Tag: the Hindu editorials

Editorial – March 28, 2024

Title: On the discourse in politics and women politicians

Congress social media in-charge Supriya Shrinate’s denigrating post on actor Kangana Ranaut, now deleted, is unconscionable. It is unacceptable that instead of apologising, her defence, through a video post, was that many people have access to her Facebook and Instagram accounts, and that someone made an “extremely inappropriate post”.

Ms. Ranaut, who is set to contest her maiden election from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, took to X to castigate Ms. Shrinate, pointing out that women must be freed from “shackles of prejudices” and no one should use the challenging lives of sex workers or their circumstances as “some kind of abuse or slur”.

Ms. Ranaut expressed her hurt, and a political storm has erupted over Ms. Shrinate’s needless, pejorative comments ahead of a crucial general election when there are many issues at stake — from the electoral bonds scam, rising unemployment, distress of the poor, shrinking space for freedom of expression and so on. By blaming others for what appeared on her handle, Ms. Shrinate has gone against everything she vouches to stand for, particularly on women.

Her colleague Pawan Khera’s clarification that she “can never resort” to such talk also does not cut ice because the “objectionable language” did appear under her name.

By being on the receiving end, Ms. Ranaut too should refrain from equally disparaging remarks such as those she had made in the past against a fellow woman actor who had got an election ticket. For women, challenges persist at home and in the workplace.

They face a long road to gender equality which remains frustratingly out of reach. India finally passed a law last year to reserve 33% of seats for women legislators, but there has been no deadline set for its implementation. In the absence of such a commitment, it remains a wish on paper. The initial candidates’ lists show that even the BJP, under whose watch the legislation came into place, is nowhere close to reaching the 33% mark, a key factor that can immediately have a positive outcome for women’s empowerment.

When the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023 was passsed, about 14% of the Lok Sabha legislators were women, far below the global average of 26.5%; Himachal Pradesh has only one woman Lok Sabha MP. Women should have a voice in how their lives should be run, and becoming an elected representative is one step towards ensuring policies are made and implemented with them in mind. Women should work towards removing barriers to their advancement, not make the path more difficult.

Meaning of the words

denigrating	is an adjective that describes something as belittling, disparaging, or derogatory. When something is denigrated, it is criticized or portrayed in a negative light, often with the intention of diminishing its value, reputation, or importance.
unconscionable	is an adjective used to describe actions, behavior, contracts, or decisions that are considered morally or ethically unacceptable, unfair, or unreasonable to such an extreme degree that they shock the conscience.
pejorative	is an adjective that describes a word, phrase, or expression that conveys a negative or derogatory connotation, often intended to belittle or disparage someone or something.
inappropriate	is an adjective used to describe something that is not suitable, proper, or fitting for a particular context or situation.
disparaging	is an adjective used to describe remarks, comments, or actions that belittle, criticize, or speak negatively about someone or something.
persist	means to continue to exist or endure over a period of time, often despite obstacles, challenges, or opposition.
frustratingly	is an adverb that describes an action or situation characterized by causing feelings of frustration or annoyance.

Editorial – March 22, 2024

Title: New Capabilities: India and the Agni-V with MIRV

On March 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used social media to announce India’s entry into a small club of countries capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads on a single missile. This was accomplished with the maiden flight test of Agni-V, India’s longest range ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 kilometres, with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) technology under ‘Mission Divyastra’ by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Since its first test in April 2012, Agni-V has undergone several tests and developments including canisterisation to improve its ease of handling and operation. The MIRV system’s indigenous avionics systems and high accuracy sensor packages ensure that the re-entry vehicles reach the target points accurately. The DRDO said the mission accomplished the designed parameters.

The test also comes five years after India’s maiden anti-satellite (ASAT) test under Mission Shakti. On March 27, 2019, a live satellite in the low earth orbit of around 300 km was shot down using a modified interceptor of the Ballistic Missile Defence system.

This is a significant technological breakthrough that furthers India’s nuclear weapons programme and strengthens second strike capability. This is particularly important given India’s nuclear doctrine based on a no-first-use policy, credible minimum deterrence and massive retaliation in case of a first strike, which was espoused in 2003, after the nuclear tests of 1998.

 The choice of the MIRV on Agni-V, a three-stage solid fuelled engine, is significant as it is focused towards China given its range and multiple warheads give it the ability to defeat missile defences. India completed the nuclear triad when Mr. Modi declared in November 2018 that the country’s first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant had finished its first deterrence patrol.

