the

F
or the first time in five months, India’s re- and approach to governance and state policies. is Professor Emerita, Debates about the credibility of manifesto Muslim League to form governments in Sindh,
tail inflation slid below the 5% mark in Even though manifestos do not usually decide Centre for Political promises and the expenditure of commitments Punjab and Bengal in colonial India, as they
March, to 4.85%. While it constituted only election outcomes, they can sometimes feature Studies, Jawaharlal are common in election campaigns. But there is sought to take advantage of the Congress boycott
a marginal easing from the 5.1% recorded in Fe- prominently in the campaign, and bear the ability Nehru University little discussion of this. Instead, attention has after the Quit India movement in the 1940s.
bruary, this was the lowest pace of price rise re- to shape political narratives, and influence how been diverted to the Prime Minister likening the Therefore, the point about the Muslim League’s
corded since May 2023. The average inflation of people vote. Congress manifesto to the Muslim League. The stamp on the manifesto is a non-starter. Nor
5% clocked in the final quarter of 2023-24 is not The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued its Prime Minister wasted no time in dismissing it as should we be assessing its relevance against the
just in line with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) pro- manifesto, the ‘Sankalp Patra’, on April 14 just a ‘bundle of lies’, saying ‘every page reeks of Congress party’s own record of governance.
jections but also the slowest in three years. For before April 19, the first phase of this potentially divisive thoughts’.
the full year gone by, consumer price rise aver- momentous general election in 2024. Perhaps it In a public rally in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Surveys and issues that matter
aged 5.4%, as the RBI had forecast — a four-year was issued this late because the party assumes he said two things. He said the manifesto has the It is more important to place the policies and
low. Core inflation, excluding energy and food that the election result is a foregone conclusion. imprint of the Muslim League of the paradigm shift in the context of BJP’s record of
prices, has been under the 4% mark for four Meanwhile, the Congress’ Party manifesto, titled pre-independence period and, therefore, is governance in the last 10 years, and not the
straight months. QuantEco Research estimates the ‘Nyay Patra’, was announced on April 5 and geared to dividing India. Although the statements flawed record of previous Congress governments.
that overall fuel inflation in India hit a four-year has already evoked much interest. The manifesto are devoid of fact and reasoning, the Muslim This would help to pin down the ruling party,
low of -2.7% in March, which was the seventh offers an agenda of progressive politics and League was dragged into this to reinforce the which is not fighting the 2024 election on the
straight month of disinflation in the segment. No policies against the backdrop of unprecedented current strategy of religious polarisation and basis of its successes or record. It is either talking
doubt, the ₹2 per litre cuts in petrol and diesel inequalities and the BJP’s majoritarian agenda. It somehow tie the main Opposition party in India of the past or the future (Viksit Bharat in
prices and the ₹100 drop in cylinder prices have defines an alternative vision, and proposes to Pakistan. Voters can legitimately ask how 2047/100 years after Independence), but not the
helped, though the full impact of these pre-poll measures to ‘reverse the damage’ purportedly promising a higher minimum wage for Mahatma present, even as there is mounting evidence of
steps will be seen this month. Amid these plea- done by 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre. Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee inequality which has increased dramatically in
sant portents, two critical problems persist — Act (MGNREGA) workers or the right to the last decade, along with heightened levels of
food bills remain problematically high, even as Behind the ‘idea of justice’ apprenticeship or the right to health with corruption, unemployment, inflation, and gaps in
overall inflation is rising for rural consumers, al- The Congress manifesto puts the idea of justice as cashless insurance of up to ₹25 lakh, reeks of access to education and health care. The extent
ready hit by a weak monsoon. the centrepiece of its philosophy. Constitutional divisiveness. However, apart from polarising the to which these issues matter to the people has
Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Food values of equity, justice, dignity, and fundamental election, the statement was simply meant to stop been highlighted by the recent surveys by the
Price Index, has averaged an alarming 8% rights form the core of this document. It any discussions on policy issues and on the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
through 2023-24, and 8.5% in the January to embodies many of the ingredients, processes, performance of the government. (CSDS) published in The Hindu last week.
March quarter. And while some government in- and commitments required to revitalise India’s The Congress manifesto is essentially a
terventions have helped check a few items’ prices constitutional democracy. A pursuit to reinvent the party welfarist document, but the wide-ranging welfare
and hopes of a normal monsoon this year could Apart from India’s high unemployment rate, The egalitarian pursuit, as promised or envisaged schemes are different from those of the central
lift some pressure points, perhaps from July on- the manifesto focuses on inflation, crony in the Congress manifesto, is a push towards government under BJP rule. The Congress’s
wards, the ongoing heat waves across large parts capitalism and the widening gap between the reinventing the party, which after suffering two welfare schemes are based on a rights framework
of the country remain a threat to perishable sup- rich and the poor. The major promises include devastating defeats, in 2014 and 2019, has been or constitutionally enforceable guarantees which
plies. Moreover, some key items are seeing deep- providing a one year apprenticeship as a right to unable to devise a way of denting the popularity are quite different from the welfare measures of
ly entrenched inflation trends — double-digit in- every diploma holder or graduate below the age of the Prime Minister and the BJP in the Hindi the BJP government which operates in the form
flation has now been seen for five months in of 25, raising the 50% on reservations for heartland. The manifesto has drawn upon the of a largesse. Apart from this, the manifesto also
vegetables, 10 months in pulses and a whopping Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other broad-based discussions during the Congress’s offers a vision of inclusivity and safeguarding
22 months in spices. Cereals inflation picked up Backward Classes and conducting a nation-wide
The thrust in Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo NyayYatra. democracy and freedom for all. This is significant
pace in March, breaking a seven-month moderat- socio-economic and caste census, providing a the Congress Both these campaigns made attempts to reinvent because many commentators have lamented the
ing streak, while eggs, meat and fish are also see- legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP), party’s the Congress ideologically and politically and absence of a vision in the manifesto.
ing spikes. While the RBI expects inflation to cool and starting an urban employment guarantee manifesto for managed to enthuse the party cadres. But its The Congress manifesto offers a semblance of
to 4.5% this year, it is projected at 4.9% for the programme. Many of the promises that the 2024 is on impact on national elections remains to be seen. hope in the gathering darkness. However, the
first quarter. A durable descent to its 4% target Congress is offering to voters mark a significant equity and The thrust on equity and justice as the prime rider still remains in the party’s ability to take it
that has now been elusive for 54 months, remains break from the past, including its own history justice being movers in this battle of ideologies sets it apart to the masses, to publicise it and turn it into a
tricky. For urban consumers, inflation eased tan- and politics. But that is exactly what makes this from the Congress party’s previous manifestos. tool of mass mobilisation and for the revival of
talisingly close to the target in March at 4.14%, but an interesting document.
the prime More suggestively, the egalitarian push is at odds the party. That is the litmus test. But if
it rose in rural India to 5.45% from 5.34% in Janu- Two significant points of emphasis are movers in the with the politics and policies of both the implemented, it could heal social relations and
ary and February. While a prolonged phase of contained in section VI entitled ‘Defending the battle of landlord-dominated erstwhile Muslim League replenish India’s economy, society, and
high prices is already hurting consumption, the Constitution’ and under it, the section, ‘Reversing ideologies and the corporate dominated present-day BJP, democracy.
resurgence in crude oil prices to a seven-month
high of $90 a barrel this month, faltering hopes of
interest rate cuts in the United States and the Eu-
ropean Union, and strife-fuelled shipping cost
spikes, pose fresh worries on the inflation front in
the months to come.
Urbanisation, no liberating force for Dalits
A
quick look at the nameplates in India’s Ambedkar had seen the ways in which caste or curtains in the facade of the shop to hide the
Breach of convention neighbourhoods will show you that caste
is the primary language of spatiality in
adapts to urbanisation. In Waiting for a Visa,
Ambedkar reflects on his struggle to find a house
sight of meat from pedestrians. In 2021, several
municipal corporations in Gujarat banned the
Ecuador should stay within the limits Indian cities. Despite such failings, B.R. in Baroda. sale of meat-based street food on the city’s main
of international laws Ambedkar rejected village life and encouraged While modern urbanisation was fuelled by a roads citing “religious sentiments”. Through
Dalits to move to the city. Ambedkar said that an skill-based transition to economy, i.e., these Brahminical regulations, the State has
Fahad Zuberi

E
cuador’s raid on April 5 at the Mexico em- Indian village is “the working plant of the Hindu industrialisation, the dominance of caste over characterised meat as the impurity that could
bassy in Quito is a serious violation of the social order” and argued that it is the ideal place is Indira Gandhi skill had also become clear to Ambedkar when pollute a public space — both secular and
Vienna Convention on diplomatic rela- to understand caste. Gandhi, however, saw the Radhakrishnan even skilled Dalits were not allowed to enter the religious — or even a pedestrian’s sight.
tions on which nations operate their missions in Indian village as a self-reliant, equitable and a just Graduate Scholar at weaving sections of textile mills. Despite these
foreign lands. The raid was to arrest Jorge David non-violent order, and argued for the the University of experiences, Ambedkar saw urbanisation as a A crippling segregation
Glas, a former Vice-President in the administra- decentralisation of power to the villages through Oxford and writes on liberating force. However, after a century of Urban governance policies and housing crises
tion of leftist and former President Rafael Correa, Gram Swaraj. In strong opposition, Ambedkar the politics of the Ambedkar’s struggles with renting a house in have also sustained caste-based segregation.
who has been sentenced for corruption. Mr. Cor- believed that the idealisation of Indian village life built environment Baroda, caste remains the spatial logic of Indian Scholars such as Raphael Susewind, Sheba Tejani
rea, now living in Belgium, has also been convict- emerged either from the colonial romanticisation cities. and Christophe Jaffrelot have shown that Muslims
ed for corruption. Mr. Glas and Mr. Correa say the of the rural population or from the desire of and Dalits face the most crippling segregation in
cases against them are politically motivated. But Hindus to retain caste domination. Language of ‘purity-pollution’ Indian cities.
for Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, the cases In the Constituent Assembly, Ambedkar Caste translates into a city’s spatiality through the A large-scale study also found that public
against the former elites were part of his larger opposed the idea that villages should be language of ‘purity-pollution’. A consumer survey services and access to municipal infrastructure
crusade against corruption. Tensions were high recognised as autonomous administrative units in 2021 vrevealed that eating non-vegetarian food such as clean drinking water are the worst in Dalit
between the two countries after Mr. Glas took re- and felt relieved that the Assembly rejected the is the biggest deal-breaker in finding rental and Muslim ghettos. Research in sacrifice zones —
fuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito in Decem- idea. “For the untouchables, there could not have housing in India. Writing about segregation regions marked for severe environmental
ber, a month after Mr. Noboa took office. Last been a bigger calamity,” he wrote. policies under the Peshwas in the Maratha pollution such as landfills — shows that such areas
week, Ecuador declared Mexico’s Ambassador kingdom, Gopal Guru explains this phenomenon. are overwhelmingly inhabited by Dalits and
Raquel Serur Smeke as persona non grata after Urbanisation and Ambedkar’s belief Guru says that the ghetto is not merely a space Muslims. A recent report by the Housing and
Mexico’s leftist President Andrés Manuel López In the process of urbanisation, Ambedkar saw an but also forms the constitution of the body of the Land Rights Network on forced evictions in India
Obrador’s comments that were critical of Ecua- opportunity for Dalit liberation. He believed that ghetto dweller. The language of purity-pollution also shows that Dalits and Muslims are the most
dor’s 2023 elections. Mexico also decided to the systems of caste oppression that thrive in that identifies the savarna space as ‘pure’ and one impacted by slum demolition drives.
grant asylum to Mr. Glas, which angered Ecua- Indian villages become weaker in cities. These that can be polluted by the Dalit body, extends to Through lived experience and extensive
dor. It termed the decision illegal as Mr. Glas was included segregation of Dalits into ghettos, the logic of the city. Here, the ghetto dweller research, we can see that the Indian city has
facing cases in the country and, soon after, sent restrictions on economic activities, and denial of carries the ghetto on their body when they step failed the aspirations and expectations that the
armed police officers to the embassy to arrest land ownership. Jyotirao Phule had also admired out into the city. In the language of caste, the Dalit liberation movement had placed in
him, triggering a major diplomatic crisis. Mexico, city life for being liberal and enabling him to earn The Indian city space of the ghetto — characterised by filth and urbanisation. While transition to city life might
which says its sovereignty has been breached, a living. At the core of the liberating power of has failed the dirt — becomes mutually reinforcing on the body have weakened some structures of caste
has now moved the International Court of Justice cities, for Ambedkar and Phule, was the aspirations and of the Dalit — characterised by meat-eating and oppression, they have morphed through
in the Netherlands, demanding the expulsion of opportunity to become anonymous. Cities, in expectations other “unacceptable” traits. language, state sanction and policy, and have
Ecuador from the UN. principle, offer an opportunity to become a More recently, the language of caste has been evolved to allow caste to thrive in Indian cities.
that the Dalit
The embassy raid comes at a time when Presi- stranger among a sea of strangers and transition imposed on public spaces of the city by various The Indian city has fallen short of the potential
dent Noboa is facing increased criticism at home from a caste-based order to a class-based order. liberation governments. In March 2017, the Uttar Pradesh and promise that Ambedkar saw in urbanisation.
over rising gang violence. He came to power pro- One defined not by genealogy but by movement had government, for example, issued regulations for Even after a century of urban development, Dalits
mising to tackle corruption and gang violence. accumulation of resources or capital. placed in meat shops that included, for example, a ban on remain, to use Ambedkar’s words, “the children
Last year’s presidential election was marred by Here, it is important to acknowledge that urbanisation selling meat near religious places and black paint of India’s ghettos”.
deadly violence when presidential candidate Fer-
nando Villavicencio was assassinated during the
campaign in Quito. Mr. Noboa says he stays com- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
mitted to fighting gangs and restoring order in
Ecuador’s cities, but his approval rating has sunk Growing conflict pay a huge price during between Iran and Israel attach much importance to quo exposed by the given to central government
amid growing violence, especially in the coastal The world is witness to two such turbulent times. over the years had global the manifestos of political electoral bonds but there is programmes, which are
city of Guayaquil, which was overrun by gangs in wars — Russia-Ukraine and Balasubramaniam Pavani, ramifications, an eye-to-eye parties. It may not be an much noise about dealing totally unintelligible in the
January. The situation is so bad in Ecuador that Israel-Palestine Gaza. Sadly, Secunderabad confrontation may subvert exaggeration to say that the with corruption firmly. south, a view has gained
during the Easter weekend, the country of 18 mil- no lessons have been regional stability in West same parties do not attach A.G. Rajmohan, ground that for the BJP, the
lion people saw over 100 murders. Critics say Mr. learnt, with war clouds now The world seems to be on a Asia and have an adverse importance to their Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh languages and cultures
Noboa is using the diplomatic crisis with Mexico casting a shadow over Iran short fuse. The recent effect. The war in Ukraine manifesto once the election south of the Vindhyas
to strengthen his political fortunes. But he has and Israel. A world which tension between Iran and and Israel’s retaliation of is over! For instance, in one The southern focus hardly matter. If the BJP
merely triggered a new crisis without addressing talks about peace and Israel is one that must be the deadly strike of Hamas manifesto, there is an It is amusing that the really cares for India’s
the actual one. Ecuadorians are set to vote in a re- prosperity seems to be avoided. International have already disrupted assurance of lowering the bigwigs in the BJP, which diverse culture and
ferendum next week that would give the govern- totally helpless in defusing communities should supply chains and logistics. price of petrol and diesel. has been trying hard to languages, it should
ment increased security powers to fight gang vio- the stained relationships intervene. The world is In a globalised world, no What prevented the party recast India into a foreground federal
lence. The government has to get its act together between nations. The future already affected in various country is insulated from from reducing it all along? monolithic culture, have all principles in governance.
in the war against organised violence, but it of Indians hired to work on ways by the Russia-Ukraine global turmoil. Also, a permanent seat in of a sudden discovered a Manohar Alembath,
should do that from within the limits of domestic Israeli construction sites is a and Israel-Hamas conflicts. M. Rishidev, the United Nations Security new-found love for Tamil Kannur, Kerala
and international laws. Going rogue inside the plan that is short sighted. A.S. Thirumalai, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu Council is not a burning and Tamil culture. Going by Letters emailed to
embassy of a neighbouring country in the name Recruitment for Chennai issue for most Indians. the overwhelming use of letters@thehindu.co.in
of fighting corruption is not going to help Ecua- employment in a war zone Manifesto, its worth There has been no Hindi in Parliament and the must carry the full postal
dor in tackling the myriad challenges it is facing. is a bad idea. Poor workers While the proxy war People, as such, do not utterance on the quid pro grotesque Hindi names address and the full name.
CM A ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Monday, April 15, 2024 7
Delhi
Opinion

Decoding the judgment on Jim Corbett An offer, an uproar, and a rejection


The Congress was wise in rejecting the SDPI’s offer in Kerala

I
n its ruling in March, the the precautionary principle is distribution, structure, and
Supreme Court brought to becoming an established principle functions as well as the long-term
light the unholy nexus of for policymakers tackling survival of its typical species.” In in the Malabar region but also
politicians, forest officials, environmental problems. The India, the framework of valuation STATE OF PLAY in some constituencies in
and local contractors responsible principle says “where there are which predated the T.N. south Kerala. The SDPI holds
for the felling of 6,000 trees in the threats of serious or irreversible Godavarman case (1996) was Biju Govind some influence in pockets in-
Jim Corbett National Park in Anwar Sadat damage, lack of full scientific aimed at replacing lost natural biju.govind@thehindu.co.in cluding Ponnani, Malappu-
Uttarakhand. This state of affairs teaches international certainty shall not be used as a forest with compensatory ram, Vadakara, and Kannur.

