The absence of many regional parties — TMC, SP, BSP, AAP, DMK and Shiv Sena — from Sonia Gandhi-led opposition meeting on NRC-CAA underlines the impracticality and fickleness of a national anti-BJP front. Bandwagon politics, which is inherently opportunistic and temporary, can’t be an alternative to constructive mass politics based on issues.
Rise in retail inflation shouldn’t stop govt, RBI from taking critical steps to rescue economy
The sharp rise in retail inflation to 7.35% shouldn’t force the RBI to maintain status quo on rates again in February because it’s led by a transitory rise in vegetable prices. It shouldn’t also stop the government from bringing an expansionary budget to pull the economy from its 11-year low.
The Congress with barely 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha leads the Opposition partly resting on past laurels. Partly due to a recent increase in the number of states where it is in power. Its effective head must be seen as a PM in waiting. Someone with the stature, competence, experience, gravitas to lead a coalition government. It is understandable for the party President to feel deep affection for her son, treat him as the legal heir. However, his leadership record over the last fifteen years is known to her. As also his on – off working style. The family can afford to wait. Not so either the party – as recently elected MLAs in Maharashtra made clear – or the imperative of opposition unity.
The family is not listening to you. You need to find an alternative to it, or do without it! Endless quibbling about the family and Rahul wouldn’t help.
“Narendra Modi’s great advantage is that he is not Rahul Gandhi,” the historian had said. “He is self-made. He has run a state for 15 years, he has administrative experience, he is incredibly hard working and he never takes holidays in Europe. Believe me I am saying all this in all seriousness.”
He claimed Gandhi would be at a disadvantage against Modi even if he were to be more intelligent, more hard-working, and stopped taking holidays in Europe. Ramchandra Guha
Mint Street is out of the equation now. Rescuing India’s economy is beyond its pay grade. It has delivered rate cuts of 135 basis points which have done zilch to boost growth. It wrote out a check for 1.76 trillion which has left a thirst for some more nectar. Inflation may have surged due to kaanda batata but it would look odd cutting rates when retail inflation is almost twice the normative figure of 4%.
Equally, the government should move away from sugar highs – rate cuts or fiscal stimulus. People committing suicide simply because they are broke, a woman selling her hair for Rs 150 to feed her children. An almost unbroken, if slow, trend of reduction in poverty reversed for the first time in living memory. Even the worst of the charlatan cheerleaders are no longer claiming that millions of jobs are being created but the statistics are not capturing them. 2024 is a long way off. Irrespective of whom Indians have voted for, they are entitled to ask the government to deliver on the economic front. It has four years to achieve what it was given a decade by the electorate.