The MIRV is the next technological threshold in this direction and it is now only logical and a matter of time before the MIRV is deployed on submarine-launched ballistic missiles. China, which is fast expanding its nuclear arsenal, has already deployed MIRV technology — first deployed by the U.S. in 1970. Pakistan claims to have tested it as well. In this regard, the other side of this development is the factor of escalation dynamics that is going to accelerate in the region with China and Pakistan.

This spiral race of one-upmanship is only going to deepen, get more technology-intensive and turn out to be an expensive endeavour as well.

Meaning of the important words

Words	Meaning
Canisterisation	Canisterization typically refers to the process of packaging or storing items, typically goods or substances, in canisters or containers.
Interceptor	In aviation, an interceptor is a type of fighter aircraft designed to intercept and engage enemy aircraft, particularly bombers, before they can reach their targets.
Credible	“Credible” refers to something that is believable, trustworthy, or reliable.
Deterrence	Deterrence refers to the strategy of preventing undesirable actions or behaviors by instilling fear of the consequences associated with those actions
Retaliation	Retaliation refers to the act of responding to an action or injury with a similar or corresponding action.
Espoused	The term “espoused” typically refers to something that is professed, claimed, or advocated by an individual or group
Arsenal	The term “arsenal” typically refers to a collection or stockpile of weapons and military equipment, often belonging to a particular military force, nation, or organization.
One-Upmanship	“One-upmanship” is a term that refers to the practice of trying to outdo or surpass others, often in a competitive or boastful manner, in order to assert dominance or superiority.

Editorial – March 21, 2024

Title: Ferocious friends: On certain breeds of dogs and public safety

The relationship between dogs and their place in society opens up vexing dilemmas in India. On one hand there is the problem of street dogs. Citizens all over the country may complain about their residential colonies being under attack by roving canines but this has not yet spurred any significant political response to enforce existing municipal laws to contain their numbers.

On the other hand, it seems that even pet dogs too have managed to raise an entirely different class of concerns meriting the attention of a central government ministry and two High Courts. Among the questions being deliberated upon is whether certain breeds of dogs are inherently more “ferocious” than others. An expert committee constituted by the Department of Animal Welfare and Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture, has recommended that certain breeds of “ferocious dogs” be prohibited from being kept as pets.

Such a committee was constituted after citizen groups complained of attacks on people — sometimes fatal — by these dogs, which prompted a petition in the Delhi High Court requesting it to ban certain breeds.

These include mixed and crossbreeds such as Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, among others. These rules are expected to be implemented by local authorities. Dogs that have already been kept as pets must be sterilised to ensure that further breeding does not happen.

The Karnataka High Court recently stayed the government order after some petitioners objected that the government department move was unilateral and did not encompass a wide enough spectrum of expert bodies. The Kennel Club of India, a body that deals with registering purebreeds, could stand to be at a disadvantage by this decision.

Years of observation and insight into the temperament of dogs have shown that ferocity and aggressiveness are a result of both environmental and behavioural factors. Thus, the age, sex, size, familiarity with other dogs, the way it is trained, and the circumstances that provoke aggression all contribute to ferocity. That said, several countries have banned certain breeds or have imposed stringent conditions to own or maintain certain dog breeds. None of these countries anyway permits street dogs in the way India does and so the regulations are premised on higher standards of public safety than in India.

Thus, the existence or absence of certain breeds of dogs is less likely to make a difference to public safety than making dog owners more liable for harm caused. While individual choice in choosing and raising pets matters, it is by no means an unbridled right.

Meaning of the important words

Words	Meaning
dilemmas	is a situation in which a person is faced with two equally undesirable options or choices.
spurred	is a verb that means to encourage or stimulate something, typically an action or development.
deliberated	which means to carefully consider or weigh options or arguments before making a decision
ferocious	is an adjective used to describe something that is extremely fierce, violent, or aggressive in nature.
sterilised	refers to the process of making something free from living microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
petitioners	refers to individuals or groups of people who formally submit petitions to an authority, such as a government, court, or organization, in order to request a specific action or redress a grievance.
encompass	is a verb that means to include or contain within a larger scope or area.
stringent	is an adjective used to describe measures, rules, standards, or requirements that are strict, precise, and rigorously enforced.
unbridled	is an adjective that describes something that is unrestrained, unchecked, or uncontrolled.

Editorial – March 20, 2024

Title: Length and breadth: On Rahul Gandhi and his yatras

The second edition of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, concluded in Mumbai on March 17 with a rally that also saw the participation of some of the party’s allies.

Through the two editions of this yatra, Mr. Gandhi traversed a distance over 10,000 kilometres across the length and breadth of the country, meeting multitudes of people from across society. In the process he has also travelled some distance in his own evolution as a leader, to emerge as the most strident face of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politics in India.