O
underlines one fact clearly: law, with a reason for postponing plantations. The two choices n April 1, the presi- In the 2014 parliamentary
despite conservation goals specialisation in cost-effective measures to prevent which are supported legally and dent of the Kerala unit polls, it contested 20 seats and
receiving priority through policies environmental law, at such environmental degradation.” institutionally and serve as the of the Social Demo- garnered 1.7% of the votes
and laws including the Wildlife the Indian Society of On banning safaris in core areas, background for the valuation of cratic Party of India (SDPI), polled. The party also finished
Protection Act, 1972, Project Tiger, International Law. the Court invoked this principle to forest land in India are now Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulvi, second in two Assembly seg-
and the Forest (Conservation) Act, Email: sadatshazia@ ensure that there is least damage compensatory afforestation levy held a press conference and ments — Malappuram and
1980, the state’s main interest gmail.com to the environment. Myers had and net present value (NPV). The offered support to the Con- tion,” the Congress was be- Vengara — in the Malappuram
remains increasing revenue. The said, “In salient respects, the levy is essentially a form of gress in the State in the Lok traying citizens, he said. Lok Sabha constituency. But
illegal destruction of trees in Jim principle applies to biodiversity replacement cost, designed to Sabha elections. The SDPI is The State secretary of the in the 2019 polls, the party
Corbett can be seen in more than any other replace the forest land which was the political arm of the pro- ruling Communist Party of In- contested only 10 seats, secur-
contravention of the 1983 environmental problem. This is lost as a result of diversion of scribed Popular Front of India dia (Marxist), M.V. Govindan, ing 0.4% of the vote share.
Supreme Court judgment in Rural because the mass extinction forest towards non-forestry use. (PFI). also criticised the Congress in Before the announcement
Litigation and Entitlement Kendra gathering force will, if it proceeds Since the levy is found to be Congress leaders were a similar vein. He said that the of the Lok Sabha elections, the
vs. State of Uttar Pradesh, which unchecked, not only eliminate half insufficient in terms of making guarded in their response. Congress had a history of SDPI organised a procession
said that “economic growth or more species but will leave the good the loss, the Court The convener of the Congress- forming the CoLeBi (an acro- with the theme ‘Reclaiming
cannot be achieved at the cost of biosphere impoverished for at introduced the NPV in 2002 as an led United Democratic Front nym for Congress-League-BJP the country’ and raised issues
environmental destruction and least 5 million years.” The additional payment obligation. But (UDF), M.M. Hassan, stressed alliance) and was now pre- such as protection of constitu-
people’s right to healthy International Union for both these methodologies do not that the party would hold dis- pared to receive support from tional values, conduct of caste
environment.” Conservation of Nature’s Red List rightly account for the correlation cussions on whether or not to another controversial political census, withdrawal of anti-pe-
of Threatened Species monitors between the removal of trees and accept the support offered. element. Chief Minister Pina- ople laws, conservation of fed-
The judgment 1,212 animal species in India. In the harm caused to other The Leader of the Opposition, rayi Vijayan stressed that the eralist principles, correction
National and State forest 2021, it found that 12% of them are environmental goods and services. V.D. Satheesan, clarified that statements of Congress lead- of anti-farmer policies, and a
authorities have leaned on endangered. According to a report In the context of the growing the UDF had not held any dis- ers revealed a clear deal bet- solution to the unemployment
ecotourism to simultaneously of the Centre for Science and degradation of biodiversity cussions or reached any un- ween the Congress and the problem. However, it re-
attain conservation goals, enhance Environment in 2021, India has hotspots and the support to derstanding with the SDPI. SDPI. frained from fielding candi-
revenue, and improve the lost 90% of the area under its four revenue-generating eco-tourism, a Congress leader Ramesh The controversy also dates, possibly due to scrutiny
livelihoods of local people. In its biodiversity hotspots. The valuation method which is based Chennithala pointed out that played out at the national le- following the ban on the PFI
recent judgment, instead of precautionary principle therefore on ecosystem services (food, in a democratic setup, indivi- vel, with Union Home Minister under the Unlawful Activities
treating eco-tourism as a panacea applies not only in the case of water, and services regulating the duals, not parties, voted dur- Amit Shah and Union Minister (Prevention) Act in September
for conservation and revenue tigers, but also other species, climate and floods, etc.) is a must. ing elections and the party for Information and Broad- 2022. Though the party es-
generation, the Supreme Court especially endangered ones. The system refers to the benefits would not refuse votes from casting Anurag Singh Thakur pouses the cause of Muslims,
said that the approach must be of people obtain from natural anyone. He, too, said that the lashing out at the Congress. its political approach has been
eco-centrism and not What the court missed ecosystems in contrast with Congress had not had any dis- Four days after the SDPI’s vehemently criticised by
anthropocentrism. The court However, the Court’s decision to man-made structures. The Court cussions with the SDPI. press conference, recognising mainstream Muslim
directed the banning of tiger assess the damage done to the could have set a precedent by As expected, the Bharatiya the potential backlash from organisations.
safaris in core areas and the The Court’s green cover of Jim Corbett so as to saying that ecosystem services are Janata Party (BJP) saw in the both Hindus and Christians, Had the Congress leader-
constitution of a committee to decision to identify the cost of restoration and more important and generate dithering an opportunity to at- the Congress leadership re- ship remained silent or quietly
explore the feasibility of assess the recover the same from the errant more revenue than eco-tourism or tack the Congress. BJP State jected the offer of support accepted the offer of the SDPI,
permitting tiger safaris in individuals and officers appears to raised the need of putting in place chief K. Surendran questioned from the SDPI. Mr. Satheesan they would have faced an elec-
damage done to
peripheral areas in not just Jim be a mirage in the absence of a a precise law and policy relating to Congress leader Rahul Gand- stressed that the Congress saw toral setback in Kerala. The
Corbett, but across India. It also the green cover well-defined methodology. ecosystem services. The reasoning hi, who is seeking re-election both majority and minority party did not allow the contro-
disagreed with the 2019 guidelines of Jim Corbett Recovering the cost of restoration provided by the International from Wayanad, to clarify his communalism as two sides of versy to fester to give ammuni-
of the National Tiger Conservation so as to identify does not amount to necessarily Court of Justice (ICJ) in Costa Rica stance on the party’s endorse- the same coin. Citizens vote as tion to the BJP and the CPI(M)
Authority permitting a tiger safari the cost of recovering the loss of the ability of v. Nicaragua (2018) could have ment of the SDPI. Mr. Suren- individuals and the UDF for long. By keenly observing
on the lines of a zoo in a national restoration and the environment to provide goods been used to understand the dran, who is also a candidate hoped to get their endorse- reactions and making a quick
park. The court stressed that tigers recover the and services. As per the European methodologies in evaluating from Wayanad, alleged that ment on the merit of its manif- decision, it stopped its rivals
should be sourced from the same Liability Directive 2004, damage to the environment. The the PFI was involved in the esto and political agenda, he from hijacking the political
same appears to
landscape as where the safari is conservation status of natural ICJ asserted that damage to the killings of Hindus and Chris- said. agenda at both at the State and
being conducted and not outside be a mirage in habitat means the “sum of environment, and the consequent tians and was implicated in Whatever be the Congress’s national level. But the jury is
the tiger reserve. the absence of a influences acting on a natural loss of the ability of the several violent incidents. By stand, UDF candidates per- still out on whether the dam-
According to British well-defined habitat and its typical species that environment to provide goods and aligning with an outfit that is ceive the SDPI’s votes as cru- age-control exercise will help
environmentalist Norman Myers, methodology may affect its long-term natural services, is compensable. trying to “disintegrate the na- cial in a tight contest, not only it reap electoral dividends.

Fertility levels drop below one in many Asian nations F R O M T HE A RC HI V ES

Couples choosing to not have children, citizens opting to remain single, and spiralling costs to raise children may all have contributed to the dip
FIFTY YEARS AGO APRIL 15, 1974

DATA POINT
the lowest TFRs in the world cur- Big-scale fighting between
rently (Chart 2). For instance, in a
span of 50 years, China reduced its Syrian and Israeli troops
Jasmin Nihalani TFR from 6.51 (1968) to 1.16 (2021)
through various policies, while Damascus, April 14: Syrian forces to-day foiled

M
any countries in East and Spain’s TFR came down gradually an Israeli attack on Syrian positions on Mount
Southeast Asia are in the from 2.87 to 1.28. India’s TFR also Hermon and air defence batteries shot down
middle of a population witnessed a drop from over 5.7 to three Israeli warplanes, a Syrian military
crisis, with fewer births every year 2.03 in the same period, though communique said.
and record-low fertility rates. In not as sharp as that of China’s. Israeli losses in to-day’s fighting, which
March this year, several hospitals The sharp fall in China’s TFR is started at 5-15 a.m. (8-45 IST), were estimated at
in China stopped offering new- attributable largely to policies its 50 troops killed or wounded according to the
born delivery services due to de- government adopted to control communqiue. Including the three planes shot
clining demand, Reuters reported. population growth. South Korea’s down to-day, Syria had brought down seven
In fact, with the fertility rates in slogan in the 1980s, “Even two Israeli warplanes since the last October
South Korea hitting rock bottom, children per family are too many Arab-Israeli war, the communique said.
the city of Seongnam, the fourth for our crowded country”, and According to the communique, fighting was
largest in the country, resorted to Singapore’s slogan for its two-child still continuing five hours later between Syrian
hosting mass blind dates hoping policy, “The more you have, the and Israeli forces both on Mount Hermon and at
that the falling birth rates would less they get — two is enough”, are several places on the Golan Heights front.
reverse. examples of strict family planning According to military sources in Damascus,
This was not always the case. measures. the Syrians have seized new positions previously
Between 1950 and 1970, fertility The drastic drop in fertility rate held by the Israelis in Mount Hermon. The
rates in East Asian and Southeast can also be attributed to women Israelis, the sources said, were trying to drive
Asian countries ranged from 3.5 to now having more opportunities to the Syrians out of those positions and recapture
7.5. The total fertility rate (TFR) is build a career, dropping marriage them.
the average number of children a rates, the spiralling cost of raising a Military sources in Tel Aviv said that Israeli
woman is expected to have in her child, and income lost when a soldiers discovered the Syrian force just before
lifetime. A TFR of 2.1 (the ‘replace- pregnant woman’s career is inter- dawn to-day and a fierce battle began at around
ment level’) is required to ensure rupted, according to the think 4-15 local (07-45 IST).
that the population size remains tank, East-West Centre. Israeli forces claimed to-day to have beaten off
stable. Poor fertility rates lead to an im- another Syrian attempt to occupy key northern
Currently, in four countries — balance in the population, with ol- ridges, providing excellent strategic and
South Korea, Singapore, Hong der people forming a larger share. observation posts, on the 2,500 metre high
Kong, and Taiwan — the fertility As of 2023, a third of the popula- snow-capped Mount Hermon at the northern
rates are lower than one. This tion was aged over 65 in Japan and end of the Golan Front.
means that while the majority of by the early 2030s, the share of pe- The fighting for the ridges, involving Israeli
women in these countries have on- ople aged over 65 will increase to fighter planes as well as Syrian commando units
ly one child, many are also not 30% in South Korea and Hong backed by artillery, is seen here as marking a
choosing to have children, pulling Kong. Chart 3 shows the year definitive end to the uneasy Golan Front truce
down the average below one. For when about 5%, 15%, and 30% of a imposed by the United Nations Security Council
instance, in South Korea, the TFR country’s population was or will on October 24.
slid to a record low of 0.72 in 2023, be aged over 65. While countries An official spokesman announced to-day that
while in Hong Kong, the TFR was took many years to reach the 15% an Israeli army unit last night wiped out a Syrian
0.701 in 2022. Both these countries mark from 5%, they are estimated unit, believed here to have been a company of
currently have among the lowest to reach the 30% mark in a rela- about 30 men, which took up positions high on
fertility rates in the world. Chart 1 tively quicker manner, indicating the mountain.
shows the TFR in six countries, in- the rapid ageing of the population.
cluding China and Japan, over a Chart 4 lists the financial sup-
period of time. port and other expensive pro- A HUNDRED YEARS AGO APRIL 15, 1924
In the six countries considered, grammes that governments have
not only is the TFR significantly introduced to incentivise child- Pirates in China
lower than 2.1, it has seen a drastic births in select countries. South
reduction over time. This is evi- Korea, for instance, has spent $211 Hongkong, April 14: The combined meeting of
dent when the TFR of these coun- billion to increase fertility rates China coast officers and marine engineers guilds
tries is compared with that of Uk- since 2006. But the fertility curves has decided to suspend the Hongkong
raine, Finland, Italy, and Spain — of these countries haven’t re- Kingmoon Service until naval escorts are
countries which also have among versed yet. provided against attacks of pirates.
CM A ND-NDE
YK
Delhi www.thehindu.com Monday, April 15, 2024
● ●

Text&Context 0
NEWS IN NUMBERS
The decrease in The renewable energy The amount infused in The rising inflation The number of drones
automobile exports capacity added by equities by FPIs in the rate in Pakistan and missiles launched
from India in FY24 India in FY24 month of April according to the ADB by Iran on Israel

5.5 18 13,000 25 320


in percentage. Automobile gigawatt (GW). India added a in ₹ in percentage. With a high Israel claims that Iran
exports from India declined record renewable energy (RE) crore. inflation rate and its economy fired 170 drones, more
to 45 lakh units in FY24 due capacity in 2023-24, over 21% Foreign growing at the fourth lowest than 30 cruise missiles
to the monetary crisis in various overseas higher than the 15.27 GW a year earlier. portfolio investors have infused this pace of 1.9% in the region, Pakistan has and more than 120 ballistic missiles, of
markets, according to the Society of Indian But, experts say that 50 GW of RE capacity amount in first two weeks of the month the highest cost of living in all of Asia, which several reached Israeli territory,
Automobile Manufacturers. Overall exports must be added annually to reach the 2030 owing to a resilient domestic economy according to a new Asian Development causing minor damage to an air base. AP
stood at 47.6 lakh units in FY23. PTI target of 500 GW renewable energy. PTI with promising growth prospects. PTI Bank (ADB) report. PTI COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM

Follow us facebook.com/thehindu twitter.com/the_hindu instagram.com/the_hindu

Fixing India’s VVPAT-based audit of EVMs


While the Supreme Court has been indulgent towards the ECI due to its plenipotentiary role in the conduct of elections under Article 324 of the Constitution, it must compel
the ECI to make public how it has defined the population, and most importantly, its decision rule in the event of a mismatch

FULL CONTEXT view of the smaller population sizes (N), THE GIST
the sample sizes (n) required are rather
big. Hence, both these choices for
K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty ‘population’ are administratively 쑽
unviable. As seen from Table 3, if we The Election Commission of

T
he Election Commission of define the EVMs deployed in a State as a India has attracted criticism for
India (ECI) has attracted whole or India as a whole as the reducing the Voter Verified
criticism for reducing the Voter ‘population’, then in view of the bigger Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)
Verified Paper Audit Trail population sizes (N), the sample sizes (n) based audit of Electronic
(VVPAT) based audit of Electronic Voting required are very small. But the workload Voting Machines (EVMs) to an
Machines (EVMs) to an exercise in involved in hand counting the VVPAT slips exercise in tokenism and for its
tokenism and for its lack of transparency for all the remaining (N-n) EVMs of the lack of transparency in the
in the matter. The uniform sample size of population, in the event of a mismatch, is matter.
“five EVMs per Assembly constituency” very large and administratively unviable

prescribed by it for all Assembly for India as a whole and for all States
constituencies and States does not except the smaller States. The ECI glosses The VVPAT-based audit of EVMs
conform to the fundamental principles of over this crucial point when it claims that is a simple problem of
statistical sampling and leads to high the ISI, Kolkata had recommended a statistical quality control.
margins of error. sample size of only 479 EVMs for India as 쑽
At the same time, the ECI’s critics are a whole which works out to one EVM per
also guilty of demanding arbitrary, Assembly constituency. We can use the ‘plateau effect’
non-statistical sample sizes like “25 per of sample sizes to divide the
cent samples” and “50 per cent samples” What next? bigger States into ‘regions’
with EVM population sizes of
for VVPAT-based audit of EVMs, under the We can use the ‘plateau effect’ of sample
about 5,000 each. We treat
mistaken impression that a “bigger sizes to divide the bigger States into
“EVMs deployed in the region”
percentage” guarantees greater accuracy ‘regions’ (an integral number of districts) as the ‘population’. On
of results. Some are now demanding a with EVM population sizes of about 5,000 average, there would be about
100% manual count of all VVPAT voter each. We treat “EVMs deployed in the 20 Assembly constituencies in
slips. region” as the ‘population’. On average, a region. The sample size
there would be about 20 Assembly required is 438 and the number
Using statistical sampling constituencies in a region. The sample of EVMs per constituency
The VVPAT-based audit of EVMs is a size required is 438 and the average whose VVPAT slips are to be
simple problem of statistical quality number of EVMs per Assembly hand counted is 22.
control. It is very similar to the “lot constituency whose VVPAT slips are to be
acceptance sampling technique” that is hand counted is 22. For example, U.P
widely used in industry and trade. If the with 1,50,000 EVMs can be divided into
number of defectives found in a randomly 30 regions with roughly 5,000 EVMs
drawn statistical sample is less than or each. In the event of a defective EVM
equal to a specified acceptance number, turning up, the hand counting of VVPAT
the lot (or ‘population’) is accepted; slips of the remaining EVMs will confined
otherwise, the lot is rejected. to the region. This option is statistically
Here a ‘defective EVM’ is defined as robust and administratively viable.
one with a mismatch between the EVM sample, and it has glossed over reported detect a defective EVM for different Over the years, the Supreme Court has
count and the VVPAT’s manual count of cases of mismatch. A system of population sizes. The great merit of the been indulgent towards the ECI due to its
voter slips due to EVM malfunction or VVPAT-based audit of EVMs in which hypergeometric distribution model is that plenipotentiary role in the conduct of
EVM manipulation. Unlike industry and these three vital issues have been left the sample size is the greatest when P is elections under Article 324 of the
trade where a few defectives in the vague or unaddressed is categorically very close to zero (which is what the ECI Constitution of India. But the Supreme
sample may be tolerated, in the context of unacceptable. claims it is), and it becomes lesser as P Court cannot continue to turn a blind eye
elections, the acceptance number will increases. to the ECI making a mockery of the
have to be ‘zero defective EVM’. In other Why ECI’s sample size is erroneous As seen from Table 1, when the VVPAT-based audit of EVMs thereby
words, even if there is a single instance of The hypergeometric distribution model population size (N) of EVMs is 100, the defeating the very purpose of introducing
mismatch between the EVM count and should form the basis of the sampling sample size (n) required is 99, that is it is the VVPAT. It must compel the ECI to
VVPAT manual count in the randomly plan for the VVPAT-based audit of EVMs nearly as big as the population size. As N make public how it has defined the
drawn sample of EVMs, the ‘population’ because it is an exact fit. In the discussion increases, n also increases but at a much population, how it has arrived at its
of EVMs from which the sample was that follows, we assume the percentage of slower rate and ‘hits a plateau’ beyond sample size, and most importantly, its
drawn should be ‘rejected’. In this case, defective EVMs in the population (P) to be some point so that further increases in decision rule in the event of a mismatch.
‘rejection’ means non-acceptance of the 1%, and calculate sample sizes, for various population size have no effect on the Only then, the Supreme Court’s order of
EVM counts for that ‘population’ and population sizes, for 99% probability of sample size. 2013 on VVPAT would be implemented
doing manual counting of VVPAT slips for detecting at least one defective EVM. We As seen from Table 2, if we define the faithfully in letter and spirit.
all the remaining EVMs of that also compute the probability that the EVMs deployed in an Assembly The writer is a former IAS officer and
‘population’. In such a scenario, the ECI-prescribed sample size of “five EVMs constituency or Parliamentary former Vice Chancellor of the Indian
election result should be declared only on per Assembly constituency” will fail to constituency as the ‘population’, then in Maritime University, Chennai
the basis of the VVPAT count.
Thus, VVPAT-based audit of EVMs
involves three essential elements — (a) a
clear definition of the ‘population’ of
EVMs from which the statistical sample
would be drawn. It could be all the EVMs
deployed in an Assembly constituency, a
Parliamentary constituency, a State as a
whole, India as a whole, a region (or
group of districts) within a State, or any
other. The population size (N) could vary
widely depending on how we define the
‘population’; (b) determination of a
statistically correct and administratively
viable sample size (n) of EVMs whose
VVPAT slips will be hand counted; (c)
application of the ‘decision rule’, viz., in
the event of a mismatch between the EVM
count and the VVPAT count in the chosen
sample of ‘n’ EVMs, the hand counting of
VVPAT slips will have to be done for all
the remaining (N-n) EVMs forming part of
that ‘population’.
However, the ECI has not specified the
‘population’ to which its sample size
relates. It has not explained how it arrived
at its sample size. It has maintained
silence about the ‘next steps’ in the event
of a mismatch between the EVM count
and the VVPAT count in the chosen Election fever: Poll officials work on EVMs at a distribution center in Coimbatore on April 11. AFP
CM A ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Monday, April 15, 2024 9
Delhi
Text&Context
CACHE

KNOW YOUR ENGLISH

She is a go-
getter when it
comes to work
You seem to be dragging your feet
when it comes to making difficult
choices for the team

S. Upendran

“I heard there are several vacancies in


your company. Are you applying for any
of them?”
“I already have. So has Sujatha.”
“I hope the two of you haven’t applied
ISTOCKPHOTO for the same post. Sujatha is a real
go-getter. You don’t stand a chance…”

What is doxxing and what measures can


“Go-getter? Is a go-getter someone who
gets things?”
“A go-getter is an ambitious individual
who is determined to be successful. This

you take if it happens to you? rather enterprising individual, in order to


achieve his goals, takes matters into his
own hands, instead of waiting for things
to happen.”
“In other words, a go-getter takes the
The act of digitally publicising a person’s private details is called doxxing. It allows abusers and criminals who are thousands of miles away to target initiative. Acts before others do.”
victims by putting their private details online for others to exploit “Sometimes, very aggressively. This
individual is full of energy, exudes a great
deal of confidence, and is good at dealing
Sahana Venugopal their friend’s Instagram account, but they people who have been doxxed to keep an is owned by Google, so one can directly with problems.”
may not want that same clip to be incident log containing evidence of what report any content posted there as well. X “Sujatha, as you rightly pointed out, is

