Who Will Answer the Questions?
In his weekly column Across The Aisle for The Indian Express, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram raises some pertinent questions about the three new criminal laws that came into effect at the beginning of this month.
He asks, "Why has the new law retained ‘death penalty’ that has been abolished in many democratic countries? Why has the cruel and dehumanising punishment of ‘solitary confinement’ been introduced?"
"No one in the government has answered the questions so far, but the questions will not go away. Yet the laws that are most fundamental to the administration of criminal justice in the country have ‘come into force’ — an example of government by some people and for some people."P Chidambaram, for The Indian Express
Three Lessons for Indian Politics From British Polls
In his column for Hindustan Times this week, Karan Thapar draws some lessons from the recent British Parliamentary elections.
For one, the House of Commons in the new session has 13 percent MPs who are of Black/Asian or ethnic minority origin. He argues, "In comparison, Muslims are nearly 15% of India’s population and in proportionate terms there should be 74 Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha. There are just 24."
"More tellingly, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party doesn’t have a single Muslim Lok Sabha MP," he writes.
Thapar also compares Rishi Sunak's resignation and the Conservatives debating "what sort of party they need to become if they’re to return to power," with the Congress' "worst defeat" in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections following which, as he writes, "No one resigned. The party did not debate its future."
"All of this happened within hours of the results becoming clear. The constitutional process was not paused for five days to arrange a spectacular swearing-in. The election over, the job of governance began immediately. Whilst all new prime ministers claim they’ll start work at once, the British actually do."Karan Thapar, for Hindustan Times
Why Did Modi Go to Russia?
Columnist Tavleen Singh, in The Indian Express, writes that Prime Minister Modi's visit to Russia "did not look good for the Prime Minister. Or for India."
She says, "Putin is in every sense a vile dictator (...) It might be in India's national interest to continue our relationship with him, but can we make it more transactional than it seemed on this visit?"
"What Putin has done in Ukraine is the equivalent of China invading Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh. And why would this not happen in the future? China has made clear more than once that it does not consider Arunachal to be a part of India and has often objected officially to Indian prime ministers visiting the state. So, what is to stop Xi Jinping from turning his attention to Arunachal when he is done with Taiwan? If this happens, will Putin be on our aide or on the side of China? Before he invaded Ukraine, he had that very public meeting with the Chinese dictator in which they declared that they were best friends forever."Tavleen Singh, for The Indian Express
Learning From Delhi-Uge: Cosmetic Plans Won’t Do
In their piece for Hindustan Times, Delhi historian Narayani Gupta and architect Narayan Moorthy write about how in recent years, monsoon in Delhi has also led to floods and drains overflowing across the city, becoming an equaliser among people.
They write, "Can we look for systemic solutions to bring back the sense of vocation, respect and reward for professionals like government engineers and planners — so that they attract our best talent? Their actions have such multiplicative effects on the lives of all citizens, so much more than political representatives."
"Annual floods have been occurring in south Delhi since the 1990s because of the neglect of our historic canals. Once our nahars were labelled naallahs, the rupture was total. Even more violence is being done since 2010 — 600 year-old nahars are being covered to serve as car parks, and virtual dams are being built, in the form of underground metros, underpasses, and multiple basements."Narayani Gupta and Narayan Moorthy, for Hindustan Times
No Viksit Bharat Without Overhaul of Education
Writing for The Times of India, Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar focuses on the 2023 Annual Survey of Education Report. According to the report, he writes, "About a quarter of all youth (14-18 years) cannot read a class 2 text fluently in their regional language. Only 43% can solve simple division sums."
