BJP shines in bypolls; Economy limping back to normalcy; Arabian Netanyahu worries
Opinion Watch
BJP shines in bypolls
The Bharatiya Janata Party won four of the seven Assembly seats for which byelections were held in six states. The bypoll verdict may not present a strong national picture, as elections were too local in each of the seats.
The Pioneer in its Editorial stated that Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ isn’t instantly reviving his party, and the BJP poll engine is also not yet tiring out. The Times of India stressed on mixed signals – Congress’ heavy reliance on Jat leadership in Haryana being too weak against BJP’s broader social equations, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s ‘Haath ki Safai’ by triggering defections from Congress helps the party beat the BJP, NOTA is winner in Andheri West (Mumbai), and AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi is now the third factor in Bihar.
Ruling parties invariably are seen to have edge in byelections in states, and the result stays on the trend except for Maharashtra where the tradition that the relative of a deceased MLA is not opposed by other parties, which helped the Shiv Sena win the seat even while 12,000 voters opted for NOTA. The political pandits must worry the naked dance of money power, as alleged by the parties, in the Manugode Assembly bypoll in Telangana, and certainly the result doesn’t give out any message except for the fact that the electoral politics in the state is for those who have bagful of money.
Economy limping back to normalcy
Strong Direct Tax Collections appear to be on account of a rebound in the services sector, which may steady the economy at a time where the fear if recession looms in developed world. The Economic Times in its Editorial has sifted the data, including the fact that the S&P Global India Services Purchasing managers’ Index rose to 55.1 in October against the six month low in September of 54.3.
The festive season data also has signaled a strong revival of domestic demand in the country. The GST collections for a second time in the current fiscal went past the mark of Rs 1.5 lakh crore to touch Rs 1.52 lakh crore in October, and also the direct tax collections recorded healthy rise of 24 per cent. The business daily, however, has cautioned while quoting a Bank of Baroda report that profits of companies barring the IT, Banking, Insurance and Financial services have dipped. The daily advocated largescale infrastructure investment to pump prime the economy, which is expected to grow at sub-seven per cent rate.
Arabian Netanyahu worries
Benjamin Netanyahu, a master politician of coalition politics, is back as Prime Minister of Israel. The Indian Express in its Editorial has warned that Netanyahu’s return could strain Israel’s relations with the Arabian countries and also the ruling Democrats in the US.
The daily has taken into account the presence of Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power Party, an ultra-right winger, while arguing that Netanyahu’s far right politics could throw a spanner in the Abraham Accord, which has brought Israel closer to the Islamic countries in the Gulf. But the fact is that the economic might of Israel and its technological assets are steadying relations with the Gulf countries. In the last five years, Israel had four PMs, but the country has only deepened ties with the United Arab Emirates and even Morocco. The Arabian world also wants to ride Israel’s tech-driven economic journey, and the concerns of The Indian Express may be exaggerated.
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