A
woman in mid-February publicly re-posted on X or YouTube, with has taken place, including the relevant has an in-app reporting mechanism for a go-getter.”
reached out to the Mumbai their employers tagged. While the user platforms and all those who were private information, and a grievance “Are the two of you competing for the
Police through X (formerly who circulates an already public image or involved in the harassment. This can later officer whose job is to take action based same job? If so, what…”
Twitter) to report a man who video may be legally in the clear, their be shown to law enforcement authorities. on such reports. Reddit also provides a “As far as I know, up to date, she hasn’t
had shared a video of her dancing at an intentions can be malicious and may “Report the accounts to all platforms on complaint forum. applied for the posts that I have.”
event and compared her performance to endanger others. which you have been doxxed as it’s Recently, messaging platform Discord “You don’t say ‘up to date’ when you
sex work. The woman clarified that the “We also factor in the intent of the against the policies of most social media updated its community policies by mean ‘till now’. It’s better to say, ‘to date’.
video was re-posted without her consent person sharing the information. For platforms and they will be quick to take separating doxxing and harassment To date, Sujatha hasn’t applied for any of
and requested the man multiple times to example, if we believe that someone is action,” Choudhary advised, adding that guidelines. The change is set to go into the posts I have’.”
take down the video, but he refused to do sharing information with an abusive users should also change all their effect in April. “Previously, doxxing was “To date, there has been no news
so. Many others began to share the video intent, or to harass or encourage others to passwords and turn on two-factor combined with our harassment guideline. about the missing plane.”
as well, and joined in to harass the harass another person, we will take authentication to ensure their security. However, we consider these distinct harm “That’s a good example. There are
woman, who locked her X account. action,” stated X in its ‘private People who have been doxxed in India types, so we separated them to better many people who prefer to use ‘until
Though the video was later disabled by X information and media policy’ page. can report what happened through the reflect how we organise our policies,” said now’ instead of ‘to date’. For example,
on copyright grounds, the man — a Doxxing does not end with bringing National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the new guidelines on the platform ‘Until now, we haven’t received any
verified X user with a blue tick — the perpetrator to justice. These users Choudhary said, and stressed that one support page. complaints from our customers’.”
continued to defend his actions. often share details that easily allow others has a legal right to file an FIR. This is However, since social media companies “How about this example? To date, we
The act of digitally publicising a worldwide to launch their own attacks where the incident log becomes useful. operating within the country are bound haven’t had any problem with the car.”
person’s private details is called doxxing, against the victim, making it harder for Platforms such as Meta are aware of the by India’s IT Rules, submitting a “That’s a good example. I’m happy that
or doxing. Doxxers generally publicise the police to take action against all those need to protect users who have been cybercrime complaint is one way to make you and Sujatha haven’t applied for the
highly personal data such as other who are responsible. Furthermore, doxxed, as the company’s oversight board sure the platform is forced to take action same post.”
people’s home addresses, phone doxxing is a direct attack on a person’s in February 2022 concluded that quickly. “So am I! I would have had no chance
numbers, private email IDs, medical physical, digital, and emotional security. Facebook and Instagram should have That being said, victims of doxxing do against her.”
conditions, government documents, A person who has been doxxed may have stricter rules concerning incidents where not have to leave social media forever. “I “So, how are things, otherwise? Have
social security numbers, live locations, to flee their physical location, remain data such as home addresses are leaked always tell people to be generally careful you finally managed to get some time off
insurance information, private calm for the sake of young family online. “Once this information has been in what they are sharing so they can avoid in order to visit your parents? ”
employment details, etc. Such members, clarify the situation with their shared, the harms that can result, such as such a situation but if you have been “I know. But things have been crazy at
information is usually obtained through employers, secure their leaked finances, doxing, are difficult to remedy. Harms doxxed, once you feel mentally ready, you work. Will talk to my boss this week…”
illegal methods such as hacking or theft. file a report with the police, upgrade their resulting from doxing disproportionately can go back,” Choudhary said. At the “That’s what you said last week. It
However, publicising private or internet security, be on the lookout for affect groups such as women, children same time, users also need to make sure seems to me you’re not keen on making a
semi-public content that an individual did stalkers, and deal with a barrage of and LGBTQIA+ people, and can include that their Personally Identifiable trip to Chennai. You’ve been dragging
not intend to share for public violent threats — all at once. Doxxing can emotional distress, loss of employment Information (PII) has been removed and your feet quite a bit. I don’t understand…”
consumption can also result in doxxing also expose the people who live or work and even physical harm or death,” noted that their accounts are secure, she noted. “Dragging my feet? What are you
and harassment. near the victim, increasing the affected Meta’s oversight board in its findings. “Have a self care plan. Recruit friends, talking about? I never walk slowly…”
person’s chances of being evicted or fired. Google also has tools in place to assist family and a support structure,” “You always walk briskly. That’s true!
The intent behind doxxing people who have been doxxed. The Choudhary suggested. “Without support, When you accuse someone of ‘dragging
For example, an ordinary person smoking What to do when doxxed company allows internet users to submit it gets harder to do it alone. Women are their feet’ regarding something, what
or sipping whiskey at a house party might Mishi Choudhary, a technology lawyer removal requests that it then reviews for targeted for several reasons and we must you’re saying is that they’re deliberately
consent to their video being shared on and the founder of SFLC.in, advised further action. Remember that YouTube not feel weakened or ashamed.” delaying doing things in order to…”
“Let me guess! They’re slowing things
down because they really don’t want to
do it. They’re very reluctant.”
“Excellent! That’s one of the meanings
Please send in your answers to
THE DAILY QUIZ dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
of the informal expression ‘drag one’s
feet’. Several big companies have been
dragging their feet over the issue of

On April 15, 1912, RMS Titanic went down after hitting an iceberg. A quiz on promoting women to senior positions.”
upendrankye@gmail.com

the ‘unsinkable’ luxury liner


V.V. Ramanan X Questions and Answers to the
QUESTION 4 April 12 edition of the daily
X Name the novel, written by Morgan quiz: 1. The meal before the
QUESTION 1 Robertson 14 years before the incident, beginning of the fast during
After leaving Southampton, England, which eerily predicted a similar Ramzan. Ans: Suhoor/Sehri
the 269m long ship made two stops disaster. 2. The day on which the Prophet
before disaster, literally, struck. X Muhammad received the first
Name the ports that it called on? QUESTION 5 revelations of the Quran. Ans:
X Though there were 2,224 passengers 27th day
QUESTION 2 and crew, the lifeboats had a total 3. Prophet Muhammad was born
After the liner went down fully capacity to take on how many here. Ans: Mecca
around 2.20 a.m., the survivors were passengers (to the nearest round 4. In which month of the Islamic
picked up around 3.30 a.m. by a ship figure)? calendar is Ramadan. Ans:
that had rushed towards it after X Ninth month
answering the distress signals sent QUESTION 6 5. The first prayer of the day.
around 12.15 a.m. Name the ship. According to Titanic scholars, what is Ans: Fajr
X the significance of the words ‘”Hard Visual: The name by which the
QUESTION 3 astarboard! Stand by the engines!” traditional lantern used during
J. Bruce Ismay was one of the X Ramadan is called. Ans: Fanoos For feedback and suggestions for
survivors of the tragedy. Who was he QUESTION 7 X
Early Birds: Jyot Prakash Text & Context, please write to
in the context of the ship and why Name the famous explorer who Visual question: Gulati| Daksh| Mahmood Lebbai| letters@thehindu.co.in
was he vilified and publicly discovered the wreck of the Titanic in Name this organisation (whose name has been masked) founded in the aftermath Debarati Kar| Muhammed with the subject ‘Text & Context’
shunned? 1985. of the tragedy. Shahid
CM A ND-NDE
YK
4 . bl . think
DELHI

businessline.
MONDAY - APRIL 15 - 2024

LINE &
LENGTH.

MONDAY - APRIL 15, 2024 TCA SRINIVASA RAGHAVAN

E
conomics and the Indian

Storm warning economy have loomed large


in my life for nearly six
decades. In our very first
class in 1967, the professor, a
Rising oil, commodity prices can derail rate cut hopes very erudite and learned man, opened
his lecture with the following

I ran’s missile offensive on Israel over the unforgettable words: “India will soon be
weekend, in retaliation to attacks on its own a land of idiots.”
He was referring to the huge decline
embassy in Syria, has stoked the embers in the in food availability after the two massive
Middle East. While it is as yet unclear if this will droughts of 1965 and 1966 and the
escalate into a wider conflict, disruptions in impact on nutrition. Today, despite the
gigantic improvement in food
shipments through the Strait of Hormuz look quite availability, nutrition remains an bigger
likely. This can add new legs to the recent rally in problem.
global crude oil prices, which after slumping on More than half the population has IQ
levels of just around 90. These people
recession worries through 2023, have rallied over 25 can’t be very useful contributors to the
per cent this year to over $90 a barrel last week. economy because they will consume
more than they can produce.
It was only last week that the OPEC If agriculture and labour are a
decided to keep its output cuts in place problem, so is technology intensive
manufacturing. Its share in GDP has

The poverty of Indian


until June, after projecting improved global
fallen from around a quarter in 1980 to
demand growth of 2.25 million barrels per about 15 per cent now. What the British
day through 2024. The industrial metals managed between 1757 and 1947 we
complex — mainly copper, nickel, zinc and have managed between 1947 and 2017
silver — has been upbeat in the last few — slow deindustrialisation. I wonder

economic discourse
what DR Gadgil, who wrote the book on
weeks too, after positive March PMI the deindustrialisation of India, would
(Purchasing Managers Index) data from have said.
Eurozone and China. Gold is ruling at a Likewise, India’s share in global trade
lifetime high too, though for a different was around three per cent in 1947. It’s
reason. Wary of a snowballing US debt now just about one per cent. Not just
that. We don’t like to be a trading
We defend bad policy outcomes or score debating points with selective data.
crisis, central banks led by China have been economy. There is excessive focus on the very short term
shoring up their gold reserves to stealthily We can go on about these declines but
diversify from the dollar. All this has the message must be clear: our capital scarcity on the other, don’t figure And we have seen an enormously But what does our economic analysis
resulted in the Reuters-CRB Commodity governments have made a mess because in the debate except in passing. increased amount of this kind of thing in draw upon now? The pervasive
not only have they tried to intervene too The main reason for this is that public the last 10 years. The focus has shifted infestation of left wing political ideas
Index rising 18 per cent this year, ruling at much, they have also done it badly via policy economists have started taking from the deeper structural issues to has meant that our economics is entirely
levels last seen when the Russia-Ukraine very bad policies. political sides. The old neutrality is quarterly, half-yearly, annual data, base focused on distribution. That means tax
conflict erupted in 2022. I should add that towards the end the almost gone. years, measurement techniques and, in and spend. Nothing more.
The cocktail of factors driving the professor said India needed to focus on This problem started when the first general, splitting hair. Is that all there is to having an
capital, not labour. The opposite has Indira Gandhi government of 1969-71 This, incidentally, actually places the analytical framework? What about
commodity rally make it difficult to gauge if happened. As the saying goes, the path to was entirely dependent on the government at an advantage. It can treat growth? Why is it not an analytical
this is a structural reversal or a short-term hell is paved with good intentions. Communist party. The chief economic data with disdain or use discretion, priority? This was not the case till 1967.
move. But the spike, even if it lasts a few adviser was a Marxist who went on to whichever is convenient at the moment. We had a clear framework in the second
months, will have significant economic ANALYTICAL BABBLE become the finance minister of West We have seen this also since 2014. and third Five Year Plans.
implications for India. For one, it can put However, unlike the economic discourse Bengal when the CPM came to power Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying This political obsession with ‘welfare’
before Independence and for 25 years there. data doesn’t matter. It does. But it’s not has placed the least productive sections
paid to expectations of a reversal in policy after it when it focused on analytical It’s become worse with every passing the only thing that matters. There is of society at the centre-stage of our
rates from the second half of this year. In issues, for the last 50 years it’s all been year since the early 1970s. Today, the more to economic analysis than just data economic thinking and pushed out the
recent monetary policy meetings, the about defensiveness by one side and statistical debating skills of economists mining and number crunching. That any most productive ones, who then have to
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that it uniformed criticism by the other. matter more than their analytical skills. computer and its programme can do. participate from the wings as the private
Politics is the reason. Indian corporate sector does.
would like to bring the CPI (Consumer So we don’t analyse any more. We THE EXTRA MILE This might be good politically, socially
Price Index) inflation print down to 4 per either defend bad policy outcomes or The pervasive The irony about the politicisation of and morally but it relegates capital to the
cent on a durable basis. In its latest policy score debating points with the help of infestation of left wing economic analysis is that it lacks an fringes of our economic analysis which
meeting, RBI made a benign inflation selective data. Data has become an analytical framework. This contrasts should be about efficiency of capital use.
analgesic. political ideas has meant sharply with political and legal analyses. Indeed, show me one economy that has
forecast of 4.5 per cent for FY25. But
resurgent commodity prices could threaten
The result is a confusing babble that our economics is Both draw their strength from the done this and prospered.
arising from an excessive focus on the framework provided by the Constitution There aren’t any, not even China.
this forecast. Should inflation remain very short term. Thus, long term issues entirely focused on and certain principles of human rights Even Karl Marx called his magnum opus
elevated, RBI may also be reluctant to ease like nutrition, on the one hand and distribution. and dignity. Das Kapital.
up on domestic liquidity and prefer to stay
with its ‘withdrawal of accommodation’
stance. Two, a shift in the global inflation
outlook can moderate capital flows into
India’s stock and bond markets. Emerging
markets including India have been
Changes to the Indo-Mauritius tax treaty examined
attracting copious portfolio flows since last
November, when US treasury yields cooled Now, benefit under the DTAA will not be granted to an item of income if tax evasion is one of the principal purposes
off to 4 per cent levels on Fed rate cut
hopes. US yields are now back to 4.5 per bl explainer 24, 1982. Mauritius was initially the
preferred channel for foreign portfolio
that obtaining that benefit was one of
the principal purposes.’
cent, with Fed rate cut expectations being Shishir Sinha and foreign direct investors due to the
hastily recalibrated. A persistent spike in tax advantage that accrued due to the How will this impact FPI or FDI
energy prices can reverse hard-won gains in What are double tax avoidance DTAA between two countries. investments into India?
India’s current account deficit and the treaties? Why are tax authorities The agreement laid down that capital Post 2016, investment inflows from
not happy with these? gains tax had to be paid in the country Mauritius have already come down.
rupee. where the foreign investor was based. Cumulative FDI worth $161 billion
Finally, geopolitical tensions and From the name itself, it is cleared that Since the rate of capital gains tax in came from Mauritius to India in the
commodity prices can interrupt India’s Double Tax Avoidance Agreement Mauritius was zero, investors from this two decades from 2000-2022 (26 per
stock market rally. Given that Indian (DTAA) aims to ensure that a foreign country paid no capital gains tax. cent of total FDI inflows into India),
investor need not pay tax twice i.e., in thanks largely to the DTAA.
companies are net importers of industrial the country of origin and the country How was this treaty watered Since the signing of the DTAC
metals and feedstock, the prospect of where it is investing. down after 2017? INVESTMENT FLOW. On the decline (Double Taxation Avoidance
higher input costs will require the market Also, it prescribes payment of tax in It was decided that in the case of shares Convention) amendment in 2016, FDI
to tone down its expectations for a 15 per any of two countries where tax rate is purchased after April 1, 2017, capital inflows from Mauritius have dropped
low. Such a treaty is signed to gains arising from an investment in an are intending to eliminate double from $15.72 billion in 2016-17 to $6.13
cent earnings growth from Nifty companies encourage investors. Indian company will be taxed in India. taxation with respect to taxes covered billion in 2022-23, with Mauritius
in FY25. But this may not be such a bad However, such a treaty has another With the double tax avoidance treaty by this convention without, however, becoming India’s third largest source of
thing, as current valuations and earnings consequence. This encourages with Singapore being linked to the ‘creating opportunities’ for FDI.
estimates appear a tad too optimistic. investors to route their money through agreement with Mauritius, investments non-taxation or reduced taxation Now, there is apprehension that not
a country where tax rate is very low or from Singapore have also been brought through tax evasion or avoidance only future inflows but even
even zero. Such a country, called a tax into the Indian tax net. (including through treaty shopping investment made could be affected.
haven, provides tax residency to foreign arrangements aimed at obtaining Experts say the application of the PPT
investors. Because of such a certificate, What is the change to the reliefs provided in this convention for to grandfathered investments remains
FROM THE VIEWSROOM. tax authorities in India cannot collect Indo-Mauritius tax treaty made the indirect benefit of third ambiguous. Meanwhile, to curb all such
tax. This also leads to litigations. this year? jurisdiction). application, the Finance Ministry has
India and Mauritius signed a protocol A specific provision for PPT said that concerns/queries are
When fans behave unsportingly When was the Indo-Mauritius
DTAA first signed and what
dated March 7, 2024, to amend the tax
treaty. It prescribes a change in the
(Principal Purpose Test) has been
added and to apply this, a new article
premature since the Protocol is yet to
be ratified and notified under Section
of the greatest captains in benefits did it give to those preamble where the expression has been added to the treaty which says 90 of the Income-tax Act, 1961. As and
Mumbai Indians’ history is investing into India from ‘encouragement of mutual trade and ‘a benefit under this convention shall when the Protocol comes into force,
Anjana PV Mauritius? investment’ has been removed. not be granted in respect of an item of queries, if any, will be addressed,
undeniable. He led the team to
The treaty was first signed on August It has been said that both countries income if it is reasonable to conclude wherever necessary.

T
here is no doubt that a five titles and earned adoration
strong and solid fan base from fans worldwide. The
will always be a great uproar against Pandya has gone
pillar of strength for any sports to such an extent that officials
team. For sports aspirants, it had to request the crowd to calm BELOW THE LINE
would be a dream to play in front down.
of cheering fans. However, Recently, Virat Kohli, surprised if India comes out opportunity tomorrow. And it sometimes muddle more than remains captivated by this unfolding
recent events surrounding representing Royal Challengers triumphant on this goal, said an actually goes up. So I am at the clarify? In the world of politics, it economic mystery.
Mumbai Indians at the IPL have Bengaluru, had to ask the crowd industry observer. receiving end. I am sure the audience appears, both are true.
The BJP’s manifesto has sent a clear has made far more money than my
Bharat everywhere
been a paradox of sorts in fan to stop booing Pandya. Economic enigma
behaviour. Cricket holds a special place message not only to domestic funds. So I will take their advice.” If there is one aspect of the BJP
Instead of rallying behind in the hearts of fans in our stakeholders but also to our In the intricate ballet of financial and manifesto that has caught the
neighbour who already enjoys a
Name games in politics commodity markets, a curious attention of several hacks, it is the
their team, Mumbai Indians fans country, evoking deep emotions
have resorted to booing and and support. global standing in toy manufacturing In the corridors of power, where spectacle has emerged: US stocks, same old Bharat vs India debate.
jeering when their newly However, it’s essential for and exports. every detail matters, a simple mix-up bonds, gold, global crude oil, and the The entire BJP manifesto (Sankalp
appointed captain, Hardik fans to realise that expressing of names thwarted a significant US dollar are all ascending Patra) has used ‘Bharat’ (rather than
Wise advice political rendezvous. The simultaneously, defying conventional India) and how BJP plans to take
Pandya, steps onto the field. disappointment shouldn’t come
This kind of behaviour began at the expense of a player’s The one question mutual fund CEOs much-anticipated meeting between economic wisdom. ‘Bharat’ to greater heights in every
after the decision to replace morale. While disagreements Indian toy story do not like to be asked is “kya lena Delhi’s jailed Chief Minister Arvind This rare alignment sparks debate field in the next five years if voted to
Rohit Sharma with Pandya as between management and fans You must give it to the BJP for aiming chahiye” (loosely translated as what Kejriwal and Punjab’s Chief Minister among financial elites — could this power.
captain was taken. are inevitable, protest should high. After overseeing and enabling a shares to buy). When confronted Bhagwant Singh Maan was abruptly surge be attributed to superior US The icing on the cake is Modi’s
The discontentment of fans not involve methods that turnaround of sorts in the fortunes with a similar question in a forum of cancelled. labour productivity setting a global Guarantee that Viksit Bharat will be
has spilled over to social media, demoralise players or of the domestic toy industry, it has investors, Kotak MF chief Nilesh The reason? A bureaucratic blunder benchmark? an inclusive Bharat; also that Bharat
which has even led to a loss of undermine the team’s spirit. now in its manifesto promised to Shah, batted the bouncer without a listed the visitor as ‘B. Maan’, leading Or are we witnessing a unique will be the third largest economic
one million followers from However, it must be said that transform Bharat into a global hub wink. to a cascade of confusion. This anomaly where traditional market power in the next five years and
Mumbai Indians’ official fans by and large remain loyal for toy manufacturing. Going by this “Nowadays we have come to a level incident amusingly echoes correlations have temporarily Bharat will be made a global
Instagram handle. and supportive even in times of Modi Guarantee (as all promises in where my cousins are saying buy it Shakespeare’s musings — what unravelled? As analysts pore over manufacturing hub.
Rohit Sharma’s legacy as one friction. the manifesto are), don’t be today. You will not get an indeed is in a name, and can brevity data, the financial community Our Bureaus

Published by Nirmala Lakshman and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). ISSN 0971 - 7528

CM
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OPINION 9
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VOLUME XXXI NUMBER 310 ILLUSTRATION: AJAY MOHANTY

NEW DELHI | MONDAY, 15 APRIL 2024

Reforming GST
become an election-related impulse upon the
It should be a priority after the elections macroeconomy. In the world of infrastructure con-

O
ne of the most significant reforms of the last decade has been the struction, when a project with 1,000 workers starts
implementation of goods and services tax (GST). However, due to a up, this is expansionary, and when the project com-
pletes, these 1,000 workers lose their jobs. Ordinarily,
variety of reasons, its performance has been underwhelming compared
the start and end of project construction are random
to the initial expectations, and the economy has not benefited to the events. Every now and then, an old project completes
extent envisaged. Tax collection increased in recent years, and there is scope for (which is contractionary) and a new project starts up
significant improvement. Although the GST Council drives GST-related decisions, (which is expansionary). These events take place at
the next Union government, irrespective of political composition, must initiate random, and overall have a negligible net effect upon
pending reforms. GST 2.0 must not only aim to increase tax collection but also the macroeconomy.
improve the overall indirect tax administration, enhancing the ease of doing But consider the possibility of a political business
business in the country. cycle in project completion. Suppose many projects

Paths to a political
complete in the one year prior to elections. In this
Overall gross GST collection in 2023-24 improved by 11.7 per cent to ~20.18
case, the flurry of project completions would go with
trillion. The collection, based on the second advance estimate of gross domestic the loss of livelihood for a large number of construc-
product (GDP), was 6.86 per cent of GDP. Net of refunds, the collection amounted tion workers. This would be contractionary.
to 6.13 per cent of GDP, which is an improvement over the previous year. Revenue If such behaviour is present, it could be a pathway

business cycle
collection, however, must be evaluated based on taxes included in GST. General through which a political business cycle could arise.
government revenue collection from taxes subsumed into GST amounted to 6.3 If this is the case, the year of the election and the one
per cent of GDP in 2016-17. The present performance would have appeared more following it would be relatively weak on demand
disappointing had cess collection been discontinued in accordance with the owing to this bunching of project completions.
A second pathway to a political business cycle
original design of GST. The cess was collected to compensate states for revenue
shortfall at a predetermined growth rate in the first five years of implementation.
Is there such a thing in India? could lie in economic policy uncertainty. There are
many industries where support from the Indian state
However, the collection of cess continued after five years to repay the debt