 If there was novelty and euphoria around the first edition, that was from Kanniyakumari to Srinagar, the second one, from Manipur to Mumbai, was more clinical and functional. With Mr. Gandhi tramping through the picturesque countryside, the first yatra delivered a nebulous message of love and harmony framed around the slogan, Nafrat Ke Bazaar Mein Mohabbat Ki Dukaan (outlet of love in a market of hate). To insulate Mr. Gandhi from expectations of immediate politics, the Congress insisted that the yatra was not an electoral exercise, but an ideological campaign.

The yatra gained the Congress some electoral advantage in Karnataka and Telangana which it went on to win in the Assembly elections that followed, but the party lost in the elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In the second edition, the yatra’s theme was built around social justice, a euphemism for a wider representation of caste groups in power. Both the yatras have achieved the goal of energising the party cadres, who found themselves suitably employed and connected to the party leadership in the run-up to the general election.

The paradox for the Congress leaders is that the more success they meet, the stronger will be the pushback from their own allies. A wobbly, weak and flexible Congress at the centre of the anti-BJP alliance is a stronger glue to keep the alliance together. In States where the Congress is subservient to the regional forces, from Tamil Nadu to Bihar, the alliance is in better shape.

But in West Bengal, where the State party chief, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, refused to bow down to the Trinamool Congress, the alliance fell through. The planning and management of the two editions of the Bharat Jodo Yatra also turned out to be a notable renewal of the party’s organisational capacity. But, equally, the 2024 general election will put to the test Mr. Gandhi’s brand of politics centred around left-leaning welfarism and inchoate secularism.

Meaning of the important words

Words	Meaning
multitudes	refers to a large number or great quantity of people or things. It indicates a vast amount or a multitude of individuals or items. It can also imply a diverse or varied group.
strident	typically describes something loud, harsh, and grating, often in a way that is unpleasant or irritating.
euphoria	refers to an intense feeling of happiness, excitement, or joy.
tramping	can refer to walking or hiking over long distances, usually through rural or wilderness areas.
euphemism	a mild or indirect word or expression that is used in place of a more harsh, direct, or unpleasant one to soften the impact or to make something sound less offensive, upsetting, or embarrassing.
paradox	is a statement or situation that seems contradictory, absurd, or self-contradictory, but may actually be true or have a valid explanation. It often involves a situation in which two seemingly contradictory or incompatible ideas or conditions exist simultaneously, leading to a conflict in understanding
subservient	refers to being excessively obedient or submissive to someone else’s authority or wishes.
welfarism	refers to a political or social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of promoting the welfare or well-being of individuals and society as a whole.
inchoate	is an adjective that describes something that is in the early or preliminary stages of development, not fully formed or organized, and therefore not yet completed or fully realized.

Editorial – March 19, 2024

Title: Trade puzzle: On exports and global trade

Towards the end of a tumultuous trading year, India’s goods exports jumped 11.9% in February, marking the healthiest uptick in 20 months. The $41.4 billion tally is the highest in 11 months, and only the third occasion in two years that the $40 billion mark has been breached.

It is remarkable that this spurt, significantly higher than the average export tally of $35.4 billion in the first ten months of this year, comes amid persistent concerns about disruptions in the Red Sea and the drought-hit Panama Canal that have throttled vital trading routes and spiked the time and cost of moving consignments.

While the last two months’ trade numbers suggest that India is yet to feel the full impact of the logistics challenges for servicing key markets in Europe and the Americas, it may be too simplistic a conclusion.

It is plausible that some of February’s numbers may reflect shipments that were probably despatched earlier and reached their destinations only last month using longer routes. Economists believe a combination of backlogged orders attaining fruition and demand improvements may be at work. However, with interest rates still high, global demand conditions are yet to demonstrate the rebound the World Trade Organization (WTO) had hoped for in 2024.

The WTO expects global trade to rise 3.3% this year after a 0.8% crawl in 2023. But by its own reckoning, using a gauge called the Goods Trade Barometer, things are yet to perk up. As of March 8, the barometer, where a reading of over 100 reflects above-trend exim volumes, had a reading of just 100.6. The export orders parameter was marginally higher at 101.7 but container shipping slipped to 98.6. Some modest gains in the first quarter of 2024 may be seen owing to the base effects of a weak 2023, but any such gains could be easily derailed by regional conflicts and geopolitical tensions, the WTO has warned.

Policymakers may have turned upbeat about surpassing last year’s record overall exports (merchandise and services combined), but must not lose sight of the lingering risks and challenges, including the impact of freight hikes on margins.

