Debate Adani; BJP’s Northeast; Junta Jolt
Opinion Watch
Debate Adani
Debate in Parliament is on death bed. Audiences too now prefer rhetoric over debate. Thus, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is in no hurry to fulfil demands for debate over issues trending in the country. Adani row is one fresh addition in a long list of issues which the ruling dispensation has sought to address outside Parliament through slogans. Budget Session, thus, predictably remains paralysed.
But The Pioneer in an Editorial has stated that it’s the government which stands to gain from a debate on the Adani row. The Opposition is drumming alleged relations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani, chairman of the beleaguered conglomerate. The Noida-based daily argued that a debate in Parliament offers the government opportunity to trash the Opposition charges. The daily referred to allegations of capital cronyism against the Modi government. But the daily also added that such charges have been akin to “water off a duck’s back”. Nothing (charges) sticks against Modi, opined the daily. Yet, the daily stated that the government needs to mounting concerns of investors, public at large, the corporate and others.
The hallmark of the Modi government is its nonchalance to Opposition accusations. The likes of Sambit Patra are symbols of the Modi government, who count on abuses for arguments. Also, the ruling dispensation thrives on din. The Opposition is without the political craft to counter the Modi government’s one-upmanship. The Opposition will also need to build on a parallel media space to build its narrative.
BJP’s Northeast
The electoral craft of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unmatched in the North-east. The region has 25 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP is in power with and without alliance in seven Northeastern states. Congress has almost disappeared from the Northeast.
The Asian Age in an Editorial has tracked “meticulous expansion of the footprints of the BJP” in the Northeast. The BJP, the daily opined, rode the North-Eastern Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in 2016 to build bases in the region, and strategically slotted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to deal with the land border issues among the constituent states. The daily has also taken a national perspective to state that the BJP will especially be taking care of 160 Lok Sabha seats to make the 2024 general elections full-proof.
The BJP’s inroads in the Northeast indeed demonstrates the flexibility of the saffron outfit to gain electoral benefits by making ideological adjustments. The BJP has no issues breaking breads with beef-eating politicians in Nagaland and Mizoram. Also, Congress’ disappearance from the Northeast shows the Opposition party’s habit of running away from battles where one has to sweat out for years.
Junta Jolt
The military (Junta) dictator of Myanmar has been in power for two years now after staging the coup against Aang San Suu Kyi. But the iron grip of the Junta is now loosening, as protests are new norms, while rebels are building bases in border areas adjoining India, Bangladesh and others.
The Hindu in an Editorial has called upon the ASEAN, China and India to put pressure to Myanmar Junta to hold talks with the Opposition. The daily has stated that the Junta may again be postponing elections, which are slated for August this year. The daily also quoted unnamed experts to state that the military Junta is left with control over only 17 per cent of the country. Source of belligerence of Junta is China. So, the Chennai-based daily has to be delusional to think that one should speak to China to support democracy in Myanmar.
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