H
ow does our thinking about macroeco- pleased. To the extent that there is inflation targeting, is important to a business plan or an investment pro-
incurred to compensate states during the pandemic. Net of refunds and cess, nomics change in an election year? Public backed by a properly structured monetary policy ject. Changes in the ruling configuration, including
GST collection drops well below 6 per cent of GDP. choice theory is the idea that the state is committee, this concern is solved. changes of Cabinet ministers and senior officials,
There are several reasons — including premature rate reduction for political made up of individuals that maximise their self- These issues play out differently in developing could generate a shift in policy or a shift in behaviour
reasons — why the GST system has underperformed. The multiplicity of rates interest. Elections are an important consideration countries. Institutional quality is weaker, so there is towards private persons. If a certain proportion of
also created plenty of confusion, and duties were inverted in many cases, which for politicians. The idea of the “political business a greater threat that economic-policy decisions will firms feel their industry or firm is exposed to such
affected revenue over the years. Issues related to information technology and cycle” envisages certain kinds of policy action prior be made with an eye on re-election. But there are a risk, then there would be a go-slow approach to invest-
to and after elections, which create impulses upon different set of constraints. Under conditions of finan- ment in the period before the elections. This could
compliance have been addressed to a large extent, but they cannot compensate
the macroeconomy. Our ability to understand these cial repression, fiscal policy does not care about how give a second pathway for a political business cycle.
for basic design flaws in the system. A Reserve Bank of India estimate in September
phenomena helps us better interpret economic con- the bond market thinks. But fiscal policy has little Bagow and Altaf, 2022, examine the Lok Sabha elec-
2019, after multiple rate adjustments, showed that the effective weighted average ditions and developments. room to manoeuvre, in good times tions of 2009, 2014, and 2019, and support this idea.
rate declined to 11.6 per cent compared to 14.4 per cent at the inception of GST. The biggest levers of macroeco- or bad. When faced with the pan- Neither of these two causal pathways (non-ran-
The priority for the next government thus should be to nudge the GST nomics, fiscal and monetary policy, demic, advanced economies were dom placement of investment project completion,
Council to adjust to the revenue-neutral rate. This should be achieved simulta- are the first port of call in thinking able to mount massive fiscal and firms/industries that face policy uncertainty)
neously with rationalising slabs. Most goods and services should be brought about the political business cycle. In responses because they had the impacts upon the entire economy. But even if these
under a single rate. Only a select few essential items may be subject to lower advanced economies, patterns of this commensurate fiscal flexibility. issues matter to only 10 or 20 per cent of the economy,
rates, while “sin goods” could be taxed at a higher rate. The Council should also nature have been discerned. In the Given the difficulties of fiscal policy they can add up to an economically significant busi-
old days, central banks would tend strategy, developing countries have ness cycle impulse. These direct effects would play
find ways to bring petroleum products under GST. Another issue that the GST
to cut rates prior to elections, as they limited fiscal policy flexibility, out into the economy through multiplier effects (e.g.
Council would have to consider, irrespective of other reforms, is the treatment believed voters could be fooled with whether faced with a pandemic or the construction worker who loses her job buys fewer
of cess. While the imposition of cess has been extended till March 2026, analysts a brief upsurge in economic activity, with an election. biscuits or clothes).
believe the debt raised to pay compensation will be repaid sooner. One view is and there was a time lag before the Most countries now have the for- Mainstream economics literature on political
that the cess can be subsumed into GST rates. However, this will not be appropriate inflation showed up. Similarly, there SNAKES & LADDERS mal apparatus of inflation targeting, business cycles emphasises the big tools of monetary
and will go fundamentally against the initial promise of GST. While there is are incentives to spend more prior but in many developing countries, and fiscal policy. These ideas do not readily port to
AJAY SHAH
indeed a strong case for increasing GST revenue, it should be achieved by address- to an election. this institutional apparatus is not yet Indian conditions. The existing literature has some
ing the basic design flaws in the system. Taxing certain items at exorbitant rates The opportunities for such well established and the central bank interesting ideas in political business cycles such as
would be contrary to the basic idea of GST. behaviour are restricted by markets and by institu- staff has some power to think about election objectives. loan waivers (Mahambare, et al., 2022). In this article,
tional development. In advanced economies, the But they are torn between four methods to support we wonder whether an old idea (political uncertainty)
government fears the wrath of the bond market. the ruling party. Is it best to stabilise foreign investors and a new one (non-random completion of infras-

The Sino-US thaw Large deficits are immediately punished with higher
interest rates, which hampers the entire economy.
Through this, the temptation for such behaviour is
by sticking to the inflation target? Is it better to impress
voters (who may have a money illusion) by driving
down inflation? Is it better to have soft interest rates
tructure projects) could matter. Each of these ideas
impacts upon macroeconomic conditions with a dif-
ferent set of dates relative to the election date.
Yellen visit moves the needle controlled. On monetary policy, the political business and a depreciated exchange rate that will support Understanding them, and taking a stand on each of
cycle was one element of the rationale for putting an export demand? Or is it best to have high interest rates, these conjectures, will help us form a view about

U
S Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last week wrapped up a four-day end to the old style monetary policy, where there and an appreciated exchange rate, which will support Indian macroeconomics in 2024.
visit to China on a note of cautious goodwill signalling progress in was a “mystique” of central banking, where central machismo? There is no unambiguous answer.
relations following a summit between US President Joe Biden and bank staff had the discretionary powers to do as they Here is one pathway which could potentially The writer is a researcher at XKDR Forum
Chinese President Xi Jinping in California in November last year. It
is unclear whether Ms Yellen’s visit, which followed a phone chat between Messrs
Xi and Biden the week before, will yield concrete policy actions immediately,
though her down-to-earth style, enthusiasm for Chinese food, and dexterity
with chopsticks earned her generous praise from the state-controlled media.
But the timing of the visit, her second in nine months, is significant. The Biden
The increasing profitability of apiculture
W
administration is nearing the completion of a review of whether to renew duties ith over half the honey produced in India 72 per cent — from 77,000 tonnes to 133,000 tonnes believed to be derived from the products of bee pol-
imposed in 2018 by Donald Trump on Chinese imports worth billions of dollars. finding markets abroad, beekeeping (api- — exports have surged by 86 per cent — from 43,000 lination. Studies carried out by the Indian Council
The US has also restricted China’s access to advanced semiconductor and other culture) has emerged as a lucrative export- tonnes to about 80,000 tonnes. of Agricultural Research (ICAR) indicate that polli-
technology, saying it could be used for military purposes. At the same time, the oriented allied activity of agriculture. For nearly two The demand for honey has steadily been soaring nation through honeybees raises the seed produc-
slowing Chinese economy has prompted a rethink in Beijing. Late last month, decades, growth in honey exports has constantly the world over, thanks largely to the growing aware- tion of radish by 22-100 per cent, and that of cabbage
US business leaders attending the annual China Development Forum met Mr Xi outpaced the rise in production. India is now the ness of its health benefits and as a healthier alterna- and cucumber by up to 400 per cent. It also improves
world’s sixth-largest supplier of this natural sweet- tive to sugar. Its use in the pharmaceutical and cos- the quality of the produce. Thus, the economic con-
as part of the Chinese administration’s efforts to boost foreign investment.
ener to the global bazaar. The scope for further boost- metic industries is also growing rapidly. Honey tribution of honeybees as vector-pollinators, in many
In meetings with Chinese officials Ms Yellen bluntly highlighted the key ing exports is substantial, but that would require consumption received a major shot in the arm during cases, turns out to be higher than the value of the
unfair trade practices that exercise the US: China’s overcapacity in key industries, locating new markets abroad and revamping the the pandemic because of its immunity-boosting trait. honey and its high-priced by-products which the
mainly electric vehicles and solar panels. The US’ unwillingness to accept under- honey sector’s entire domestic value chain, from It also has anti-bacterial properties and contains bees generate. Most of these by-products, including
priced Chinese goods was the leitmotif of meetings with Vice-Premier He Lifeng production to processing, packaging, branding, hydrogen peroxide, which is deemed an effective royal jelly, bee wax, bee pollen, propolis, and bee
in Guangzhou. Importantly, given the complexity and divergent views of the transportation, and marketing. At sanitiser. In Ayurveda, natural honey venom enjoy good demand in the pharmaceutical
issues involved, the two countries agreed to hold more frequent exchanges on present, the bulk of the exports, is widely used for the treatment of and cosmetic industries.
more balanced economic growth. One immediate outcome is an agreement to nearly 80 per cent, land up in the numerous ailments, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call in 2017 for
United States alone, with only small cough, phlegm, asthma, hiccups, eye ushering in a honey-based “sweet revolution” in the
start exchanges to combat money laundering, though the date and venue are
quantities going to other countries infections, diabetes, obesity, worm country, on the lines of the Green Revolution or the
yet to be fixed. The optics of Ms Yellen’s China visit marked a shift in tone in US- like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi infestation, vomiting, and diarrhoea, White Revolution, proved a major turning point in
China relations after the tensions caused by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Arabia, Libya, Morocco, and Canada. apart from its external application the expansion of the honey sector. The launching
visit to Taiwan in 2022, and the shooting down by American jets of a Chinese New destinations can easily be to alleviate skin troubles. of the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, and
balloon that traversed US territory in early 2023. But, as Ms Yellen admitted, it found in regions like the European With the induction of modern a National Bee Board, hastened the technological
would take many more months to reach agreement on all issues. For instance, Union and Southeast Asia. Attention technologies and the emergence of modernisation of this sector and a perceptible rise
the issue of overcapacity is unlikely to be resolved soon. needs to be paid also to curbing ram- a new class of migratory bee farm- in the productivity of bee hives. These bodies have
pant adulteration of honey with sug- ers, who move their bee colonies also been instrumental, directly or indirectly, in the
Reflecting the Chinese position, Premier Li Qiang was quoted in the Chinese
daily Xinhua as saying the development of the green energy industry in China ar syrup, which mars the reputation FARM VIEW from place to place in pursuit of emergence of a network of integrated beekeeping
of Indian honey in both domestic flowering plants and cross-pollinat- development centres, beekeepers’ collectives and
and export markets. Besides, bee- SURINDER SUD
would play a key role in combating climate change. He urged Ms Yellen not to
ed crops requiring vector pollinators cooperative societies, and various kinds of farmers’
politicise the issue but ensure instead that the US follow basic market-economy keeping, confined now primarily to for seed setting, the profitability of producer organisations and startups engaged in dif-
norms of fair competition. Equally, Ms Yellen’s expressions of disapproval of states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar, apiculture is steadily burgeoning. Honeybees, actu- ferent activities connected with beekeeping, and
China’s role in supporting military procurement for Russia in its war against and Maharashtra, also needs to be expanded to other ally, have a symbiotic relationship with agricultural processing and marketing of its products. The ICAR
Ukraine appear to have fallen on stony ground. The end of Ms Yellen’s visit coin- areas, especially the northeastern region, which and, more particularly, horticultural crops. While is also running an all-India coordinated research
cided with a visit by Russia’s foreign minister to discuss strengthening strategic abounds in flowering plants. bees source their much-needed feed — pollens and project on honeybees and pollinators for undertak-
cooperation. The perceptible thaw demands close attention from India, whose Interestingly, while India’s honey output has nectar — from flowers, flowering plants, on the other ing situation-specific research and development
relations with the US appear to have hit a rough patch. In January this year, increased since 2005-06 by nearly 240 per cent, hand, benefit from the bees’ role as carriers and dis- work in different agro-ecological regions of the coun-
exports have bounced by over 260 per cent. The seminators of pollen from one flower to another for try. These efforts need to be intensified to boost
India had to postpone plans to host the Quad summit, the centrepiece of this
trend of exports growing faster than domestic output fertilisation. In fact, honeybees are deemed to be honey output and enable beekeeping to play its due
relationship. A new date for the summit is yet to be set. With impending elections seems to have intensified in recent years. The gov- the key pollinators for about 16 per cent of the world’s role in doubling the farmers’ income.
in both nations, the state of play is unlikely to change anytime soon. ernment data indicates that while indigenous pro- 250,000 important flowering plant species. More
duction has risen between 2018-19 and 2022-23 by significantly, about one-third of the human diet is surinder.sud@gmail.com

Climate change is making us paranoid and angry


or climate communication or
neurophilosophy or politics — but one
about “direct interventions of
environmental change on the brain.”
Most of the violence cited in those reconfigure and cultural practices vanish, climates be rounded up accordingly? If summary: “I know doomsday alarmism Nevertheless, as he puts it elsewhere,
reports derives from the effect of higher the mind becomes less able to retain higher temperatures lead to outbursts is tiresome. But you should still “bank shots still count in billiards.”
temperatures on natural resources and information, which Aldern translates as: of violence, should a hot day be be concerned.” Regardless of whether you live in a
weather disasters. A report from the “Climate change causes amnesia.” considered a mitigating factor when It is impossible to submit to this wildfire zone or a hurricane alley, or
Pentagon describes, for instance, how In hotter climates, a high school determining the guilt of a defendant? barrage and not be concerned. Any swim in warm ponds, his central
drought and reduced agricultural yields student’s chance of graduating on time Should parents be warned against person who dares to stare down the insights hold, and deserve emphasis.
BOOK REVIEW helped prime the Syrian civil war, and decreases by a percentage point for every raising children in tropical zones? behemoth of climate change cannot Aldern is the rare writer who dares to ask
how Hurricane Sandy necessitated the extra degree Fahrenheit on the day of a Like any kind of intoxication, escape its mind-altering influence. How how climate change has already
NATHANIEL RICH mass mobilisation of the US military. But final exam. On warmer days immigration indulgence in worst-case scenarios can does one respond, intellectually or changed us.
it is also true that heat makes people judges more frequently rule against induce a hangover. emotionally, to an “It is the job of your brain to model
THE WEIGHT OF

W
e know, often with abject irritable. How much more anger — how asylum applicants. When it’s hotter than Since many of these unravelling that the world as it is,” writes Aldern. “And
NATURE: How a
precision, what climate many more shootings, road-rage 100 degrees, one third of drivers honk findings are Changing Climate seems both the world is mutating.” We are mutating
change is doing to our coasts, accidents, sporting-event brawls, more often, and for longer. Heat exposure predicated on Changes Our Brains unobservably slow with it. We are becoming more suspici-
rainforests, wildfires and hurricanes; declarations of war — is stimulated by a during early pregnancy is associated with extrapolations, and teeth- ous, paranoid, anxious, depressive,
our immigration patterns, crop yields warming of one-and-a-half degrees a higher risk of conditions like Aldern, the former Author: Clayton chatteringly rapid; distracted, nihilistic, angry. Not all of us,
and insurance premiums. But what is it Celsius? How about two degrees, or three? schizophrenia and anorexia. scientist, is careful to Page Aldern to the unthinking and not all the time. Some respond, as
doing to our brains? Warmer temperatures also tend to make Dolphins appear to be getting include Publisher: Dutton and indiscriminate Aldern instructs his readers to do, with
This question, for Clayton Page us more cruel, depressed and dumb. Alzheimer’s disease. Mountaintop qualifications. “It’s Pages: 320 slaughter of billions greater empathy, resilience, collective
Aldern, is not rhetorical but bleakly The weight of the Weight of Nature removal makes Appalachians important not to of creatures; to the action and pipeline sabotage.
literal. Aldern is a Rhodes Scholar who, falls heavily on the problems, which depressed. In Greenland, mercury, a overreach here,” he
Price: $30 ineptitude of our But that is just another kind of
in defiance of career counselors draw from a survey of experimental neurotoxin, is leaking from melting writes, directly after politics and the mutation: an antibody response. This
everywhere, abandoned a promising findings so terrifying that they elicit the permafrost “like some kind of quoting Crime and psychopathic great transformation is already
career in the field of neuroscience to prose equivalent of nervous laughter; cartoonish sludge zombie.” Florida will Punishment to demonstrate the venality of our industries; to the deforming our inner lives in ways we are
become a journalist. He traces his many of them, as Aldern writes in soon be swarmed by rabid vampire bats. influence of heat on murderous rage. assignation of the most vulnerable only beginning to comprehend. Climate
conversion to a pair of reports showing a reference to the prospect of global- Some of the revelations in this “Don’t pay attention to the actual values,” among us to the gravest suffering; to the change isn’t only here, writes Aldern. It
correlation between climate change and warming-induced mass dementia, are “Pandora’s box of horrors” raise he writes, after relaying an economist’s wilful destruction of a civilisation? The is inside us. And it is spreading.
increased violent conflict. “It wasn’t just “almost comically apocalyptic.” practical questions. If students are 10 prediction that, between 2010 and 2099, scale of the physical transformation
that a warmer world would hurt us,” Neurodegenerative diseases will per cent more likely to fail an exam climate change will cause an additional alone overwhelms the mind. The reviewer is the author, most recently, of
writes Aldern, “it was that a warmer affect some 14 million more people taken on a 90-degree day, should the 22,000 murders, 2.2 million cases of Aldern asserts that he has not Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade
world would make us hurt one another.” annually by 2050. As landscapes test scores of children in southern larceny and 180,000 cases of rape. In written a book about climate anxiety — ©2024 The New York Times News Service
12 NEW DELHI
MONDAY
APRIL 15, 2024

Opinion

{ OUR TAKE }
E STA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 24
Riding global winds
Spectre of war to build India’s future grammes and schemes. security was also high on the agenda.

rises in West Asia Till recently, the country


was playing catch-up on
technology. With the
We have our eyes set on the future. With geopolitical events dictating the
For instance, we have the India AI price of energy, our strategy had to
Mission, with ₹10,372 crore allo- ensure the resilience of our economy
cated, or the National Quantum Mis- to such shocks.
World can’t afford to be roiled by more conflicts. impetus from the sion, with ₹6,000 crore allocated. It is in this context that India
Semiconductors today are essential launched the Green Hydrogen Mis-
Israel and Iran must roll back their aggression Centre’s schemes, it is to the economic security of a coun- sion with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore.
try. The India Semiconductor Mis- Green hydrogen (GH2) has the
set to lead in emerging sion with outlays of ₹76,000 crore, is potential to address emissions from

I
srael’s war on Gaza is on the brink of expanding
technology areas a huge step in this direction. These both the industrial and transport sec- We have our eyes set on the future. The AI Mission, the Quantum Mission,
beyond the confines of the Palestinian missions will enable India to techno- tors, while also enhancing India’s and the Semiconductor Mission are all geared towards this SHUTTERSTOCK

T
homeland. In retaliation to Tel Aviv’s killing of he two big opportunities logically leapfrog and play an inte- economic security, putting us on the
two Iranian generals in Damascus on April 1, we have today are the gral role in accelerating the pace of path of energy independence. eBus Sewa scheme has been rolled ups, corporates, and research insti-
permeation of digital our economic growth to Our strategy to decarbon- out with the allocation of ₹57,613 tutes must come together to leverage
Tehran launched drones and missiles into Israel technologies and the become a $35-trillion econ- ise the transport sector is crore; 10,000 electric buses are tar- these funds. While this addresses the
early Sunday. The United States (US), Israel’s green transition. Digital omy in the Amrit Kaal, as realistic and pragmatic – we geted to be rolled out in 169 cities, funding gap, we must continue to
foremost ally, has claimed “nearly all” the drones technologies, such as envisaged by Prime Minis- recognise the role various with adequate payment security work to bridge the manpower gap.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ter Narendra Modi. technologies will have to mechanisms. Taken together, these First, we must improve educational
were taken down. The world needs to pull back machine learning (ML), Big Data, In the past, we have seen play. Apart from GH2, we moves will make India a global outcomes at the school level in mis-
quickly from an escalation of the conflict. Tehran quantum computing, among others, how geopolitical events are also positioning India as champion in the adoption of EVs and sion mode. Ensuring curricula that
has said it has achieved its objective and has no are sector-agnostic and will give rise have led to sustained spikes Amitabh a hub for electric vehicles EV manufacturing, serving not just are up to date, and designed in con-
to new business models and use- in energy prices, particu- Kant (EVs). Whether it is the Pro- domestic, but also global markets. sultation with industry is another
intention to carry out more attacks if Israel does not cases. Digital technologies hold the larly oil and gas. India being duction Linked Incentive Strong foundations have been set area. Making research a more
retaliate to Sunday’s missile-drone firings, which it promise of increasing productivity an oil-dependent country, (PLI) scheme for advanced for India to technologically leapfrog. attractive career option through bet-
explained as a response to Tel Aviv’s Damascus and efficiency. A just energy transi- has seen spikes in inflation, chemistry cell (ACC) batter- To make this a reality, we are devis- ter pay in progression in government
tion can help create new jobs, pre- current account deficits, and fiscal ies with an outlay of ₹18,000 crore, or ing strategies to boost our research jobs is one avenue. Raising PhD sti-
killings. All will depend on how Tel Aviv acts now; serve our ecosystems, and save us deficits (when prices were con- PLI for Advanced Automotive Tech- and development (R&D) expenditure pends in public universities is
its allies, including the US, have told Israel to hold from the worst climate-crisis effects. trolled) when oil prices rise. Further- nology, with an outlay of ₹25,938 as a percentage of Gross Domestic another. Attracting global scientists
its hand. And India stands poised to capital- more, India’s crude oil imports stood crore, the entire EV ecosystem is Product. Currently, our expenditure to India or tapping into our diaspora
ise on these trends. India’s approach at ~$160 billion in FY23, accounting being addressed. Recently, the manu- is behind countries that are ahead on are further avenues to pursue.
The extended war in Gaza — 35,000 plus to technology has been to leverage for 22% of our import bill. Periods of facturing of electric four-wheelers the technological curve. And in these On technology, India has, till
casualties in over six months with thousands of tech to narrow inequalities, rather rising oil prices not only lead to infla- has also been boosted, with global countries, most of the R&D expendi- recently, played catch-up. However,
homes flattened — was bad enough. It has forced than widen them. We have seen this tion but also lead to volatility in the manufacturers incentivised to set up ture comes from the private sector, we are now poised to capitalise on
in the case of our digital public infra- value of the rupee. local manufacturing. The experience with the government playing an ena- the global shifts and emerge as a
additional costs on global trade with sea routes in structure, which helped us make dec- We have made significant strides in aggregating demand to drive down bling role. So, it is the private sector technological leader. Strong founda-
West Asia coming under fire. Moscow’s war on Kyiv ades’ worth of progress in financial in increasing the mix of renewables prices (as in the case of LEDs) was that must take the lead. Corporates tions have been set. Backed by strong
has already imposed a significant cost on the global inclusion in just a few years. Or how in our installed capacity in power, also adapted for public transport. and startups must partner with aca- political will, there is every reason to
it helped us roll out more than two and by 2030, this mix will rise even Under the Gross Cost Contract demic and research institutes to believe that we will succeed.
economy; an expanded war in West Asia could tip billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. further. However, different strategies model, discovered prices of electric drive the R&D agenda. Recognising
the economy over a precipice since it could force oil The government is also actively look- were required to address emissions buses were found to be lower than the need for long-term funding, ₹1 The author is India’s G20 Sherpa, and
prices to skyrocket. There is an urgent need for all ing at futuristic technologies that can from the industrial and transport those of diesel buses. Based on the lakh crore for R&D was announced former CEO, NITI Aayog. The views
be leveraged in government pro- sectors. Furthermore, economic success of the early models, the PM in the interim budget. India’s start- expressed are personal
parties to halt hostilities.
The Hamas terror attack was unacceptable, but
Tel Aviv has not served its interests by unleashing
its military might on the hapless civilians of Gaza. { STRAIGHTFORWARD } { JOE BIDEN } PRESIDENT, THE UNITED STATES
Its targeting of Iranian officials in neighbouring
Shashi Shekhar
countries, on the ground that Tehran is the sponsor
of Hamas, is a blatant violation of national borders
P
Despite attacks on our
and international law. The actions of both countries
have roiled West Asia, which Delhi considers to be
its extended neighbourhood. The region is crucial
Has ECI taken the colour support for brown and Black
small businesses, we’re
to the country’s energy security and houses
millions of Indian workers.
Ideally, the United Nations (UN) ought to take the
off election campaigns? investing in them as key ways to
lead. But, even as the UN has called for an t the end of the last month, I got the This is why money and muscle power build generational wealth in
emergency meeting, the current state of conflicts
reveals its toothless character. Israel ignores
international censure, and is backed by the US,
A opportunity to visit Turkey again —
an election campaign adding colour
to the affectionate environment
there. Be it at the Taksim Square or Princess
Island, the ablution fountain of Hagia
gained influence in politics during the 1970s
and 1980s. Political bigwigs across parties
began cultivating the company of criminals.
These criminals were euphemistically
named bahubali.
A
communities.

which uses its veto to secure its ally’s interests.


