Retirement Age: Rajasthan Chessboard; Yamuna Yonder
Opinion Watch
Retirement Age
The Asian Age has dwelt on the issue of the retirement age for politicians in its Editorial, taking cues from Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s jibe at his uncle Sharad Pawar, 83. The daily has sought to ask if independent professionals can work beyond the popular ceiling, then why not politicians, and also why the political class be not subjected to the age bar mandated for employments.
The daily answered the question by proffering counsel that while there be no age ceiling for top few posts, there should be outer age limits for electoral politics to justify minimum age limit. Also, the New Delhi-based daily advised that it’s time India should work on limiting terms on the lines of the US where a person cannot have more than two terms in the office of the president.
But it may be worth pondering, who will make laws for lawmakers, for the politicians have stonewalled reform in politics for ages. The judiciary seeks purity in politics, but the perception generally held is that the rejected lots of the society flourish in politics.
Rajasthan Chessboard
The Pioneer in its Editorial has said while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to begin moving in Rajasthan for elections, the Congress has struck a semblance of unity by making incumbent chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his foe Sachin Pilot bury the hatches. The daily has also opined that the BJP “high command is still struggling to deal with Vasundhara Raje (ex-CM), who is at loggerheads with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi”.
The Noida-based daily also suggested that the Congress is in the lead in the state after Gehlot launched several schemes to beat the anti-incumbency factor. Noting that Pilot is not going to change, the daily suggested that the Congress has shown agility to take lead in setting the poll narrative.
The BJP in Rajasthan certainly appears handicapped for alternative leadership, while the party’s track record as an Opposition party in the state has largely been uneventful. Also, the Congress has the advantage of Gehlot in the hot seat, who is known for his organizational skill, which is unmatched in the BJP.
Yamuna Yonder
The Indian Express in its Editorial has reminded that Yamuna River in Delhi remains dead, and all efforts and claims have just been futile as two per cent stretch accounts for 70 per cent of the pollution in the water body. The daily said that the sewerage continues to flow into the river unabated.
The Noida-based daily rued that the previously announced infrastructure projects such as parallel drain trap remain on paper. It added that the slum-clusters and other habitations accounts for a large part of untreated sewerage flowing into the river.
The skyline of Delhi is an oasis of opulence surrounded by ghettoes. The political class profiteered by creating ghettoes, and now they don’t have spine to clean up the mess.
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