Rahul Returns; Selective Censure; Lapping Laptops
Opinion Watch
Rahul Returns
On the Supreme Court staying the conviction of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the Modi surname thief remark case, The Asian Age has said in its Editorial that the decision “redeems judicial accountability, neutrality and independence”. The New Delhi-based daily argued that the apex court verdict stood on two legs – the trial court awarding the maximum jail term of term years as to invite disqualification of membership of Gandhi from Lok Sabha, as well as missing explanations on awarding maximum punishment. The daily also saw a “pattern” in the lower court, appellate court and high court rejecting Gandhi’s bid for judicial remedy.
Defamation as a criminal offence is a British Era legacy and must be buried in the deep waters of the Bay of Bengal for its crippling effects on functional democracy. Judicial reforms by way of freeing all its arms from even the remotest interference of government at any level are also demands of a healthy democracy.
Selective Censure
The Telegraph has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of selective and biased fury on freebies. The Kolkata-based daily has said that while the prime minister rants against freebies of the Rajasthan government, he maintains stoic silence for the same in the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. It claimed that West Bengal has rather improved its debt to GDP ratio, while allocating resources for the wellbeing of the people on the socio-economic margins.
Thin line divides welfarism and freebies. While the Congress government in Rajasthan has taken a few steps which seek serious attention such as free healthcare and subsidizing kitchen expenses, the prime minister needs to explain why the people should burn their pockets on education and health while there exists sweeping tax regime, which nets most of the people in its ambit.
Lapping Laptops
The Tribune in its Editorial has said that the move of the Centre to bring license-system for imports of laptops, tablets and certain other types of computers was long overdue. The Chandigarh-based daily argued that about 65 per cent of the laptop/PC units in India are imported. It added that countries such as Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore surged ahead, even as China continues to be the undisputed leader in the manufacture and export of computer devices.
The government rushed with curbs only to lift for three months on regulating imports of laptops and other goods. The action will hurt China most, but the Centre should have warned of the move in advance to spur local manufacturing.
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