While electronics goods exports have been an outlier in 2023-24’s weak exports narrative (-3.5% so far), the WTO’s latest barometer reading for electronic components trade has plummeted to 95.6. This is visible in February’s numbers as both electronics imports and exports grew just fractionally over 1%. For now, the trade deficit should not be a concern, despite imports jumping at a 17-month high pace last month, led by a spike in inflows of increasingly pricey gold.

Finding better ways to support exporters, especially in adversely hit employment-intensive sectors such as textiles, and gems and jewellery, remains critical.

Meaning of the important words

Words	Meaning
tumultuous	making an uproar or loud, confused noise.
persistent	continuing to do something or to try to do something even though it is difficult or other people want you to stop
disruptions	a major disturbance, something that changes your plans or interrupts some event or process
plausible	having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable:
fruition	the realization or fulfilment of a plan or project
backlogged	delayed because of a large number of things that are waiting to be dealt with
reckoning	the action or process of calculating or estimating something
derailed	to cause (a train, streetcar, etc.) to run off the rails of a track.
lingering	to remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave
plummeted	fall or drop straight down at high speed or decrease rapidly in value or amount.

Editorial – March 18, 2024

Title: Bonded favours: On the electoral bond scheme, sordid revelations

Sordid revelations that keep pouring from the disclosure of details about the purchasers and recipients of electoral bonds confirm the early apprehension of sceptics that the anonymous political funding scheme will have undesirable consequences.

Ranging from likely quid pro quo deals to flagrant proximity between companies being investigated by central agencies and the purchase of electoral bonds worth hundreds of crores by these firms, the scheme has played out exactly as its detractors predicted.

Fears that shell companies and loss-making entities may be used to buy the electoral bonds and donate them to parties seem to have come true. The argument that waiver of the rule that political donations can be made by companies only up to a certain percentage of their profits will render the scheme illegal has been proved right. The Supreme Court of India did well to voice these concerns, flagging the potential for wrongdoing and striking down the bonds scheme in its entirety as unconstitutional.

However, the delay in disposing of the multiple challenges to the scheme, without ever staying its operation over the years, has had its own cost. It is a sobering thought for all those invested in democracy to note that the political and corporate classes have lived up to the public expectation that they are ready to use the scheme for mutual benefit rather than solve the problem of unclean funds vitiating the election campaign.

Some details about who donated to which party are emerging now, thanks to a few parties having disclosed their names and given them to the Election Commission of India on the Court’s orders.However, it is disappointing that both the ruling BJP and the Congress didnot disclose them even in sealed covers. It is possible that there will be more revelations in the coming days when unique numbers given to each bond are disclosed.

The role of investigative agencies has been politically controversial, especially under the present regime, but the strong correlation between searches and arrests on one hand, and the dates of purchase of bonds on the other, shows the Centre in a bad light. It will be a dark day for democracy if it emerges that the agencies were used to arm-twist people into making political contributions.

The BJP has, unsurprisingly, emerged as the largest beneficiary, having received well above ₹6,000 crore and nearly half the contributions made through the bonds route. However, its attempt to describe contributions as comparatively low if seen against the fact that it has the largest number of Lok Sabha members is quite naive, or worse, self-incriminating. Power and influence do attract political funding, but misusing them either by muscular demonstration or the promise of reward will ultimately be subversive of democracy.

Meaning of the important words

Words	Meaning
Sordid	involving immoral or dishonourable actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt.
apprehension	the act or power of perceiving or comprehending
flagrant	conspicuously bad or objectionable
detractors	someone who criticizes something or someone
entirety	with all parts included
sobering	creating a more serious, sensible, or solemn mood.
vitiating	spoil or impair the quality or efficiency
regime	a government, especially an authoritarian one
self-incriminating	the act of saying or doing something that shows that you are guilty of a crime:
subversive	seeking or intended to subvert an established system or institution.

Editorial March 15, 2024

Square one: On the 2024 U.S. Presidential election as a Biden-Trump rematch

Both Republicans and Democrats need alternative voices to articulate their vision

With the exit of Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina, from the U.S. Republican nomination race for the 2024 presidential election, the country is now set to witness a rematch of the 2020 contest between the incumbent, President Joe Biden, and his challenger, former President Donald Trump.

It is hardly a surprise that the contest has reverted to this match-up yet again, given that they are the only two leaders who have made the cut as viable candidates for their respective parties over the many months on the campaign trail. On the Republican side, Ms. Haley likely reflected the hopes of some among those who stood for the conservative values of the Republican Party mainstream, which is facing an unprecedented challenge from Mr. Trump and his nativist-populist style of politics.

