Deafening Silence; Forest Fright; Exceptional Politician
Opinion Watch
Deafening Silence
The Indian Express has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breaking his silence on horrors in Manipur only after a viral video surfaced of two Kuki-Zoma tribe women paraded naked and sexually assaulted, which shook the conscience of the nation. The Noida-based underlined nearly three-month long silence of Modi on Manipur violence. It added that the state political leadership doesn’t inspire confidence.
It took only the onset of the Monsoon session of Parliament and the viral video to bring national attention to Manipur, while for past two months the mainstream media and the political class were too busy in events to entertain the voters of the country. Manipur ethnic violence has been explained by experts as an outcome of a host of vested interests patronized by powerful groups coming in conflict and that requires no-holds-barred central intervention.
Forest Fright
The Economic Times in its Editorial has warned that the two Bills – Biodiversity (Amendment) Bill 2021 and Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2023 – may put to risk not less than 30 per cent of the green cover of the country. The business daily has asked the government not to hurry in getting them passed as once the legal protection cover is gone for the forests the damage may not be undone as big commercial interests eye the forest wealth.
The climate change upheavals are revealed in all parts of the country, from Himachal Pradesh to Raigarh in Maharashtra where a village was buried following crash of a hill. Yet, the government appears to be not taking lessons.
Exceptional Politician
The Asian Age has paid a rich tribute for former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The New Delhi-based daily noted the decision of the family members to decline the funeral with state honour, with his daughter saying that the long queue of the people showed popular affection for her father. The daily also stated that Chandy was a gracious CM in his two terms, while he represented the Puthupally Assembly seats for 50 years for 12-term.
Chandy is indeed the lighthouse for the Indian political class. But his tribe is endangered, for the political class now is full of the people who deserve to be called arrogant and low on social and moral values.