Sophia, or the modernity of a mall, people A number of such bahubalis began to
Russia and China do the same to safeguard their were talking about the election. The streets climb the power ladder from gram pancha-
interests. What the world is witnessing in West Asia
e-Bus goals call for an
were lined with candidates’ banners and yats to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Data
and Ukraine is the failure of the old “rules-based” glowing sign boards. Speeches were being analysed by the Association for Democratic
delivered at street corner meetings, and elec- Reforms (ADR) showed that about 29% of
order in protecting the interests of all the people. tion enthusiasm was prevalent across the members of the country’s 17th Lok Sabha
Palestinians are a people without a nation, though
the US had underwritten the promise of nationhood
for Palestine in the Oslo Accords (1993). The
media. This was a mayoral election. What if
it were the general elections?
We in India are currently headed for the
general elections, but there is no visible
were charged with very serious offences,
while 18% of Rajya Sabha members faced
such charges. Another analysis by ADR in
June 2023 showed that in the legislatures of
urban-transport reset
immediate need is for all hostilities to cease. excitement in the atmosphere. Is this dull- 28 states and two Union Territories, almost he Prime Minister e-Bus Sewa run bus services and, thereby, no transport
ness the result of actions taken by the Elec-
tion Commission of India (ECI) to prevent
buying of votes? Can it contain money
power?
28% of the legislators had a criminal past.
Politicians have also grown wealthier. The
ADR analysis showed that 12% of Rajya
Sabha members currently have assets worth
T Scheme which aims to put 10,000 authority, will need local transport authori-
electric buses on city routes across ties to play the role of the regulator.
the country will help reduce green- Third, private bus operators running
house gas emissions, a key goal set by Prime unstructured bus services in smaller cities
Inflation cooling, but Before answering these questions, let me
take you to the 1960s, to a time when Ram
more than ₹100 crore, whereas about 48%
Lok Sabha members elected five years ago
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi at the 2021 and between cities need to create structured
Glasgow climate summit. The Centre wants service. This needs new skills. Programmes

there are risks ahead Manohar Lohia chose a new path to over-
come the ruling party’s financial power. He
came up with the “One note; one vote” cam-
had assets worth more than ₹5 crore. Nota-
bly, our country’s per capita daily income
remains stuck at ₹464.
to replace 800,000 diesel buses — a third of to build this capacity must be designed.
the number running the country — in the Fourth, the operation of electric buses is
next eight-10 years. There were 6,745 regis- quite different from running diesel-run
paign to raise funds to contest elections. The connotation is clear: The common tered electric buses across the country on buses because the charging time of the
t 4.9% in March compared to 5.1% in

A
Under the campaign, workers of his party Indian is now limited to being a voter. For January 11, 2024. Any change in the mode of former is long, and mid-day recharging has
February, the retail inflation elephant, to use would collect ₹1 each from persons attending many of them, the temptation of money, urban transport in India is a huge task and to be planned meticulously. The refill time of
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’s analogy, the party’s public gatherings. Similar cam- combined with caste, religion, region, and needs a clear plan. The following approaches diesel buses was short.
paigns have been run by leaders such as Kan- sect, serves as a lifeline. It is hardly surpris- need to be kept in mind. Fifth, if the electric bus operations are to
continues to walk towards the forest. The core shi Ram and Arvind Kejriwal. ing that the amount of money and liquor First, greater efficiency in city bus services be run efficiently, it will be necessary to cre-
inflation print — the non-food non-fuel part of the It is an irony, though, that Kanshi Ram’s seized by the Election Commission has is possible if it is handed over to private ate an information-technology (IT)-based
Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket — is among the successor, Mayawati, faced allegations of increased dramatically over the last decade. operators. This will curtail govern- monitoring system. Two levels of
corruption after coming to power. And Kejri- ECI seized ₹190 crore in the 2009 general ment spending on bus services and information flow will be needed—
lowest it has ever been. That these numbers are wal is currently behind bars facing allega- elections; in 2019, it seized more than ₹841 cut the losses suffered by the state- one at the operational level, and the
accompanied by a strong growth momentum tions in the liquor policy scam. Money and crore, a record high. Similarly, in 2019, 18.6 run transport corporations. second at the management level.
suggests that overheating is the least of the Indian the rich have begun to exert direct influence million litres of liquor were seized, compared Second, a structured bus service Operational level information must
on our democracy. with 16 million litres in 2014. must be created in smaller cities be transmitted to the management
economy’s concerns, and there could very well be a In our country, where one election or the that lack one today. level to keep the operations smooth.
OP
situation where an upward revision of the potential other is held every few months, politicians Third, the number of electric
Agarwal
The IT-based monitoring system
growth rate is merited. and parties are pushed to spend money in a vehicles in the country must be with standard protocols for data
variety of ways. A top leader told me that increased, and bus services in collection and management should
This is as good as it gets for an economy. And yet, during elections, a candidate needs at least urban and semi-urban areas must be in place across the country.
there are reasons for concern. Food inflation, as two vehicles and a corresponding number of shift to electric buses entirely. Sixth, the electricity load must be
this newspaper argued improvising on Das’s personnel to campaign in one block. In a Lok Fourth, mobility in cities must be managed well. The recharging
Sabha election, at least 50 cars must be made more competitive, and be bet- process should not result in outages
analogy, is the rogue elephant in the herd of deployed directly and indirectly. Besides, ter placed to take the national econ- due to grid overload because that
(inflation) elephants. Prices of cereals, pulses and each block has an office where workers rest omy to $30-trillion by 2047. Provid- would lead to a breakdown of the
vegetables continue to rise at worrying rates. and food has to be arranged for them. On the ing an efficient city bus service is an Pawan system. The grid should be
night before the polls, lakhs of rupees are important part of the strategy to Mulukutla equipped to withstand the overload.
Making matters worse, monetary policy doesn’t spent providing “meals and drinks” to people make cities catalysts of economic Clearly, aggressive capacity
even have a weapon in its arsenal to bring down from village to village. Lakhs of rupees are growth. building programmes will be
food prices. It is this asymmetry between policy spent at one’s own or any other major Fifth, the switch to electricity-run needed to equip private-sector
leader’s election meeting. city transport services would help meet the operators as well as public-sector regulators.
objectives and instruments that has forced RBI to Another worthy stated that formerly, the climate goals promised by the PM at the While the private operators will need to bet-
retain its hawkish tone and delay interest rate cuts. task was done solely through booklets, ban- Glasgow climate summit. ter understand complex skills like bus and
The situation might get worse from here. The ners, and posters. Posters and banners have Sixth, costs of urban transport systems crew scheduling, public-sector agencies (reg-
been banned now, but people must be can be reduced by improving the economies ulators) will need to better understand the
escalation in conflict between Iran and Israel could deployed to remain active on social media for of scale by procuring electric buses from complexities of demand estimation, route
seriously disrupt commodity markets, especially the entire five-year period, not only to glorify manufacturers in large numbers. and network design, procurement, and mon-
for crude oil. Brent crude prices have already their leader but also to keep attacking rivals. Each of these approaches poses significant itoring. The staff of the state transport corpo-
In light of this, an election expenditure cap is challenges. First, state transport authorities rations who had been offered voluntary
climbed by more than $5 per barrel over the last ineffective. Politics is an expensive business. must shift from being operators of buses to retirement packages should be enabled in
month. Unlike food markets, the government will This raises a couple of questions: Why being regulators. It is not easy because the forming cooperatives and bidding for operat-
have much less leeway on price control if oil would big traders or business houses that change requires a different set of skills. It ing bus routes. The government will do well
make election donations not expect any would make a large segment of the staff of to start systematically working on each of
markets get a shock. This is what makes inflation profit in return? What causes the world’s the road transport corporation redundant; a these.
management tricky. It’s a battle policymakers are largest democracy to seem frightened when policy re-skill them and redeploy them
more likely to lose because of climate or confronted with this issue? would be needed. In some cases, a generous OP Agarwal is senior advisor, WRI India, and
voluntary retirement package would be nec- Pawan Mulukutla is executive program director,
geopolitical shocks than textbook demand-supply There is no visible excitement in the Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. essary. This is a politically sensitive issue. Integrated Transport, Clean Air and Hydrogen at
imbalances. atmosphere over the upcoming polls AP The views expressed are personal Second, cities without local-government- WRI India. The views expressed are personal

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EDITOR: KUNAL PRADHAN


12 MoNDAy, 15 AprIl 2024
NEw DElhI VIEWS LIVEMINT.COM

OUR VIEW THEIR VIEW


REUTERS

India’s East Asia outreach shows


its centrality to regional stability
New Delhi is trying to deepen ties to confront common threats but in-group differences pose hurdles

India’s participation in regional forums highlighting the 1982 UN Convention


like the East Asia Summit and Asean on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as a
Regional Forum help its outreach. foundational aspect of this approach.
In this age of the Indo-Pacific, the He said that “all parties must adhere to
strategic convergence between India [UNCLOS] in its entirety, both in letter
and Southeast Asia has evolved dramat- and in spirit” and reiterated “India’s
ically shaped by common concerns support to the Philippines for uphold-
regarding maritime security, terrorism ing its national sovereignty.” Tensions
and the changing balance of power. have been brewing between China and
HarsH V. PanT India’s strategic partnerships with the Philippines as Chinese forces have
is professor of international relations, countries like Vietnam and the Philippi- been trying to dislodge the Philippines
King’s College London, and vice president nes have deepened security coopera- from the Second Thomas Shoal. Against
for studies at Observer Research tion, particularly in areas such as coun- this backdrop, Manila’s attempt to
Foundation, New Delhi. ter-terrorism, defence technology and incorporate India in its strategic calcu-

Is our economy a force


maritime surveillance. Moreover, lus for issues of traditional security and
India’s Act East policy emphasizes defence is striking in contrast to how

E
xternal affairs minister S. Jais- connectivity projects, such as the India- relations were in the past—often limited
hankar’s three-nation tour to Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway to areas of low politics.
Southeast Asia last month amid an and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit India’s engagement with the South

to reckon with globally? election cycle in India underscores the


critical role this region plays in New
Delhi’s aspiration to emerge as a critical
anchor in the Indo-Pacific. India’s rela-
Transport Project, to promote eco-
nomic development.
The emergence of a strategic dimen-
sion in India’s outreach to the East
China Sea (SCS) issue is primarily
driven by its strategic interests in mari-
time security, freedom of navigation
and regional stability. While India is not
tionship with Southeast Asia is marked is a relatively recent phenomenon. a claimant state in the SCS dispute, it
by historical, cultural and economic Launched in 2014, the Act East policy has significant stakes in the region due
Large emerging market economies like India’s have caught up with the advanced world in ties that have evolved over centuries, has sought to give a more proactive to its growing economic and security
shaping the diplomatic landscape of the focus to Indian engagements in East interests in the Indo-Pacific. New Delhi
generating economic spillovers, says IMF. The G20 must aim to work more closely together region. Geopolitically, India’s ‘Look and Southeast Asia by deepening eco- has consistently advocated the peaceful
East’ policy, initiated in the early 1990s nomic integration, expanding strategic resolution of disputes in the South
and later reconfigured as the ‘Act East’ partnerships and fostering cultural and China Sea in accordance with interna-
policy, demonstrates its commitment to people-to-people ties. By doing so, tional law, particularly UNCLOS,

T
he G7 may need to move over for a international reserve currency. The resultant deepening engagement with the region. India seeks to play a more prominent underlining the importance of uphold-
new group on the block: Emerging ‘exorbitant privilege’ of the US dollar means that Yet, as a recent survey published by role in shaping the evolving geopolitical ing the principles of freedom of naviga-
the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – dynamics of the region while advancing tion and overflight in the SCS, given its
market economies (EMEs). As the the world’s largest economy can easily finance Yusof Ishak Institute reveals, it is a long its own national interests and goals. significance as a crucial maritime trade
International Monetary Fund’s huge deficits because its government bonds road ahead for India in the region, with India’s Indo-Pacific policy has at its route connecting the Indian Ocean
(IMF) April World Economic Out- are readily bought by other countries. Worse, only 0.4% of those surveyed naming heart the notion of Asean centrality, with the Pacific. India’s focus has
look puts it, “The global economy any change in US policy has spillover effects on India as the country with the most polit- which reflects its recognition of the remained on framing the debate in
is increasingly influenced by the Group of the rest of the world, as evidenced by the ‘taper ical and strategic influence in Southeast region’s pivotal role in shaping the normative terms by focusing on
Asia. This despite the fact that histori- Indo-Pacific architecture and its com- enhancing maritime cooperation,
Twenty’s large emerging markets. Over the tantrum’ of 2013, when a spike in US Treasury cally, New Delhi’s cultural influence mitment to deepening ties with South- promoting connectivity and building
past two decades, these economies have yields after the Federal Reserve said it would extended to Southeast Asia through east Asia. Yet, the divisions within partnerships with like-minded nations
become much more integrated with global slow its pace of bond buying had a harsh ripple- trade routes, religious exchanges and Asean are becoming starker and the to ensure regional stability and security
markets and are generating larger economic to-near-tsunami effect on emerging-economy the spread of Indian civilization. challenges facing a once-dynamic in the Indo-Pacific.
‘spillovers’ to the rest of the world.” Even in a currencies. The Indian rupee, for example, India’s economic engagement with regional grouping growing. Asean’s India remains constrained by the
Southeast Asia has also grown signifi- inability to forge a coherent response to inability of regional stakeholders to
world where we have all come to accept that depreciated from ₹55.80 to the dollar on 24 May cantly. The Association of Southeast the Chinese belligerence in South come to a cohesive understanding on
change is the only constant and got accus- to ₹65.24 by 6 September 2013, even as the Asian Nations (Asean) is India’s fourth- China Sea can no longer be ignored. the issue. Yet, it cannot remain immune
tomed to the IMF recanting its position on Reserve Bank of India sold a net $14 billion from largest trading partner. Initiatives like During his visit to Manila last month, to all the turbulence that is growing in
‘truths’ like capital account convertibility as June to September on trying to keep its decline the India-Asean Free Trade Agreement Jaishankar had stated that prosperity in the region. New Delhi’s Southeast Asia
a must and the need for fiscal austerity, regard- orderly. “Growth spillovers from domestic have facilitated trade liberalization and the region is “best served by staunch outreach is also contingent on the
economic cooperation. Additionally, adherence to a rules-based order,” choices of regional players.
less of the context in which such policies are shocks in G20 emerging markets have increased
sought to be imposed, the Fund’s statement is over the past two decades,” says the WEO, “and
a revelation. It throws new light on what has are now comparable to those from advanced
long been accepted as a given in the global economies.” As we would expect, the largest
context. Namely, that spillovers are only one- EME spillovers are from China. These explain
way: from advanced to emerging markets; not just as much of the variation in emerging-mar-
the other way round. So, while the 2008 global ket output as those from the US. It is well known www.livemint.com
New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh*, Pune* Tuesday, April 15, 2014 Vol.8 No.89 `4.00 in Delhi­NCR/`5.00 outside Delhi­NCR 24 PAGES

Kejriwal leads the


financial crisis that had its origin in the US that China’s rise has spelt a shift in heft within
MEDIA:
pack on news channels >6
ELECTIONS: Six ex­CMs battle it out in
Karnataka >9

impacted countries the world over, crises like the G20. But here’s the surprise: Other G20
CORPORATE: Business groups hike
infrastructure investments >10
CONTENT PARTNER
VIEWS: Is India about to turn fascist? >23

the East Asian crisis of 1997 or Latin American emerging markets—such as India, Brazil, Russia
SENSEX 22,628.96 ® NIFTY 6,776.30 ® DOLLAR `60.18 ® EURO `93.48 ® GOLD `29,161 ® OIL $108.04 Æ $0.71

PTI
CONTINUED CRITICISM Why parties are QUICK EDIT

crisis of the 1980s impacted mainly other and Mexico—also play an important role in the
Two books
spell trouble
paying attention Trade in
to young,
first­time voters
slow motion
B Y U TPAL B HASKAR
utpal.b@livemint.com
·························
G lobal trade is
expected to grow by
4.7% in 2014, below its
historical trend of 5.3%, a
You can’t hate old people,
for Congress
because if you are not
NEW DELHI
figure not expected by

I
EMEs—typically, in the vicinity of the country economic performance of their neighbours.
n the third round of polling, the World Trade
held on 10 April, the constitu- Organization to be
ency of Chandigarh reported an surpassed until 2015.
interesting statistic: While the The proximate cause
overall turnout was 71.92%, vot- for this is the weakness in
ers in the age group of 18-21 saw the European Union’s
Furore over books fuels a higher turnout of 77.93%. economy, which is taking
BJP’s attacks against After Baru, Across the nation, of the
814.59 million registered to vote
longer than expected to
recover. But a deeper
Congress days ahead of Parakh claims

at the centre of the problem. The LatAm crisis We could think of this new normal as sweet
in the 16th general election, an reason is the

an old person, you will


crucial fifth phase of estimated 120 million are first- continuation of nearly
Lok Sabha elections PM’s authority time voters in this age category—
around 24 times the population
80% of the protectionist
measures put in place by

B Y G YAN V ARMA & A NUJA


undermined of Singapore.
However, they do not vote as a
countries since 2008
when the global crisis
························· bloc and are spread across India, erupted. Normally, global
NEW DELHI which means that while they can trade grows at twice the
B Y A MAN M ALIK &

T he Congress is back in fa- U TPAL B HASKAR probably influence the outcome rate of global output.

was largely confined to Latin America, while revenge for all the decades when EMEs were
miliar territory: fire fight- ····················· in constituencies, they are un- This was the trend until
NEW DELHI
ing. Tomes just published likely to determine it, unlike vot- the crisis.
by two former insiders in the
F ormer coal secretary ing based on social identity. There is a good case

become an old person, or


government have put the spot- P.C. Parakh says According to the Election for India to take the lead
light back on the governance Prime Minister Manmo- Commission of India (EC), the in pushing for the next
record of the Congress-led Unit- han Singh’s authority in number of first-time voters in the round of global trade
ed Progressive Alliance (UPA). determining the process 18-19 years category is 23.16 mil- liberalization, something
And this just days before the by which coal blocks lion, or 2.8% of the national elec- that it will benefit from.
fifth phase of polling in the gen- should be allocated was torate. Of these, 41.4%, or 9.59 With investment growth

the East Asian crisis affected the ‘Asian Tigers,’ at the receiving end. But that would be self-
eral election on 17 April, which undermined by former million, are female and 58.6%, or likely to remain
will see voting for 122 seats coal minister Shibu Soren 13.56 million, are male. In the depressed for some time
spread across key states, includ- and minister of state for battleground states of Uttar and little scope for a
ing Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. coal Dasari Narayana Remembering Ambedkar: Major political leaders including, (from top), Pradesh and Bihar, which to- spending stimulus,
While the weekend was domi- Rao. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime gether account for 120 seats, vot- exports offer India one

die while trying to do so.