He argues that the education system in India needs a complete overhaul, starting with schools first. He suggests:
"One feasible solution, Modiji, is to start Shandaar Kendras as joint ventures between Kendriya Vidyalayas and state schools. These can be funded jointly by the centre and states, in the proportion of say 70:30. These Kendras should be protected from political interference. Some teachers can be permanent employees, but others should be staff from state schools who will work in the excellent schools for five years and then revert to the state system to try and spread the new ecosystem. Many can later man new Shandaar Kendras as the project expands. This will not meet the resistance that a total overhaul would, so it is politically non-disruptive."Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar, for The Times of India
A Biden-Sized Problem for the US Democrats
Ian Bremmer, in his piece for Hindustan Times, writes about the "perfect political storm" that the Democrats in the US are facing, with worries increasing about Biden's age, as are doubts that "an unproven candidate" would "quickly flounder."
He writes, "For now, the Democratic Party is paralysed. Ousting a sitting president would be an enormous political gamble; sticking with a stumbling incumbent might carry even more risk."
"Unless Biden decides to leave the race, the odds of replacing him are virtually zero. Over the course of Biden’s sweep through the primary election season, he locked in the support of the delegates needed for his nomination at the party’s August convention in Chicago. These delegates are pledged to back Biden unless he releases them. Even if the party could easily replace him, who would be the Democrats’ new nominee?"Ian Bremmer, for Hindustan Times
Doing Just Enough a Virtue in Tournaments
Writing for Financial Express, Tushar Bhaduri argues that while there was "much talk about matches at Euro 2024 being boring," the one-on-one contests have been fascinating.
He says, "Games don’t need to have a tennis scoreline to generate interest. The fact remains that the overall level of European football is ridiculously high."
"Doing just enough is a good quality to have in tournament football. But England, in its first major championship final away from home, will do well not to get too far behind in the final against Spain, the best team in the tournament so far. After wins over Italy, Germany, and France, their pedigree can’t be questioned despite several youngsters in their line-up."Tushar Bhaduri, for Financial Express
How Republican Worldview Will Shape US-India Ties if Trump Wins
Swapan Dasgupta, writes for The Times of India, about how a recent visit to Washington DC opened his eyes to how "the understanding of the impulses driving Trump Republicans are clouded in prejudice and blind hate."
If Trump wins the US Presidential elections later this year, he writes, "the different strands of thought that make up the NatCon worldview" will impact US-India ties too.
"The growing appeal of a realist foreign policy in the Trump ecosystem suggests that the US will be loath to commit resources to areas of secondary concern. If China is deemed the biggest challenge to US interests, involvements such as NATO and the Ukraine war could well be scaled down. Of course, this resource-dependent view of the national interest will be fiercely contested by the State Department and CIA. In the short term, US foreign policy could become quite incoherent, although India’s position as a frontline state in the China game would carry its own logic."Swapan Dasgupta, for The Times of India
A Growing Sisterhood in Indian Cinema
In The New Indian Express this week, film journalist Namrata Joshi says that 2024 seems to be the year of "female fellowship" and female solidarity in Indian cinema – right from Rajesh A Krishnan’s Crew, Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light, Shuchi Talati’s Sundance-feted Girls Will Be Girls, Christo Tomy’s Ullozhukku, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, to Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies.
She writes, "Creating space for themselves in the face of the predominant pan-Indian male cinema, these small but consequential sisterhood stories are more long-distance runners than multi-crore bro-code winners."
"Female solidarities are going beyond the screen itself. Things are in a churn and shifting shape behind the scenes as well. A bunch of sensitive, intelligent women film professionals are creating niches for themselves and enabling others to do the kind of work they’d want to do to help create a pool of compelling stories—many of them by, of and for women."Namrata Joshi, for The New Indian Express
More From The Quint:
Rahul Gandhi is Right. Congress Must Fight for Minorities Vocally and Candidly
The Annual Deluge: Understanding Mumbai's Chronic Flooding Problem
New Parliament, Old Governance
A Transnational Resurgence of the Left and Centre-Left Parties?
Union Budget 2024: A Three-Pronged Approach to Address Inflation, Debt, and Jobs
Completing Rs 6 Trillion Monetisation: Reality or Gimmickry?
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