Arvind Bend; Democratic ‘Killings’; Embracing Calamity
Opinion Watch
Arvind Bend
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by all accounts is a maverick politician, as he changes his cloths for political expediency. The Indian Express in its Editorial has sifted Kejriwal’s call for Opposition unity on the Delhi Ordinance plank by recalling that the chief minister in the past broke ranks with the non-BJP parties in welcoming abrogation of Article 370 and keeping mum when the CBI and the ED went on killing spree against several leaders.
The Noida-based daily reasoned that the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party is seeking to be the prime mover of the Opposition unity, and the outfit needs to show humility. The daily, while richly quoting from Kejriwal’s speech at the Ramlila Ground, claimed that the AAP has in the past worn anti-politics on its sleeves.
Ironically, the dailies without exception are timid in critiquing ruling parties in Delhi for fear of losing the budget pie. Kejriwal wearing anti-politics should classify as crude joke, for his ease to wear skullcap and rush to Hanuman temple and exercising all acrobatic skills of vote-hungry politician have all been seen by the people.
Democratic ‘Killings’
West Bengal is now again witnessing killings, of the candidates seeking to take part in the democratic process, while filing nomination papers in the Panchayat elections. The Telegraph in its Editorial has called the decision of the State Election Commission to impose section 144 of CrPC within one km range of the nomination centres unprecedented.
The Kolkata-based daily stated that the Opposition candidates are allegedly not being allowed to file nomination papers in the strongholds of the ruling Trinamool Congress. At the same time, TMC is also facing arson in places such as Malda. The daily warned the TMC to shun politics of violence, saying that the people had punished the party for excesses in 2018 Panchayat elections by voting for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The TMC is often accused to be the old blood-letting Left, which had turned West Bengal into a killing field. West Bengal remains immune to democratic progress.
Embracing Calamity
Cyclone Biporjoy will sweep through Saurashtra and Kutch regions in Gujarat on Thursday at over 150 kmph speed, and The Economic Times in its Editorial has linked the flurry of such incidents to the Climate Change, while lamenting at the ‘Chalta Hai’ attitude in taking the mitigation efforts.
The business daily noted that India’s contribution in global emissions has been 3.4 per cent between 1860 and 2021. It also quoted the RBI assessment that India will need to undertake an investment of ₹ 85.6 lakh crore by 2030 in climate adoption.
Undeniably, the episodes of wildfire, raging in Canada, unseasonal rains, droughts, cyclones and other events are taking place due to Climate Change. But the world is still cold-feeted to take Climate Change by its horns.
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