nated by Sanjaya Baru’s book, In his book Crusader or ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party leader ers in the 18-19 years age catego- escape route from its
The Accidental Prime Minister: Conspirator? Coalgate Arvind Kejriwal on Monday paid homage to B.R. Ambedkar, the current growth impasse.
The Making and Unmaking of and Other Truths, re- architect of the Indian Constitution, on his 123rd birth anniversary. TURN TO PAGE 4®

with advanced economies either unaffected or defeating. In a globalized world, we sink or


Manmohan Singh, which alleged leased on Monday, Para-
that the separation of political kh writes that his (Para-
and executive powers had ham- kh’s) proposal to adopt a
strung Singh, on Monday, it was policy of open competi- SLOWING GROWTH near-literal reversal of fortune,
the turn of former coal secretary tive bidding for auction- driving them back to jobs and
P. C. Parakh to grab the lime-
light.
Parakh’s book, Crusader or
Conspirator? Coalgate and other
ing coal blocks for captive
use was “killed” by Soren,
the then coal minister,
Rural workers now have fewer ways of living they thought they
had left behind.
Between 2005 and 2012, as In-
dia’s industrial and service sec-

incentives to move to cities


marginally affected. swim together. Spillovers are inevitable.
Truths, on the so-called scam in TURN TO PAGE 4® tors boomed, farm employment
coal block allocations, alleged shrank by 37 million jobs. Econ-
that the prime minister’s author- omists at the Mumbai-based
ity in determining the way in
which coal mines should be al- 20
14 NEW A TALE OF TWO RISING GIANTS
credit-rating firm Crisil now ex-
pect that process to go back-

INDIA
lotted had been undermined by wards: By 2019, 12 million more
two ministers in 2004—coal min- Agriculture accounts for almost ...whereas more of China’s workers ...pulling more of its population people will be working in agri-
ister Shibu Soren and minister of half of employment in India... are in industrial and service jobs... into urban areas. culture than in 2012.
state for coal Dasari Narayana ELECTIONS “Because there won’t be

We are talking here not only of crises, which And while it might be naïve to think that any
Jobs by sector, as a percentage of total employment Urban population, as a share of total

L E MON Y SN I C K E T
Rao. enough job opportunities out-
The Bharatiya Janata Party 60 % 60 % side of agriculture, both in rural
Agriculture Agriculture China
(BJP) was quick to try and exploit distracting critics who targeted 50 50 areas and in cities, people will
the contents of the two books to its prime ministerial aspirant remain stuck,” says Dharmakirti
its political advantage even as Narendra Modi for correcting his 40 40 Joshi, Crisil’s chief economist.
the Congress had to work over- previous error of omission— Services India “Agriculture’s share of GDP is
30 30
time to mitigate the political leaving out details about his Services shrinking, but more and more
damage. wife—in the affidavit filed with 20 Industrial*
20 people will be lashed to it.”
At the same time, the contro- his nomination papers for the That’s not the way India’s pol-

have spillovers by their very nature, but also country will frame policy keeping global
Industrial* 10
10
versies also helped the BJP, by Vadodara Lok Sabha seat. icymakers want the next chapter
On Monday, at his rallies in 0 0 of the country’s economic story
Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 1990 2000 ’10 1990 2000 ’10 1990 2000 ’10 to go. Voting in Parliamentary
Modi attacked Congress presi- *Includes mining, manufacturing and construction Source: World Bank The Wall Street Journal
elections kicked off last week
dent Sonia Gandhi for belittling amid deep discontent about job-
the constitutional office of the lessness and missing opportuni-
prime minister. B Y R AYMOND Z HONG & Today, he is back on the farm, tic product (GDP) has slowed to ties for young people.
“Babasaheb Ambedkar gave S APTARISHI D UTTA scratching out a living from a a pace not seen in a decade. The The government’s latest five-

of domestic macro policies pursued by large rather than domestic fundamentals in mind,
us freedom of speech but such is The Wall Street Journal small plot of land near his birth- Indian economy expanded at an year plan for the economy,
Congress that prime minister ························· place where he grows corn, annual rate of 4.7% in the last which covers 2012-2017, says the
MORKAHI
himself lost this right. Who in wheat, potatoes and mustard. quarter of 2013. That may be siz- share of Indian workers on farms
Congress snatched this right
from him?” Modi said during his
day-long visit to Uttar Pradesh
A s a teenager, Ram Singh left
this remote rural village and
moved to fast-growing New Del-
“Whenever someone leaves
his village for the city, he thinks,
‘I will earn money,’” says Singh,
zling by Western standards, but
it is a serious comedown for a
country whose GDP growth
is “still too large”, and places
great emphasis on helping the
economy create jobs outside of
and to Sikar, Rajasthan, on the hi to chase the spoils of India’s who isn’t certain of his age but peaked at 11.4% in 2010. Infla- agriculture.
birthday of B.R. Ambedkar, the economic boom. says he is around 30 years old. tion is high, workers aren’t find- Failure to do so would carry
Dalit icon who framed the Indian For 14 years, he toiled in tiny, “Everyone has dreams, but it’s ing jobs, and industrialization enormous economic and politi-

economies. The legacy of the Bretton Woods we must aim to work together to minimize
constitution. primitive factories making every- not always in their power to turn and urbanization are stalling. cal risks as India’s working-age
The Congress, which is seek- thing from auto parts to compo- them into reality.” For many in India whose ex- population continues to swell.
ing a third consecutive term in nents for light switches. His wag- Just a few years after India was pectations of a better life rose India needs to produce enough
power, has been embroiled in a es barely kept pace with the cost hailed as a rising economic titan along with the economy in the decent jobs for the 90 million
Mint is also available for R8 with of living and eventually he gave poised to rival China—even sur- first decade of the 2000s, the cur-
Hindustan Times in Delhi-NCR only TURN TO PAGE 4® up on city life. pass it—growth in gross domes- rent slowdown has brought a TURN TO PAGE 24®

conference established the US dollar as the the downside of spillovers.

MY VIEW | mODERN TimEs

The elderly men who run the world should give us hope
How is it that people often sneer at the anymore. But is this what you would like to of most people to age with enough health to It may appear that I am a fan of elderly
MANU JOSEPH elderly who do not quit, especially men, yet be when you are old? keep working, and to long for something, men, but I am not.
they manage to control so much of the The elderly are the only real outcaste left. and come in the way of the undeserving Even as a kid, I never fully believed that
world? I can say that even for a country like India. young who think they have the first right to the old had some great wisdom in them. In
The world appears jealous of the young, A lot of caste strife is misunderstood as the new world just because they were born fact, I thought most of them were just kids
it has too many opinions about the young. oppression. Indians do practise caste, but later. in ageing bodies. Even so, the natural right

T
he world seems tired of elderly men, People reward the old for denying the suc- on most days, it is more classification than Longing is healthy in the old. But there is of the young to replace the old is plain
but the feeling is not mutual. Many cess of their peers. But their endurance discrimination. Yet, there a longing that is often con- absurd because the smartness of the
countries are run by old men, large does not interest me so much as their desire is a group of people who sidered taboo for old young is more overrated than the wisdom
corporations too, and also most housing for power and respect. Desire is life. often get looked down The world men—sex. It is possible of the old.
societies, it would seem on most days. Some All around me, I see elderly folks who upon for no reason other that old men do not lose Most people in their twenties know very
people appear to hold contempt for ageing have meekly receded into retirement and than their age. seems jealous interest in it, and I really little. And a 30-year-old is usually only a
men for not receding into irrelevance qui- they struggle to fill their days. Some appear One of the great old hope they don’t, but what 20-year-old who has learnt how to pretend
etly. This is odd, because being old is the to feign concern for a wounded delivery men of our times is Clint
of the young may interest them sexually he knows something. People in their forties

is a journalist, novelist, and the


future of all, and what some of them have
demonstrated is that ageing need not be the
agent, just for the chance to talk; they plot
trips to hospitals purely for entertainment;
Eastwood. At 93, he is in
the middle of directing his
but we should attracts social reproach.
Because it is the instinct of
are infected with a sense of doom and fail-
ure, as if they already are in the infancy of
creator of the Netflix series,
‘Decoupled’
same as dying.
What must be going on in the head of US
former captains of industry are seen today
picking fights with house helps and drivers.
next film. On his persist-
ence with life, he has said,
learn the secrets the world to protect young
women from old men. “If
old age. In their fifties, a lot of people have
already given up. So why sneer at some
President Joe Biden as he prepares to run But could this be what the world wants “I try to get up and be pro- of how the the old men hog the young ambitious old men who thrive? We must
for office again at the age of 81? ‘Without from the old? What else do people expect ductive, and don’t let the women, what will be the instead learn from them how they endure.
me, the wrong kind of people will run from their ageing parents? Don’t do any- old man in.” old thrive future of the species?” J.M. Elderly men protect themselves by
America. I am the answer’? No other Ameri- thing interesting that might make you fall? Most successful old Coetzee writes in Disgrace, ignoring the most lethal wisdom that has
can presidential candidate has been this Be with other elderly people, don’t get men were healthy young “Half of literature is about influenced the world—that adaptation is
old. When a special counsel appointed by involved in too many things, assume that men who were either genetically lucky, or it: young women struggling to escape from survival. They survive by not changing, by
Biden’s own administration said that he is the lives of other people are more impor- who trained their bodies to get lucky. under the weight of old men, for the sake of not ‘adjusting’ to the demands their exter-
“a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor tant and more precious? Be alive and dead As a Malayalee, I know how common and the species.” nal environment. That is why Max Planck
memory…” he was enraged. at once? It’s convenient for us to imagine easy it can be for the elderly to be healthy. A way of the world is that it moves moun- said, “...truth doesn’t triumph by convin-
Donald Trump has been mocking that all the old want to do is withdraw into Health and fitness at two different things. tains to help young women escape from cing its opponents and making them see the
Biden’s age in more cruel ways. But Trump a forest, and that they don’t do it only Fitness is tough and of no importance to under the weight of old men, but easily sur- light but rather because its opponents
himself is 77. because there are not many forests around most people. But it is truly within the reach renders everything else to patriarchs. eventually die…”
LIVEMINT.COM VIEWS MoNDAy, 15 April 2024
New Delhi 13

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

Nonsense and bad regulations Biden seems certain to pay for


Gaza but can yet cut his losses
still pervade the banking system Without damage control, his war stance may hit his poll prospects

The Basel 3 Endgame rules are an example of regulatory obfuscation that enables banks to take big risks at public expense

REUTERS

FRANCIS WILkINSON
is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering
US politics and policy.

ANAT R. ADMATI
is professor of finance and economics at the
Stanford Graduate School of Business.

I
think what he’s doing is a mistake,” US

I
n December, the CEOs of the eight largest President Joe Biden said [last week] of
banks in the US participated in a three-hour Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
posturing session before the Senate Banking yahu’s mismanagement of the war in Gaza. Biden should focus on the human rights
Committee. It was a disheartening display “I don’t agree with his approach,” he said that he has often batted for AP
that showcased the toxic blend of politics and [before Iran’s weekend strikes on Israel].
asinine rhetoric that often characterizes dis- Mistakes were made. One of them was and Biden have diametrically opposed
cussions about banking. Biden’s previously unqualified support of interests. While Biden wants peace,
Much of the hearing focused on proposed Netanyahu, whose pursuit of Hamas in rebuilding and a plan for a shared Palestini-
bank regulations known as the ‘Basel 3 Endgame.’ Gaza now looks an awful lot like ethnic an-Israeli future, Netanyahu appears to
Claiming to “translate” the potential implications cleansing. Global outrage over Hamas’s want none of that. He benefits from crisis,
of this complex topic “for the average American,” barbaric 7 October attack in Israel has been which keeps his shaky coalition together
Republican Senator Tim Scott stated that the supplanted by global outrage at indiscrimi- and Netanyahu out of the dock on corrup-
proposed rules would lead to “fewer dollars to nate Israeli bombing, civilian deaths and tion charges. Netanyahu also knows that
lend to Americans.” Bankers and several senators, widespread destruction in Gaza. Trump would not pester him about dead
including Scott, argued that by keeping a portion The destruction has spread to Biden’s Palestinian children. And it’s Netanyahu,
of the banks’ money “on the sidelines,” these regu- political chances. Cease-fire proponents not Biden, who is steering the Gaza war.
lations would prevent poor people from achieving are waging protest votes against Biden in Biden has received political cover for a
the American Dream. warning that the proposed Basel 3 reforms were criminal behaviour that often goes unpunished. primary states. Protestors are a recurring retreat from Israel from Senate Majority
But these threats often originate from false- grossly inadequate. I also debunked JPMorgan Political forces and misinformation continue feature of Biden public events. Many Leader Charles Schumer of New York,
hoods, such as Scott’s suggestion that capital is Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s misleading claims to distort policy decisions. In a new and expanded young Americans in particular are appalled which is home to about one-fifth of Amer-
something banks cannot use. In reality, as Demo- about the Basel 3 rules in an open letter to the edition of our book, Hellwig and I explore the that the US has been providing munitions ica’s Jewish population, and former House
cratic Senator Sherrod Brown noted, “Absolutely JPMorgan Chase board of directors and criticized severe governance issues that plague the banking for the bombardment of Gaza. Biden seems Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another stalwart
nothing in these rules would stop banks from Dimon for implying that what benefits large banks sector and undermine our democracies. One likely to pay a political price in November. supporter of Israel. But a retreat from
making loans.” Instead, they would simply require automatically benefits America. notable example is the $13 billion settlement “I think a lot of this damage is, frankly, Biden’s Netanyahu embrace might have its
banks to rely more on their own equity and less on Recognizing the importance of countering JPMorgan Chase agreed to in late 2013 to avoid a irreparable,” said Matt Duss, executive vice own political costs.
borrowing to finance loans and investments. As bankers’ obfuscation, the German economist trial that would have revealed damning details of president of the Center for International So far, all the pressure on Biden has
the late US Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker Martin Hellwig and I published the book The fraud committed by the bank’s employees under Policy and a former foreign policy adviser come from those seeking an end to the vio-
famously observed, there is a lot of “bullshit” in the Bankers’ New Clothes: What’s Wrong with Banking Dimon’s leadership. to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. lence. If Biden attempts to stop the flow of
debate about capital requirements. and What to Do about It in 2013. Our goal was to While Dimon correctly asserts that banking Sanders has called Gaza “one of the weapons to Israel, however, he will face
Prudent banks insist on borrowers having expose how and why banks are so needlessly rules are excessively complex, he also vehemently worst humanitarian disasters that we have attacks from Republicans. On Wednesday,
“skin in the game” when they lend, yet vehemently dangerous and to propose ways to change the opposes simpler regulations. But by designing and seen in a very, very long time” and argues House Speaker Mike Johnson called Biden
oppose regulations aimed at reducing their dan- system that merely required political will. But the implementing such rules effectively, policymakers that “Israel should not be getting another “an anti-Israel president.” If Hamas, Hez-
gerous reliance on borrowing. Banks’ aversion symbiotic relationship between banks, govern- could reduce the need for costlier regulations and nickel in military aid until these policies are bollah, or another ally of Iran were to
to equity funding and addiction to borrowing ments and parts of the media and academia ulti- yield significant social benefits at virtually no cost. fundamentally changed.” Though Sanders launch a deadly attack during a pause in
enables them to shift costs and risks to others, mately prevailed. As Democratic Senator Richard If banks are unattractive to equity investors, it holds the Democratic Party’s left flank, his weapons shipments, GOP hysteria would
ultimately benefiting at public expense. They Durbin said in 2009, banks “own” Capitol Hill. may be due to their perceived opacity, or because views are not fringe. In an online survey of reach the stratosphere and Biden would
often get away with it by keeping politicians and More than a decade later, JPMorgan Chase has banking has become too dependent on debt US adults conducted by YouGov 27 Febru- have a new and different Gaza problem.
the public confused. grown much larger, its deposits having more than subsidies, which would be lost if financial institu- ary to 1 March, 52% agreed that the US Much is made of the substantial risk that
Shortly after the 2007-09 financial crisis, I doubled from $1.1 trillion in December 2011 to tions used equity funding. Blanket subsidies to should halt arms shipments to Israel until Biden runs with Muslim voters in Michi-
realized that crucial policy decisions were being nearly $2.5 trillion in December 2023, far out- profit-maximizing banks, however, make little it ends its military offensive in Gaza. Sup- gan. That risk is real. But more than
influenced by nonsensical analysis, impenetrable stripping its reported loans, which rose from sense. Instead, public funds should be directed port for that position among 2020 Biden 100,000 Jews also live in Michigan. Penn-
jargon, fallacious and misleading arguments, and $700 billion in 2011 to $1.3 trillion in 2023. The toward deserving causes and those most in need supporters is more lopsided, at 62% to 14%. sylvania, another swing state, which Biden
inappropriate uses of mathematical models. As bank’s reported assets of about $3.4 trillion, of support. Gauging the intensity of those views is carried in 2020 by 80,555 votes, is home to
a result, opportunities to improve the banking stacked as dollar bills, would extend almost as far The inability of our democracies to resist the difficult, but some erstwhile Biden sup- about 300,000 Jewish adults, according to
system were constantly overlooked. By sowing as the moon. influence of powerful corporations and their porters are clearly livid. Plans for a White a Brandeis University study. Support
confusion and leveraging their influence over While the runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First leaders is alarming, given that this ongoing failure House iftar dinner during Ramadan ran among Biden backers for halting arms
politicians, regulators, lawyers and economists, Republic Bank in the spring of 2023 reflected fuels legitimate discontent with our economic, into opposition from Muslim leaders furi- shipments to Israel may be lopsided, but
bankers have corrupted the mechanisms by which legitimate concerns regarding their asset values political, and legal systems. Deception (possibly ous, as one said , at Biden for “enabling the it’s not universal: Recall that 14% of Biden
rules are formulated and enforced. and solvency, flawed accounting rules and Fed self-deception) is prevalent not only in banking Israeli military to starve and slaughter the supporters in the YouGov poll supported
The 133,000-word ‘Basel 3 Endgame’ adjusts support continue to obscure the fragility of other but across numerous other industries as well. Palestinian people in Gaza.” continuing weapons shipments.
a complex system of ‘risk weights’ by trying to banks. The persistence of bailouts is costly for Based on misleading and disingenuous threats, For Muslims and others angry at Biden’s How Gaza [and Iran-Israel hostilities]
calibrate the rules. Banks have weaponized the society and encourages a culture of recklessness, banks have lobbied furiously and mobilized citizens support of Israel, the political cost-benefit will sway votes is unknown. Biden “does
complexity of the proposed rules, threatening to both in the US and abroad. and politicians to object to the proposed rules. On analysis is stark. If they sit out the election have an issue on his right and to his left,”
reject certain loans. In fact, with the debt subsidies The March 2023 collapse of Credit Suisse is a 16 January 2024, the deadline for public comments, and Biden loses in November, [a man Duss said. But while the most politically
we all provide them, they will take risks, chase out- prime example of the disruption caused by the I submitted my reaction to the Basel 3 Endgame known for trying to deny US visas to people beneficial path may be obscure, the com-
size returns and endanger us. failure of financial institutions that operate across proposal, as well as another related and misguided from Muslim countries] will move back mitment to human rights and international
Over the past 14 years, I have consistently chal- multiple jurisdictions. It is doubtful that maintain- one. I attached a document debunking 44 flawed into the White House. That would be a bit- law that Biden has expressed in other con-
lenged the fallacies, irrelevant facts and myths ing such large institutions is justifiable, given the claims, which my co-author and I continue to revise ter result. Yet if politics were the sum of texts might provide a surer map. It’s too
propagated by numerous bankers, policymakers, costs and risks they pose to our societies. More- as we identify more such claims. In the politics of hyper-rational cost-benefit analyses, the late for Biden to escape political damage
and economists. In November 2010, I helped orga- over, the preferential treatment of banks has fos- banking, I fear that wilful blindness to truth is likely world would be a vastly different place. from Gaza. But not too late to admit that he,
nize a letter by 20 banking and finance scholars tered widespread disregard for rules, encouraging to prevent better rules. ©2024/PROJECT SYNDICATE Complicating matters is that Netanyahu too, made a mistake. ©BLOOMBERG

guEst VIEW

Intellectual property finance: An opportunity knocks


make it easier for Indian startups to obtain lack of mechanisms to dispose of an asset in loans unattractive. Revising such banking assets, which is expected to result in lower
SHUCHI AGRAWAL capital and help spur the country’s progress. case of default may lead to greater volatility regulations could help lift the appeal of interest rates and bigger loan amounts. The
At present, India holds the fifth position in in the value of the asset. For instance, King- IP-backed loans. Organisation for Economic Co-operation
trademark registrations and is sixth in patent fisher Airlines had used its trademarks as Nevertheless, many countries have been and Development has also recommended
registrations globally. The utilization of collateral to gain loans from a consortium of devising systems and schemes to support the that development banks and governments
these assets to obtain financing could help banks. However, once its performance IP financing industry. For instance, Singa- should consider sharing the risks of IP