Nevertheless, voters at the primaries and caucuses clearly leaned towards Mr. Trump, perhaps under the assumption that he had left behind, at the end of his term in the Oval Office, an unfinished political agenda to Make America Great Again.

On the Democratic side, at 81 years of age, it is Mr. Biden’s ability to yet again live up to the rigours of being in office that remains a question mark, even among the party faithful. Yet more worrying from the perspective of the long-term prospects of the Democratic Party is the fact is that there has been no other leader from among their ranks with the national stature and sufficient charisma to navigate the party through an election in which they are challenged by the likes of Mr. Trump.

While polls have given Mr. Trump a robust lead over Mr. Biden, at this stage in the election cycle, the outcome of the political clash between the two men will depend on factors such as voter turnout, the preferences of independent voters in swing States, and the impact that the many legal cases against Mr. Trump could have on his ability to campaign and persuade voters that he is a victim of a conspiracy by the Democrats.

The absence of alternative leadership in both parties beyond the two current contestants suggests that politics in America has not moved past pre-existing conditions of partisan deadlock, even though it is abundantly clear that business-as-usual politics does not serve the U.S.’s national interest.

The best that the country could hope for in the next election cycle, perhaps, is for alternative voices within both parties to articulate a new vision undergirding the American Dream, a brand of leadership that embraces the new paradigm of national and global politics today.

Important words and their meanings:

Incumbent – A person who is currently in an official position.

Viable – Capable of working successfully.

Unprecedented – Never done or known before.

Populist – Relating to politician or political movements that claim to represent the interests and wishes of ordinary people.

Caucuses – Meetings of members of a political party to select delegates or decide policy.

Stature – The importance and respect that somebody has because people have a high opinion of his/her skill or of what he/she has done.

Charisma – A powerful personal quality that some people have to attract and influence other people.

Turnout – The number of people attending or participating in an event.

Deadlock – A situation in which two sides cannot reach an agreement.

Articulate – Good at expressing your ideas clearly.

Paradigm – A typical example or pattern of something, model.

Editorial March 13, 2024

Title: A tale of two: On alliance-building by BJP and Congress

After raising its stakes in the forthcoming general election by declaring a target of 400 seats along with allies, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mopping up political partners across the country to resurrect the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Just as the BJP is courting allies with alacrity, the putative alliance of Opposition parties that appeared on the horizon in mid-2023 is unravelling, if at all it ever took any concrete form. The BJP has announced a tie-up with Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party which had parted ways in 2018 over the issue of unfulfilled promises for Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. Naidu has slowly made his way back to the NDA by distancing himself from the Opposition. The BJP is assiduously courting the Biju Janata Dal, to revive their alliance formed between 1998-2009, in Odisha. The Akali Dal is waiting for the farmers’ agitation to blow over before it could make its next move, potentially to march back to the NDA camp.

Efforts are on to bring the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam back into the NDA’s fold in Tamil Nadu. The most striking of all the recent realignments has been that of Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is now championing a third consecutive term for the BJP at the Centre, after calling for its defeat in the preceding months.

A corresponding disarray is evident in the Opposition camp, as parties and individual leaders are jumping on the BJP bandwagon. The emaciated INDIA bloc also suffers from incoherence with allies such as the Trinamool Congress which, after weeks of talks with the Congress, announced candidates for all 42 seats of West Bengal, leaving nothing for the principal Opposition party.

To add insult to injury, Mamata Banerjee has fielded cricketer Yusuf Pathan from Baharampur against Congress state President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has unilaterally announced some candidates, threatening the alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the Congress.

In Kerala, the Left parties and the Congress, two key proponents of national Opposition unity will be facing off. This usual paradox is starker this time, as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI leader Annie Raja are opponents in Wayanad. It is not a coincidence that many of the leaders and parties that are taking positions convenient for the BJP, if not openly joining hands with it, are facing investigations by central agencies.

This role of the state in influencing party politics in India is a disturbing sign for the health of Indian democracy, and also of the inglorious records of the many Opposition leaders.

Meaning of the important words

mopping – the act of cleaning a surface by rubbing it with a brush and soap and water

alacrity – brisk and cheerful readiness.

resurrect – to bring someone back to life, or bring something back into use or existence after it disappeared

unravelling – investigate and solve or explain

putative – commonly accepted or supposed

assiduously – with great care and perseverance

realignments – Changing position

disarray – the state of being confused

bandwagon – used in reference to an activity, cause, etc. that is currently fashionable or popular and attracting increasing support.

paradox – a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one’s expectation

inglorious – causing shame or a loss of honour.