Putin’s nuclear threat; Rahul Gandhi steps back; Privacy loot in AP
Opinion Watch
Putin’s nuclear threat
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine by all accounts has entered decisive phase, for he’s showing all signs of a dictator on the verge of a humiliating loss.
The Hindu, The Pioneer and Deccan Herald in their respective Editorials have sought to decode Putin’s order to mobilise reservists and his tongue lashing of the West, wherein he dropped the N-word.
Since February 24, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown disastrous trails, and the consequent Putin’s loss of face, for reports suggest that he’s now buying arms and ammunitions from North Korea, while the Hindu noted that Russia suffered battlefield defeat in Kharkiv Oblast in the northeast Ukraine.
“If Mr. Putin, who dialled up the nuclear threat, said his troops are facing the best of the Western military machine in Ukraine, Mr. Shoigu, whose Ministry till now avoided calling the military operation a war, said Russia today is at war with the collective West,” The Hindu stated.
Sergei Shoigu is the Defence Minister of Russia, while last night’s order for reservists sent Russians flying out of the country fast.
Indeed, Putin and Shoigu sought to find excuses for nuclear threat that was denounced by the US President Joe Biden in his speech at the 77th UN General Assembly last night.
The Pioneer has warned that Putin’s nuclear threat not be taken as a mere bluff and bluster. The Pioneer sought to wake up delusional intellectuals, who were overlooking Chinese jingoism under the watch of Xi Jinping, by arguing “…the origins of the two World Wars in the last century lay in militant nationalism”.
The Bengaluru-based Deccan Herald took the Indian perspective on the issue, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words that “Today is not the era of War” were on behalf of the world.
Rahul Gandhi steps back
It appears that a non-Gandhi would after a gap of about 24 years become president of Congress, as party’s former chief Rahul Gandhi is seizing unknown strategic political role.
The Indian Express in its Editorial has lauded Rahul Gandhi for staying away from the contest for the top post in the party even while 11 state units have passed resolutions to press for him to take the charge.
The daily noted that Congress had a vibrant tradition of democracy until 1969 when Indira Gandhi seized the organization. The Editorial gives a historical overview of Congress, while hoping that the upcoming election and adoption of Udaipur declaration may take the party on a democratic path. But there are no signs of such lofty hopes becoming reality, as Ashok Gehlot has emerged as the chosen nominee of the Gandhis.
Privacy loot in AP
State still looks upon the people as subjects with the British mindset, and privacy of the citizens evidently remains a foreign concept for the government of the day.
The Times of India has brought to attention abject disregard to individual rights by citing the instance of Andhra Pradesh where an interim report of the state Assembly has revealed data theft by the erstwhile TDP government through ‘Seva Mitra’ App.
In 2017, the Supreme Court had held that privacy is a fundamental right, but imports of the judgment couldn’t travel beyond the mighty walls of the apex court.
The Personal Data Protection Bill, the daily said, is expected in the Budget session of Parliament. Yet, the daily stated that the section 12 of the bill gives the State rights to process the personal data of the citizens without consent, while the open-ended nature of provision runs into the face of the 2017 Supreme Court judgment.
In the digital age, people are becoming commodities, and ironically the victims are sleep-walking into the commodity market.
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