I
ntellectual Property (IP) financing is an the economy attract considerable capital. began to deteriorate, the value of the trade- pore has declared that it plans to establish a financing with investors and lenders by par-
outstanding financial innovation as it Indeed, the 161st Report of the Rajya Sabha marks also plummeted, as set of intangible asset valu- ticipating in risk-sharing mechanisms or
allows IP holders to monetize intangible Parliamentary Committee on Intellectual found by two failed auc- ation guidelines to increase offering support to IP risk insurance.
IP assets to secure immediate access to capi- Property has opined that Indian laws need to tions for them, and its len- We should put information transparency In conclusion, it must be re-emphasized
tal. There are several methods of securing enable greater acceptance of IP as collateral. ders suffered heavy losses. and standardize the valua- that traditional funding provided by com-
such finance: through licensing, collaterali- Earlier, the National IPR Policy had also Third, the development in place a policy tion process. The Interna- mercial banks based on the supply-chain
zation, securitization and sale. IP financing aimed at facilitating the securitization of IP of IP financing demands tional Valuation Standards model is failing to meet the demands of a
is especially beneficial for upcoming and its use as collateral through enabling legal certainty and effec-
framework for Council has also issued gui- fast-evolving market. IP financing is an

is a research fellow in the


research and development (R&D)-intensive
business ventures, which have historically
legislation.
Nevertheless, the very nature of intangi-
tive management of IP
assets. Companies need to
this emerging dance on the valuation of
intangible assets (IVS 210).
impending revolution in the field of finance,
and developing countries such as India must
corporate law and financial
regulation team at Vidhi Centre
been denied funding by traditional banks as
they lack hard assets to serve as collateral.
ble assets presents unique challenges in
using it to secure funds. First, many financial
be better equipped at har-
nessing the monetary
field that can aid In Jamaica, multiple work-
shops were organized to
make the most of this opportunity at the very
onset. Given the comparative novelty of this
for Legal Policy. Therefore, IP financing enhances the ease of institutions lack the in-house competence potential of their IP assets the evolution of train IP valuers in advanced concept, there is some hesitance on the part
accessing credit markets for creators and and models needed to grasp the value of IP and investors need to over- valuation methodologies. of regulators and investors to participate in
allows them to recover R&D costs quickly, assets. It is difficult to measure the realizable come the lack of familiarity our economy In addition, companies it. However, there are several measures that
which in turn fuels innovation and eco- value of IP assets in the event of a default. and expertise. Addition- such as Aon PLC are trying are already being taken by various countries
nomic growth. The growth in popularity of Furthermore, the lack of a well-established ally, it is important for reg- to develop a natural lan- to streamline the process and enhance
IP financing is following the trend of an secondary market for IP makes it difficult to ulators to foster an encouraging environ- guage processing system to determine the transparency as well as accountability. India
increase in intangible asset-dominated com- conduct price discovery. ment to aid the development of this field. At value of IP assets. The ability to correctly must also consider implementing similar
panies. For instance, physical assets only Second, the lack of a secondary market present, Basel III requirements do not value IP assets will also enable market par- policy changes to allow for improved IP asset
account for about 4% and 6% of Amazon and also impedes the disposal of such assets recognize intangible assets such as IP to be ticipants to hedge against the various risks of valuation methodologies and risk manage-
Apple’s net worth, respectively. India is the when required. The success of IP financing suitable collateral that may be used to justify this emerging market. The need to mitigate ment through risk sharing or supporting
third-largest startup hub globally and hinges on the existence of processes and banks maintaining a lower amount of capital risks posed by IP financing has also led to the insurance coverage for such assets. It would
increased recognition of IP financing will channels to liquidate assets. However, the to guard against risks. This makes IP-backed creation of an insurance market covering IP favour India’s economic evolution.
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��� �����
History lies at the core of every conflict.
A true and unbiased understanding of Ilan
the past offers the possibility of peace Pappé

08 HYDERABAD MONDAY 15 04 2024


� �

T
HE recent letter written by 600 Congress actions in the past threatened the independent no right to life and personal liberty dur-
lawyers to the Chief Justice of ing the Emergency! Justice Beg even went
INDIAN EXPRESS IS NOT AN India expressing their “deepest functioning of the judiciary. Can the pall bearers of democracy so far as to ask why those thrown in jail
INDUSTRY. IT IS A MISSION. anguish” about the manner in in the 1970s pretend to be its standard-bearers in 2024? were complaining when they were “well-
— Ramnath Goenka which a “vested interest group” fed and well-treated” and the care be-

THE TROUBLED PAST


was trying to pressure the judi- stowed on them was “almost maternal”.
ciary and defame courts on the Only Justice Khanna dissented.
basis of “frivolous logic and stale politi- Though he was the senior-most judge

40 YEARS OF GRIT AND cal agendas” could not have come at a


more appropriate time. BETWEEN CONGRESS after Chief Justice Ray, the Indira
Gandhi government superseded him

DETERMINATION TO With so many politicians facing


the heat because of corruption cases, the
AND THE JUDICIARY
in January 1976 and appointed Justice M
H Beg as the Chief Justice.

HOLD SIACHEN GLACIER


signatories to the latest missive to the Justice Beg was succeeded by Justices
Chief Justice refer to the “antics” of Chandrachud and Bhagawati. Thus,
this group and caution him of the pres- all judges who declared that citizens

A
sure tactics that are most obvious in cas- had no right to life and personal liberty
PRIL 13 marks a glorious and strategic milestone in the es involving corruption and tend to went on to occupy the highest judicial
annals of Indian military history. It was the day the Sia- “threaten our democratic fabric”. office in the country.
chen glacier came under decisive Indian control four dec- Taking a cue from the letter by these A SURYA PRAKASH Vice-Chairman, Executive Council, Prime In November 1976, the Congress with
lawyers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ministers Museum and Library, New Delhi its massive majority brought in the
ades ago through Operation Meghdoot. It brings back
tweeted to say: “To browbeat and bully obnoxious 42nd Amendment that sought
memories of humongous determination of our armed others is vintage Congress culture.” Five to snuff out judicial independence and
forces at the inhospitable terrain around 20,000 ft above sea decades ago, they had themselves called pave the way for a full-fledged dictator-
level, where atmospheric oxygen is thin and night temperature for a committed judiciary—“they shame- ship. Here is a glimpse of what senior
could plummet to minus 40 degree Celsius. In a sudden swoop lessly want commitment from others for members of the Congress Party had to
on April 13, 1984, Indian soldiers occupied almost all peaks and their selfish interests, but desist from any say about the judiciary at that time:
passes in the Saltoro ridge region hours before Pakistan had commitment towards the nation.” This C M Stephen: Now the power of this
may sound harsh to the uninitiated, but parliament (through the 42nd Amend-
intended to do so as part of its cartographic aggression. Opera- for those who have lived through the ment) is declared to be out of bounds for
tion Meghdoot marked the beginning of the longest ongoing dreadful Emergency (1975-77), this would any court. It is left to the courts whether
military operation in the highest and coldest global battlefield. be nothing more than a mild admonition. they should defy it. I do not know wheth-
An estimated 2,000 soldiers on the Indian side have since laid The prime minister’s tweet has indeed er they will have the temerity to do that
down their lives on Siachen, primarily due to extreme weather triggered a flashback to some appalling but if they do … that will be a bad day for
conditions. A bilateral truce announced in 2003 notwithstand- events in the 1970s that undermined the ju- the judiciary. The committee of the
diciary and virtually rendered it incapable House is sitting with regard to the en-
ing, both sides haven’t withdrawn their presence there.
of performing its fundamental duty to up- quiry into the conduct of judges. We have
Much has changed in Siachen over the years as technological hold the constitution at that time. The first got our methods, our machinery.
and logistical advancements have helped improve the living con- of these was former prime minister Has anyone come across a more
ditions of soldiers and given them a better chance to withstand Indira Gandhi’s decision to supersede three blatant threat held out to the judiciary
the elements—avalanches, frost bites and other adverse condi- judges of the Supreme Court—Justices by a member of a ruling party in a de-
tions. An extensive network of tracks, all-terrain vehicles, spe- K S Hegde, J M Shelat and A N Grover—in mocracy? But there is more.
order to make A N Ray the Chief Justice. Swaran Singh: Unfortunately, the
cial clothing, and advanced rations, besides heavy-lift helicop-
The then chief justice, S M Sikri retired on courts transgressed the limits prescribed
ters and logistic drones for supplies in otherwise inaccessible April 25, 1973, a day after the historic judge- SOURAV ROY for them. It is a crude sort of invasion.
areas have enhanced the support system on the icy frontier. ment in the Kesavananda Bharati case, in N K P Salve: In the life of every nation
The 40th anniversary of Siachen’s control came and went which the majority declared that parlia- tal rights including the right to life and er ominous”. He, therefore, decided to … there comes a time when the constitu-
without much attention from the otherwise voluble netas, busy ment cannot alter or abridge the “basic personal liberty (article 21). This led to a confront the Attorney General and asked tion has to be saved from the court and
as they are with the ongoing election campaign. Attempts at structure” of the constitution. Indira Gan- string of petitions challenging the presi- him in view of his arguments, would the court from itself.
demilitarising it were made at least thrice—in 1989, 1992 and dhi was furious with this judgement be- dential order, all of which were bunched there be no remedy if a police officer, be- In recent times, having got a severe
cause it constricted the party’s plans to together and heard by a Constitution cause of personal enmity, killed another drubbing at the hustings in 2014 and
2006—but they fell through. Both sides came closest to clinching bring in major amendments. So, the three Bench of the Supreme Court headed by man. The Attorney General was abso- 2019, the Congress is desperately trying to
a deal during UPA-I under Manmohan Singh’s watch in 2006, judges were accorded “swift punishment” Chief Justice Ray and comprising Jus- lutely candid in his reply. He told the court cajole, threaten and manipulate institu-
but it was spiked by policy hawk M K Narayanan, the national via supersession on April 26 and Justice tices H R Khanna, M H Beg, Y V Chan- that “there would be no judicial remedy tions including the Supreme Court to try
security advisor of the day. Details of how Narayanan’s distrust Ray, who did not subscribe to the majority drachud and P N Bhagwati. Attorney in such a case so long as the Emergency and remain relevant. But one should nev-
of Pakistan derailed the initiative were revealed by then foreign decision, was elevated. General Niren De told the court that so lasts”. Further, he told Justice Khanna, er forget or forgive those who turned India
secretary Shyam Saran in his 2017 memoir How India Sees the The ruthless supersession of three long as the Emergency was in force, no “It may shock your conscience, it shocks into a fascist state during the 1970s. More
eminent judges had obviously sent its citizen could seek enforcement of the mine, but consistent with my submis- importantly, does it lie in the mouth of
World. Siachen and Sir Creek in Gujarat could be the first bilat-
message, as could be seen in the court’s right to life and personal liberty. sions, no proceedings can be taken in a those associated with such a party to claim
eral friction points that could be resolved if Pakistan were to majority decision in ADM Jabalpur vs Justice Khanna recounts in his autobi- court of law on that score.” the right to defend democracy? In other
show real intent to put the terror genie back in the bottle. But Shivkant Shukla (also known as the Ha- ography Neither Roses nor Thorns that the However, though it shocked the con- words, can the pall bearers of democracy
expecting that to happen in the short term would be naive. beas Corpus case). This case arose when other judges on the bench, who used to be science of the Attorney General, it did not in the 1970s have the luxury of pretending
Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency vocal about human rights and civil rights, prevent the majority on the bench to de- to be its standard-bearers in 2024?

GOVT MUST PROTECT


on June 25, 1975, and got the president to “were sitting tongue-tied” and hearing liver what was clearly an unconscionable (Views are personal)
pass an order suspending all fundamen- Niren De in silence, which seemed “rath- judgement and declare that citizens had (suryamedia@gmail.com)

ANIMALS FROM DROUGHT


THE INTEGRAL ROLE
I
T has been a dry and difficult year for most parts of the

OF FOOD IN CULTURE
country, with the vagaries of a whimsical monsoon teach-
ing us a few lessons in austerity. Karnataka, especially Ben- Individualised politics
galuru city, is on the brink of rationing water, with curbs Ref: E24: Seeking mandate for me and
on using precious potable water for washing cars and water- myself (Apr 14). We can clearly see a shift
towards individual supremacy in Indian

M
ing plants. While the drought has taken a toll on agriculture
ERCY and truth, my friends, politics. Our political and cultural future
and left farmers in debt, it has also led to distress among wild-
have met together,” said the will be significantly shaped by the results
life whose habitats have dry water holes and sparse fodder. General. “Righteousness and of the coming polls, which will also reflect
It’s been a merciless summer without any spring showers— RENUKA NARAYANAN
bliss shall kiss one another. the worldwide trend toward individualised
140 dry days on the trot—leading to a heat wave alert. Four Man is frail and foolish. We ideology.
elephants have died of heat-related causes and dehydration have all been told that grace is Ashribad Sahu, Rayagada
in the past few days in southern Karnataka, which is an indi- to be found in the universe. But FAITHLINE
cation of the condition of waterbodies in the forests. in our human foolishness and short- Coalition pioneer
sightedness, we imagine divine grace to bette wins 10,000 francs in a lottery, giving bless you in all the work of your hands.” Ref: The choice—the repeat of 2014-24
While human beings are banking on technology to keep the be finite. For this reason, we tremble. We her the resources to show her artistry. Bible scholars say that the chief crops or throwback to 1989-98? (Apr 14). The
water flowing until the situation improves, animals in forests tremble before making our choice in life, If ever a story taught that “the one who in the old Judeo-Christian land were author should have included Manmohan
are at the mercy of nature. Drought, and especially lack of and after having made it again tremble eats everything must not treat with con- wheat, barley, olives, grapes, lentils, fava Singh’s regime of 2004-14 also. He is the
water, leads to mass migration among both humans and ani- in fear of having chosen wrong.” tempt the one who does not, and the one beans, chickpeas, onions, leeks, garlic, pioneer of coalition governance in India.
mals—humans move towards cities in search of livelihood, “But the moment comes when our eyes who does not eat everything must not grapes, dates, apples, melons, pomegran- Though he had a few setbacks, he successfully
while animals are forced to travel long distances looking for are opened, and we see and realise that judge the one who does, for God has ac- ates and figs. The people there also raised completed his 10-year regime. In the US-
grace is infinite. Grace, my friends, de- cepted them” (Bible, Romans 14:3), it is cattle, sheep and goats, and fished in the India nuclear deal, he threatened to resign
basic sustenance and water, and often enter human habita-
mands nothing from us but that we await Babette’s Feast. It transcends to a meta- Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Gali- if he was not given freedom to complete it.
tions, leading to conflict. The forest department does its bit to it with confidence and acknowledge it in lee. They made wine from grapes and ate India needs such a leader.
ensure that waterholes are filled up by installing solar pumps, gratitude. Grace, brothers, makes no con- unleavened bread. Olive oil, vinegar and P Victor Selvaraj, Palayamkottai
which are powered by solar panels to pump water from ditions and singles out none of us in par- a mint-like herb called hyssop were used
borewells deep in rural areas and forests. Yet, this is not ticular; grace takes us all to its bosom as flavourings and bean-stews like Forward, backward?
enough and does not ensure there is adequate fodder for her- and proclaims general amnesty.” cholent were made for Sabbath. We know The author put forth his arguments quite
These words are from Babette’s Feast, a Jesus ate fish because in Luke 24:41 – 43, convincingly. But what struck me is, many
bivores. Likewise, crop damage across 40 lakh hectares in the
short story by Danish writer Isak Dinesen he asks, “Have you any food here?” “And Modi supporters themselves do not highlight
past year in Karnataka is bound to lead to a food shortage in aka Karen Blixen, whose birth anniversa- they gave him a piece of broiled fish. And these points in their electioneering speeches.
the coming seasons, affecting GDP and per capita income. ry is on April 17. She is best known for her he took it, and did eat before them.” The INDIA leaders loudly raise local issues,
Conservation experts point out that such animal deaths are memoir, Out of Africa, on which the film Jesus is said to have passed bread and drowning the BJP’s voice. The choice is clear:
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

an indication that long-term measures are necessary to stave off of the same name was based. There is a wine around the table to his twelve disci- Should we move fast forward to the future or
an impending natural disaster. Humans play a big role in bring- Karen Blixen Museum in Nairobi, Kenya. ples at their last supper together, saying backwards to the past?
ing on drought and exacerbating heat conditions by the indis- Babette’s Feast, made in Denmark by di- the bread was his body and the wine his V Janakiraman, Tiruvarur
rector Gabriel Axel who also wrote the blood. This is the origin of Communion,
criminate use of land and water, change of forest land use, de- screenplay, won the Oscar in 1987 for Best the Christian ritual where the priest ad- Talk policy
forestation and destruction of catchment areas. It is time to stop Foreign Film. I found myself going back to The story, Babette’s Feast, is ministers a wafer and a sip of wine to each The INDI Alliance should think twice before
and place checks on the exploitation of natural resources and both story and film for spiritual suste- about ‘conflicting values, believer in symbolic union with Christ. spreading falsehoods along the lines of
degradation of animal habitats. The authorities have recog- nance, driven by sadness about the ongoing symbolised by food’. It transcends Jesus called himself “the true vine” in Modi being a ‘dictator’. One wonders if they
nised the need for afforestation, with Karnataka Chief Minister food wars and inter-faith acrimony, glad- John 15:1 – 6 and said in John 6:35, “I am will elaborate on their own policy instead of
ness at the coincidence of several religious food into a metaphor for God’s the bread of life. Whoever comes to me continuously just badmouthing their opponent.
Siddaramaiah directing the forest department to increase forest
festivals, and desire to retell this beautiful generosity. This recognition of will never go hungry, and whoever be- D S Pillai, Chittoor
regions from 20 percent of the total land area of Karnataka to
story to a new generation of readers. food as part of God’s grace is found lieves in me will never be thirsty.”
33 percent, to prevent extreme weather conditions. While there So, if you, like me, missed this classic of Such belief leads to grace even if we ‘Health’ products
is good news of a normal monsoon this year, we must not forget in all religions.
world cinema when it debuted, perhaps be- pray differently or are different, as wit- The Indian Medical Association filed a case
the trials of the past year with the first showers. cause it never came your way or you were nessed in this story. A blind old man was against Patanjali for misleading advertisements
the wrong age or not even born yet, I’d sug- phor for God’s generosity as the General, tottering uphill to the temple at Tirupati. on their products and the Supreme Court rightly
gest you read Blixen’s short story on the the only gourmet at the table, recognises. Some passersby could not resist asking admonished them. But there are products like
Q U I C K TA K E net and then watch the film on YouTube. This recognition of food as part of him the obvious question. “We are climb- Bournvita and others that claim to be health
In sum, the story is about ‘conflicting God’s grace is found in all religions. Since ing for Balaji’s darshan. Why are you both- products, which is not correct. The SC should
LOOK EAST, TECHIES values, symbolised by food’, as The New
York Times put it back then. The action
we’re sharing Babette’s Feast, let’s look
again at the Bible. Jesus drew from a com-
ering to make the effort when you can’t
see?” they joked, not out of malice but with
take up the case suo moto.
P Venkateshwar Rao, Hyderabad

J
centres on the preparation and serving of passionate vision of God, from divine the unthinking condescension that is often
UST when a weak Western market is forcing tens of thousands a grand French dinner by a famous Paris- commands as in Deuteronomy 24: 17 – 19: handed out to those who don’t get to tick Global turmoil
of Indian IT workers from their jobs, the Far East is trying ian chef, Babette Hersant, a refugee in Den- “Do not deprive the foreigner or the fa- all the boxes. The old man knew how to While the proxy war between Iran and Israel
to lure them. Japan’s cabinet office formulated a plan last mark. Her art challenges ‘the dietary sta- therless of justice, or take the cloak of the answer them. A radiant smile swept across over the years itself had global ramifications,
week to attract investment and talent to the country’s tech ple of a rural Danish community of widow as a pledge. Remember that you his wrinkled face and he said, “So what if an eye to eye confrontation may subvert
industries. It included easing norms for getting a visa and set- ascetics. The enjoyment of superb food, or were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your I can’t see the Lord? He can see me.” the regional stability in West Asia and may
ting up a company. Japan, still nominally the second largest of other sensual pleasures, is anathema to God redeemed you from there. That is With both fasting and feasting thick have an adverse spillover effect. No country
the two spinsters who lead the pious sect. why I command you to do this. When you this month, does it not seem like a mes- is insulated or isolated from global turmoil.
economy in Asia, is socially less accessible than big brother
Suddenly confronted with the arrival of are harvesting in your field and you over- sage from on high to show grace to each Rather than escalating the conflict, global
China. Indian workers looking to move east would do well to Babette, who has fled France in the Com- look a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave other? Because the Lord sees us? powers organisations like the UN must work to
learn a lesson or two in assimilation from the hundreds of thou- munard uprisings of 1871, they reluctantly it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the (Views are personal) avert the war.
sands of ‘Nikkei Brazilians’ who have made Japan their home. allow her to do the cooking’. One day, Ba- widow, so that the Lord your God may (shebaba09@gmail.com) M Rishidev, Dindigul

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS


Chairman of the Board: Manoj Kumar Sonthalia Editor: Santwana Bhattacharya
Resident Editor (Telangana) : T Kalyan Chakravarthy* Printed and Published by R K Jhunjhunwala on behalf of Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., at H.No.6-3-1113/1, B.S.Makta Lane, Somajiguda, Near Grand Kakatiya Hotel, Punjagutta, Hyderabad – 500 016 and printed by him at Sakshi Press, Plot No.D-75 & E-52, Industrial Estate (APIE),
Balanagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Hyderabad: Vol. 48, No. 89 RNI Reg. No. 32179/77. Phone: 040-23413908. * Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.
        

