The FM Spoke but Did She Listen?
Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in his column for The Indian Express, writes that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's response to the post-Budget discussions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha didn't adequately address the concerns that were raised.
Chidambaram argues that the FM's case rested on broad yet flawed premises like,
'The government is spending more money under each head of expenditure.'
'The problem of unemployment does not exist.'
'Current inflation rates are lower than during the UPA government's era.'
"The Budget received a cold reception from the average citizen...The FM alone did not seem to feel the chill. At the end of the FM's reply, many others and I were in the same state of advanced wisdom as we were when she presented the Budget."P Chidambaram, The Indian Express
Developed India Is a Distant Dream
In her piece for The Indian Express, columnist Tavleen Singh writes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) is increasingly seeming like a "joke in bad taste", given the current state of governance.
Singh argues that PM Modi's call for industrialists to use their CSR (Corporate social responsibility) funds to hire and train interns is a shallow solution to unemployment when recent instances of failed governance in the country suggest the government is not serious about its own role in turning India into 'Viksit Bharat'.
"It is not Indian industrialists who have failed India. It is those who are responsible for governing this country who have not done their jobs. They care more for making money than for ‘Viksit Bharat’."Tavleen Singh, The Indian Express
Potatoes and Pills: Feeding the Body When Feeling Frail
Writing for The Times of India, Nobel-winning economist Abhijit Banerjee reflects on the shifting role and status of the elderly in Indian society.
Banerjee begins with a personal note about his late grandfather and his own reluctance to accept his approaching 'retirement age'. He goes on to discuss how the changing landscapes of modern Indian households (far apart with fewer kids) have led to loneliness, depression, and a loss of self-worth in the Indian elderly.
"In the 1960s and '70s, most people I knew, mostly Bengali and middle-class, lived in joint families. But living together meant conflicts and choices. Someone had to make decisions — this was often the source of power for the more senior members...Despite our narrative about family-oriented India being entirely unlike the individualistic United States, the fraction of elderly who, in surveys, say that they are lonely is similar in both countries, about 15 percent."Abhijit Banerjee, The Times of India
BJP vs AAP Tug-Of-War Killed Students in Delhi
In his piece for Deccan Chronicle, Diplomat and Former Rajya Sabha MP, Pavan K Varma, argues that the death of the three young IAS aspirants on 27 July due to drowning in the flooded basement of a coaching institute in Delhi has put the spotlight on the current disarray of governance in the national capital, calling it, "the worst form of federal immaturity."
"The fundamental problem is that nobody knows anymore who is running Delhi, and no one, therefore, can be held accountable for this disaster...This tragedy has become a football being kicked around all over the media and political landscape. Finger pointing comes easily to our political class, but no one wants to seriously — and collectively — resolve the systemic reasons underlying such tragedies."Pavan K Varma, Deccan Chronicle
Questions Beyond Wayanad, Spilled Across the Country
Senior columnist Hridayesh Joshi in his piece for Deccan Herald writes on the recent landslide in Kerala's Wayanad district that claimed the lives of more than 300 people, and how the tragedy is "a grim reminder" of just how vulnerable India is to natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and landslides.
"...the issue is much larger and goes beyond one state. If we look at the extent of vulnerability, this danger is spread across India. Like coastal Kerala, all districts of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand are on ISRO’s list. A small state like Mizoram has witnessed 12,385 landslides in the last 25 years — that’s at least one landslide a day for 25 years!"Hridayesh Joshi, Deccan Herald
Caste Reservation Fabric Needs New Pattern
In his weekly column in The New Indian Express, the newspaper's Editorial Director, Prabhu Chawla opines that caste reservations in India is in need of meaningful reform if true social equality is to be achieved. He writes that political resistance to such reform is expected as the social and political elites in India benefit from maintaining the status quo.
"If the Bhagavad Gita is the soul of India, caste is its curse. What began millenniums ago as professional identification was perverted through the ages to create a parti pris paradigm to win elections. Indian politics revels in status quo and subverts change into stasis...they've reserved the weltschmerz-laden caste system for election manifestos."Prabhu Chawla, The New Indian Express
Wins, Losses and Longing in the Olympics Season
Writing for Hindustan Times, Abhishek Asthana reflects on India's evolving relationship with sports and Olympic achievements, contrasting past attitudes — where failures were often accepted with resignation — with current expectations, where merely making it to the Olympics isn't considered 'good enough'.
"Winning hearts is not enough. Now, these athletes aren’t objects of our sympathy or a guilt trip of a cricket-obsessed nation...I still remember when MS Dhoni hit that winning six in the 2011 World Cup, I ran out to the 16th Main of BTM layout in Bengaluru, hugging absolute strangers and waving the flag. Did I do the same when India won the T20 WC this year? Not really. Such philosophical musings are usually reserved for cricket. The day an Olympic defeat has a similar shelf life of public despair, the day when we can actually criticise an erring athlete freely — that’s the day we show we actually care."Abhishek Asthana, Hindustan Times
Rahul Gandhi Comes of Age as a Leader
Political commentator and columnist, Kalyani Shankar, in her piece in The Statesman, traces Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's progress as a politician over the years. She writes that Gandhi has been "confident and forceful inside and outside the house, fitting the leader of the Opposition."
"It is easier for Rahul to take on an aggressive role because the opposition benches in the 18th Lok Sabha have a sizeable number. Additionally, the allies have realised they can succeed if united, as proven in the 2024 polls... Rahul's continued criticisms of the prime minister have evoked strong and tense responses from the ruling party members."Kalyani Shankar, The Statesman
The Gymkhana Club’s Ungentlemanly Move
In his weekly column for Hindustan Times, senior journalist and author Karan Thapar critiques a new clause introduced by the Delhi Gymkhana Club that requires members to "maintain a positive credit balance", on top of the annual membership fee. According to Thapar, this move undermines the central purpose of a club as a place you can visit whenever you want.
"If the management is really worried that a growing number are refusing to honour their bills, it could have asked members to pay for their drinks and food as soon as they’ve finished and before they leave. Like guests in a restaurant. In fact, this is what several London clubs do. It would be both more trusting and more polite. "Karan Thapar, Hindustan Times
Read More Opinion Pieces by the Quint Here:
Why India's Middle Class is Speaking Up Again
Job Creation Seems Better Than Before but What About Quality and Sustainability?
Wayanad | Centre-State Blame Game is Emblematic of Shoddy Disaster Preparedness
Hemant Soren | Is There a Departure From Previously Stringent Bail Conditions?
Gadkari's Letter is Just Another Sign of the Growing Schism Between BJP and RSS
Sub-classification of SCs, STs Has Significant Implications for Social Justice
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)