BJP Windfall; Internet Shutdown; SEBI Aspersion
Opinion Watch
BJP Windfall
Electoral march of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues full-steam. The saffron outfit has several engines firing to tame the Opposition. The Hindu has credited the BJP victory in Tripura and Nagaland to improved law and situation, Rs 2,000 per month to the poor, and building over 1.60 lakh houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna in the region. The Pioneer has said that the victory in the North-east may sober “bovine nationalism” of the party and also bring ideological moderation. The Asian Age credited the BJP victory to the way “Delhi changed the engagement with the North-east”.
The BJP won 32 seats in Tripura to gain a simple majority on its own, and thus no more needs the crutch of the Indigenous People’s Party of Tripura. Yet, the BJP couldn’t stop the rise of another identity-based outfit Tipra Motha Party, which by winning 13 seats is the second largest group in the state. The BJP show in Meghalaya came a whimper despite high voltage campaign by party’s stalwarts. Yet, the message is clear, the principal fuel of the BJP’s electoral juggernaut is the fractured Opposition.
Internet Shutdown
Pakistani influencers of late have been mocking at India for the dubious record of most number of internet shutdowns. Now, district administrations are issuing order for internet shutdown to cover up their rank incompetence. The Economic Times has called for codifying the internet shutdown protocol. The daily has cited instances of whimsical orders issued by district administrations in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal. The business daily has questioned the curbs on freedom of expression. It slammed internet shutdown by UP to check cheating in examination. This is despite the fact that the Telecom Suspension Rules, 2017 have been tightened.
Internet is now a daily necessity, and it may soon find covered under the expanded ambit of Right to Life. The Supreme Court is seized of the matter of arbitrary internet shutdowns in parts of the country. The civil society must be strong enough to question and call the bluff of thugs who run the district administrations.
SEBI Aspersion
The Indian Express has suggested that the constitution of a panel by the Supreme Court to look into the issues emerging out of the meltdown in the shares of the Adani Group of companies may cast aspersions on SEBI (The Securities Exchange Board of India)”. The Noida-based daily has also said that members have been picked in the panel in an opaque manner. It also wondered on reports of similar panels constituted by the apex court. The last such was indeed on agrarian issue in the wake of the farmers’ protests.
Retail investors have been left shell-shocked after the Adani rout. At a time when the retail investors have been denied opportunities to earn enough interests to beat inflation, they went to the equity markets. Thus, it’s incumbent for the SEBI to prove that it indeed has functional wherewithal to scorch scope for manipulations.
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