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.9 "      " % "   generated. arrived from Madras, along ed and killed and his nawabate Atlee, Prime Minister of
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%  %  "    " % . of Partition, promptly migrated to this odious regime. British ly renowned and respected. guest why the British quit
Karachi, then Pakistan’s capital. arms and Bengali money as  ;  There would have been no India in a hurry in 1947, when
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! 3 %!%  !!% "". dent in March 1956. 3,000 men, whereas Siraj-ud-  <;  no Rabindranath Tagore, no of 1942 having failed. The for-
To go back to Murshidabad, Daula had an army of a lakh, Ramakrishna Paramhansa and mer British Prime Minister in
Siraj-ud-Daula came to the plus a cavalry and elephants. = Swami Vivekananda, no Yogi reply quoted several reasons,
%'"%& throne in 1756. He soon showed
his colours by dismissing his
This large army had to be trun-
cated in numbers. Mir Jafar,
 =  ; Aurobindo, no Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar and cer-
principal among them being
the erosion of loyalty to the
chief minister RaiDurlabh, picked who commanded half the   tainly no Netaji Subhas British Crown among the
by his grandfather NawabAlivardi army of the Nawab, was Chandra Bose. One can only Indian army, navy and air
Khan. The young promised that if he helped to    imagine what this region force, as a result of the action
Nawabhumiliated the wealthy overthrow Siraj-ud-Daula, he = >> might have become. Gopal of Subhas Chandra Bose.
state banker Jagat Seth by publicly would be made the Nawab. Krishna Gokhale, more than a Atlee’s reply to Chakraborty’s
slapping him in the durbar and Consequently, over half of  hundred years ago, had question on how much the
threatening him with sunnat, Siraj’s army did not fight. The famously said “What Bengal non-violent satyagraha of
i.e., circumcision (see Plassey to Battle of Plassey on June 23,  7 thinks today, India thinks Gandhi had influenced the
Pakistan by HumayunMirza, son 1757, ended the saga of Siraj-  =? < tomorrow”. But if the likes of British to free India, was “m-
of IskandarMirza). The merchant ud-Daula and his life. Siraj-ud-Daula had continued i-n-i-m-a-l”, with emphasis on
princes were resentful of the rule At the time we are talking  ;; on the throne, there would not each letter and a contemptu-
by people of Central Asian stock about, there were two cultures have been a Bengal today. ous smile. Had there been no
and wanted more say in gover- in Bengal, namely Bengali and = Q= < Gandhi did awaken Indians to Bengal, there wouldn’t have
nance for the local people. Islamic. Since the 12th centu-  ;  the value of freedom, politics, been a Netaji in the first place.
However, they lacked the military ry, the region had been slip- soul and economics, but the (The writer is a well-known
organisation to effect an over- ping out of Bengali influence find winner was Netaji Subhas columnist, an author and a
throw. Come 1757, upon the and had become two-thirds Chandra Bose and his Indian former member of the Rajya
orders of the East India Arabized. The Battle of Plassey National Army (INA). This Sabha; views are personal)

0 # *0#  0     2   *#3 .  .45 *++*- +. +/* *1'+.
   
Madam — Apropos the editorial,  !"#
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this is my response. I fully agree that
“Modi’s forays into the southern parts of
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be immediately delivered; it will happen
perhaps only sometime in future. Indeed,
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E the election season in


India sets a stage for
new hope, a new batch of
because they(judges) are
right, but they are right
because they are final.
tarian or popular morality.
Constitutional morality is
derived from public morali-
for success in future elections”.
He talks to the people about the failures of
the incumbent DMK Government. In
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electorates and especially a Transformational jurispru- ty, however, slightly divorced Kerala, the BJP is crazy to open its 2,(3+#2#:#27=2(!-:&$2 !2!-v,"(+2)+%(23(&#(
power in each electorate to dence on constitutional from it and sifted through account. It is to be seen on 4th June. In 3X##&&:&$+-#2)+( )%( 2 ,2#"q Q # "$ 2# 2 ,&$
exercise their right of adult morality is a pre-constitution- constitutional idealism. Telangana, it fared well in the Assembly 2#32%!%!#7 2#(!(+#% #!(X(+&2#3#3"!(+&37 2
universal suffrage. News al concept. The intersectionality of social elections in 2023 improving its tally. It is 2#!!2$#%:%#+&7#$!2((& "#(+&,#$2&(:32"#2
channels are brimming with For Instance, practice, which and religious belief systems quite encouraging for the party. In AP, the (Q %(&&(X (3, +&7 + (% :2((3!(,2&(7
discourses and the candi- hands of the judicial wing of was within the bounds of the entangles it further, for BJP party needs to do a lot of groundwork. !2((&)+#2#,!((7+X2( Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad
dates are doing their best to our country. Unlike other then — prevailing social instance, in the Sabarimala Along with Naidu, it may get a few seats.
secure a seat in the political ideals of brotherhood, equal- morality, was abolished and judgment, the debate circled In Karnataka, the BJP is equally poised with and global harmony. Prime Minister 105th anniversary drawing sombre reflec-
engine of society. The vibran- ity, fairness, non-arbitrari- this act was a part of consti- between the popular socio- the Congress. Modi’s guarantees that the Modi’s pivotal role, alongside the vision- tions on the atrocity committed on April
cy of the largest democracy ness, etc. which sprung from tutional morality, even though religious belief and the funda- corrupt will be jailed in his third term may ary leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed 13, 1919.
was foreseen by the members the need for pre-independent the constitution was drawn up mental right of freedom of fetch the party some votes for in the south bin Zayed al Nahyan, underscores the sig- The massacre, orchestrated by Brigadier-
of the constituent assembly India, constitutional morali- years later. Post Independence religion of a class of women almost all the incumbent state nificance of diplomatic collaborations in General Reginald Dyer, stands as a stark
who wanted the ruling ideals ty had to be injected into the may not have found an explic- (menstruating women) under Governments are mostly corrupt. So, the shaping monumental endeavours. reminder of the brutality of British rule in
to rise from the Constitution bloodstream of the country. it place in the text but it is Article 25 of the Indian BJP is to open its gateway to the south in Beyond its aesthetic allure, the temple India. The unjust firing upon unarmed
itself to guide the coming of The Judiciary has brought embedded in the essence of Constitution, is a worthy this scenario. More cannot be expected. It stands as a symbol of inclusivity, with its civilians, amidst peaceful protests against
a new independent nation. back the discourse on consti- constitutionalism. It demands example in this regard. has to wait for a little more time to make design echoing the ethos of unity amidst the Rowlatt Act, left hundreds dead and
The father of the Indian tutional morality through a morality to be objective based Constitutional morality may its dent in the south as it did in the north- diversity. The meticulous craftsmanship wounded and condemnation both nation-
Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao slew of judgments in contem- on the prevailing dynamics of also at times be at a crossroads east. and innovative solutions employed in its ally and internationally. The reactions of
Ramji Ambedkar defined porary times. Thereby rein- society. The conscience-keep- with Jus naturale. N R Ramachandran | Chennai construction exemplify human ingenuity prominent figures like Mahatma Gandhi,
Constitutional morality as a stating the nature of the ers are duty-bound to draw a Euthanasia as a practice or the overcoming geographical and climatic Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru
paramount reverence for all Indian Constitution, an balance between Right to Abortion, both were      challenges. In essence, the Swaminarayan underscore the magnitude of the tragedy
the forms of the Constitution, organic and living document, individual/class liberty and initially entrenched in belief Madam — Apropos the news story, Temple in Abu Dhabi is not merely a place and its profound impact. Their calls for
enforcing obedience to pulsating life into a more societal acceptance of change systems to be against societal “Swaminarayan Temple: The UAE’s of worship; it’s a testament to the transfor- peaceful resistance and condemnation of
authority and acting within than half-century-old Manga in the socio-legal and politi- morality. It was not until the Monument of Harmony”, published on mative power of collaboration, bridging British colonialism reflect the resilience of
these forms in addition to the Carta of India. co scenario. Supreme Court of India bal- April 13, this is my response. The tale of nations and cultures in a shared pursuit of the Indian spirit in the face of oppression.
habit of open speech and The CJI of India, D.Y. From LGBTQ+ rights recog- anced the interests of the the Swaminarayan Temple in Abu Dhabi peace and progress. As we remember the lives lost at Jallianwala
action subject only to definite Chandrachud speaking in nition in Navtej Singh Johar right seekers and the encapsulates more than just an architectur- Ishana Arya | Thane Bagh, it serves as a solemn reminder of the
legal control. He believed the same vein said that judges vs. Union of India to the strik- opposers, allowing both the al marvel; it speaks volumes about the con- sacrifices made in the pursuit of freedom
that constitutional morality is go by the values derived from ing down of section 497 of above practices in a judicial- vergence of faith, diplomacy and persever-     and justice, urging us to never forget the
not a natural sentiment rather the Constitution that the IPC, 1960, dealing with the ly permissible manner, that it ance. Madam — Apropos the news article, lessons of history.
it needs to be cultivated con- courts are intended to espouse law of adultery in Joseph found its acceptance. The journey from prophecy to reality, span- “Honouring the martyrs of Jallianwala Bahadur Shah | Dhanbad
sciously. In contemporary such as human dignity, per- Shine vs. Union of India, the (The writer is a ning nearly three decades, mirrors the Bagh”, published on April 12, this is my
times, it has become a prin- sonal liberty, equality, fairness, Judiciary has advocated its research scholar; their shared commitment of India and the UAE response. The tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh 2 11  $
cipal tool of activism in the etc. He also added that the mandate to include constitu- views are personal) towards fostering cultural understanding continues to echo through history, with its !"#$%&'"()&
        

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%  "  .'!  %9 !
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D year, the Indian economy is
expected to register a growth
of 7.6 per cent in real gross
domestic product or GDP.
Coming on top of growth of 9.1 per cent
during 2021-22 and 7.2 per cent during
2022-23, India’s performance is spectacu-
2018-19.
Another Oxfam report, “Inequality
Kills’’, released ahead of the WEF
meeting held in early 2022, men-
tioned that the number of Indian
billionaires grew to 102 by March
2020 and further to 142 in
not so blessed (read: the bottom 50
per cent), this would give a big
boost to private consumption.
We hear loud voices from various
quarters including from indus-
tries and businesses asking the
Government to formulate policies,
the BSE 500 index during FY
2021-22 came at the cost of under-
mining the purchasing power of
millions of consumers. If even 50
per cent of this amount or Rs
500,000 crore had remained with
the latter, aggregate demand
lar. Emboldened by this trend and Modi’s November 2021. During this peri- reduce taxes even give direct would have gone up manifolds.
commitment to pursue economic reforms od, their wealth increased from Rs income support. But, there isn’t Likewise, look at the Rs 302,000
with greater vigour during its third term, 2300,000 crore to Rs 5300,000 even a whisper of ‘why inequalities crore dividend paid to sharehold-
analysts are hoping for growth of above 7 crore. At the same time, the income in income arise in the first place. ers during FY 2021-22. An over-
per cent on a sustainable basis. But, there of 84 per cent of households An analysis of the financials of whelming share of this went to the
is a catch. declined and the share of the bot- India’s largest companies—those promoters and other minority
Private consumption which accounts for tom half of the population in comprising the BSE 500 index— shareholders. If, instead of filling
as much as 55 per cent of the Indian econ- national wealth was a mere six per gives us some clues. their coffers—the money that
omy has acted as a major drag. For cent. The profits of corporations includ- merely adds to their cash balances
instance, during FY 2023-24, it is expect- Meanwhile, a report titled ‘Survival ed in this index went up from Rs or is spent on a few
ed to grow by a meagre 3 per cent (even    of the Richest’ released by Oxfam 480,000 crore during FY 2017-18 discretionary/luxury items—more
    " %.       lower than 4.4 per cent as given in the first International at the 2023 annual to more than Rs 1000,000 crore of it were to be distributed in high-
 %   .   " 
advance estimate). This is the slowest  =   meeting of the WEF in Davos, during FY 2021-22 - an increase of er salaries to their employees, par-
growth in private consumption since FY Switzerland, says that ‘the wealth- over 100 per cent, whereas their ticularly at the lower rung, imag-
   +  KK  "  2002-03 when growth was 2.9 per cent. It  = iest one per cent of individuals in revenue growth was only 47 per ine what it would do to demand.
    .  ! " .8 %  is impossible to sustain an overall GDP India possess over 40 per cent of cent during this period. This means Several businesses enjoy pricing
   !! R   "  !%  growth of 7-8 per cent in the years to come
; == the nation’s total wealth’. Juxtapose that payments to factors of produc- power. For instance, those operat-
!.9%"   %  !. if the most important component (read: ||  ; this with the bottom half of the tion other than the owners of cap- ing in metals such as copper and
D%  %   ! !%   private consumption) is growing at less population getting a mere six per ital (read: shareholders) such as to zinc, or in hydrocarbons like oil
  "  "   "   !%  .K than half this rate.   cent of the nation’s wealth, we end employees/workers, purchase of and gas, enjoy a natural monopoly.
What is private consumption?  <= up with glaring inequalities. inputs, interest payments, etc., Leveraging this, they charge high
 ! !%   Apart from essential consumption items How does it impact demand? have been kept under a tight leash, prices, resulting in windfall gains
!!%  .* %%  %"   such as food, shelter, clothing, education,  = Let us look at India’s population of resulting in a disproportionate for themselves. Enterprises in the
 ! .0" " " !R9" health etc, it includes spending by people around 140 crore and nominal boost to profits. chemical, petrochemicals, pharma-
N<S:O"  9/8$2  3"    on a host of discretionary items such as    7 GDP of about Rs 300,00,000 crore. The aggregate dividend paid by ceutical and agrochemical sectors
  ! "!%JU8!%JN<<!NV"  consumer durables viz. ACs, refrigerators, ;  =   Apply Oxfam percentages to these these firms increased from Rs have hugely benefited from a pro-
"    "    7 ". washing machines, TVs, automobiles, numbers. 176,000 crore during FY 2017-18 tective policy environment.
*  " !%!%%    .'4 
mobiles and so on. The demand for these   ;< The wealthiest one per cent or 1.4 to Rs 302,000 crore during FY Over 60 million small and medi-
goods depends on the ‘purchasing power’ crore individuals have 40 per cent 2021-22, which is an increase of 72 um enterprises (SMEs) also ape
   @%4 %  " "   of the people at large which requires that _`_}>_~ = of GDP or Rs 120,00,000 crore per cent. In each of the last five large enterprises when it comes to
  9%  " 9  .'"  at least all working-age persons (18 years whereas a vast 50 per cent of the years, they paid at least 30 per cent distributing the wealth generated.
   !       !% to 60 years) have adequate incomes. This
   population or 70 crore individuals of aggregate net profit as divi- Their owners spend the least on
   "  .* % !% % "   brings us to another stark reality namely < have a mere 6 per cent of GDP or dends. Cumulatively, the compa- payments to workers. To con-
" % " .K   ! the distribution of income and wealth. Rs 18,00,000 crore. On per per-per- nies distributed 34 per cent of clude, all businesses are struc-
!%    "  "   "     @ Where does India stand?   son basis, those in the wealthiest profits as dividends. This is an tured to result in the concentration
According to a report ‘Time to Care’ by }  category have annual purchasing unusually high payout ratio— of income in the hands of their
   .   + % Oxfam that came ahead of the Annual power (PP) of Rs 85 lakh each even higher than 30 per cent owners or those who wield power
         RK  Meeting of the World Economic Forum whereas others in the bottom 50 paid by the world’s largest compa- and influence. Instead of deflect-
7"%    R "! %@ (WEF) held in January 2020 ‘India’s rich- per cent have a PP of a mere Rs nies included in America’s S&P ing the ball to the Government,
 "! " "   "% R est one per cent hold more than four times 25,000 each. 500. Thus, the companies have they need to bring about a funda-
%  .9  %   " the wealth held by 953 million people who Such an income distribution pat- done little to reinvest the profits mental change in the way they
   !%"  % make up for the bottom 70 per cent of the tern is far from conducive to for growth. operate. They need to shed over
!.*  % !   population”. It also showed that there were boosting demand on a sustainable Whether profits, albeit extraordi- zealousness for profits, charge less
a total of 63 Indian billionaires (billionaire basis. There are inherent limits to nary, to the company or high div- from consumers, distribute more to
 ! . is a term used to describe a person hav- how much a wealthy person can idends to shareholders, they have workers and pay more taxes.
7KHDXWKRULVD9HGDQWDWHDFKHUDXWKRUDQGWKHIRXQGHURI3UDVKDQW ing wealth over US$ one billion) and their buy. On the other hand, if a good been paid for or come at the cost (The writer is a policy analyst;
$GYDLW)RXQGDWLRQYLHZVDUHSHUVRQDO combined total wealth was higher than portion of the money with him is of others. For instance, the Rs views are personal)

      '  


                          
he narrative that hap- whole world was discussing he shot back saying that he lized words, it was futile to speeches full of chosen abus- and is using do not augur well the zenith of arrogance as

T pens during the time of


the General Election is
an indicator of the quality of
the gun contract. Rajiv
Gandhi, who was upset with
the charges, went to the extent
would not answer barking
dogs. Ram Jethmalani was a
highly respected lawyer and
expect the opposition to sit
back and suffer silently.
Barring leaders like A B
es.
The present-day Congress
leaders are no different.
for the position he holds.
Politics is a profession that
requires dignity, decency and
Annamalai is the most talked
about person in South India as
of date. His rise in BJP was not
democracy practiced in a of describing the opposition as social activist and the general Vajpayee, L K Advani, Murali Manmohan Singh, the former decorum. One could not speak because of his family back-
country. Leaders, especially political limpets. This is a public did not take the com- Manohar Joshi, George Prime Minister said in a media or behave in a manner that ground while his educational
the star campaigners, should term coined by a speech writer ments of the then Prime Fernandes and S meeting on 4 January 2014 would put hooligans to shame. and professional qualifications
set a standard for the public of Rajiv who always flouted his Minister lightly. Chandrasekhar, the opposition that it would be disastrous for A politician should be able to are sufficient to make one say
discourse through their Indian Foreign Service back- Ram Nath Goenka, the too had an array of leaders the country to have Narendra control the language and man- My My.. Maran and his ilk
speeches and interviews with &.)/*%%8 ground to play one-upman- founder of Indian Express, capable of spitting venom and Modi as Prime Minister. Now nerisms while he interacts need sensibility to cherish the
the media persons. They ship against old-time Congress who had said in a signed fire at the rivals. it is for the people of India to with the people. The behaviour beauty of Annamalai’s qualifi-
should bear in mind that every the assassination of his moth- leaders. front-page editorial in his Though many seasoned states- decide whether Narendra of former union minister cations.
word they utter is being er Indira Gandhi, was a On seeing that Rajiv Gandhi newspaper that he could die men like Nani Palkhivala and Modi’s decade-long regime Dayanidhi Maran (grand In his decade-long service as
recorded digitally with cam- refreshing change from the was upset with the allegations peacefully with Rajiv Gandhi J R D Tata cautioned the was disastrous or not. nephew of Tamil Nadu Chief an IPS officer, Annamalai
eras and audio instruments. image of conventional of corruption, Ram occupying the Prime Minister’s nation about the falling stan- Congress President Minister M K Stalin) who is in earned encomium from all his
Whatever they speak is under Congress leaders spotting the Jethmalani, the doyen among chair had to make a retreat and dards in the quality of debates Mallikarjun Kharge is no dif- politics only because of his seniors while Maran was
public scrutiny and any aber- ear-to-ear smile and pervert- the country’s lawyers launched wrote that the earlier Rajiv and discussions, it did not ferent from M M Mani, the family connections, is repre- dropped from the Manmohan
rations would lead to major ed smile. But that did not last a fusillade of questions at the Gandhi goes the better for the make any impact as politicians Marxist leader of Kerala when hensible as well as con- Singh-led Government with-
mishaps. long as the Government he Prime Minister. “Ill ask you ten country. The Congress alone continued their harangues it comes to “showering” rivals demnable. in three years of being sworn
The campaign speeches in headed was enmeshed in cor- questions each day about the was responsible for the falling with the sole purpose of scor- with the choicest of abuses. When he was asked about K in following corruption
India took a new low during ruption charges ranging from Bofors deal and if you claim standard in the national nar- ing brownie points. The result Being the president of the Annamalai, the state chief of charges against him. This
the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi as Bofors Gun to HDW subma- that there is no corruption rative during the election. was that the political cam- GOP, Kharge has the major Tamil Nadu BJP, Maran went much for dynasty politics.
Prime Minister (1984-1989). rine deals. It was futile to involved in it, please answer When the Congress made use paigns that should have served responsibility to ensure the to the extent of describing him (The writer is special corre-
Rajiv, who took over the post expect the truncated my questions,” said Jethmalani. of public discourses with as a source of knowledge and dignity of the narratives. But as a joker and said he does not spondent with The Pioneer;
of Prime Minister following Opposition to sit idle while the This made Rajiv furious and unparliamentary and uncivi- information got degraded into the kind of words he has used know any Annamalai. This is views are personal)

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