Unseemly Unbecoming; Tongue Lashing; Sky War
Opinion Watch
Unseemly Unbecoming
The Indian Express has called the Parliamentary spectacle (of government-sponsored disruptions) “unseemly and unbecoming”. The Noida-based daily has called the move of an unnamed BJP MP to push a notice to suspend Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha “overblown and wrong”.
The daily implored that an India that is self-assured on the international stage cannot be so thin-skinned. Calling the strategy of the ruling party pregnant with possibility of self-goal in election year, the daily counselled debate to counter charges made by Gandhi in London on the state of democracy in India.
A powerful executive abhors legislative scrutiny. Alibis keep popping up. Economy is in tailspin. Spike in interest rates is distressing middle class. But a polarized audience is now addicted to political entertainment. Rahul Gandhi bashing by the Bharatiya Janata Party is an opium that’s being served to the entertainment-hungry audience.
Tongue Lashing
Governors in the Opposition-ruled states have been quarrelsome with elected governments. The Supreme Court has given a tongue lashing on the episodes involving Governors scheming to destabilize the incumbent governments. The Asian Age has said that the apex court would now also hear a bunch of petitions on the issue of Governors sitting on bills passed by Assemblies.
The daily noted in the context of the ouster of the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra that the Governors are calling for a floor test in Assembly on mere hints of dissension in a ruling party. The daily underlined that the question before the Supreme Court is whether a Governor should call for a floor test or not, that too given that the SR Bommai judgment is no more a deterrent to topple a government.
Tamil Nadu and Telangana Governors in particular by their actions have raised questions on the very relevance of the post. The Centre-state relations are now facing severe stress test in the Opposition-ruled states.
Sky War
The Hindu has called the downing of the US MQ-9 Reaper drone by the Russian fighter jets dangerous. The Chennai-based daily quoted Kremlin, saying that the drone had violated the temporary Russian airspace over the Crimean peninsula.
The daily also stated that while the US has poured in over $300 billion in Ukraine, Russia accuses the collective West of conspiring to destroy it. The daily underlined that the US and Russia have de-conflicting hotline to defuse situations such as mid-air collision. It stressed that the bigger challenge is sinking Russia-US relations.
Poland, a NATO nation, will be providing MIG-series fighter jets to Ukraine. There is a massive campaign for allowing privately-owned F-16s, flown by contractor pilots, to Ukraine. There are no signs of diplomacy resolving the Ukraine War, which may get protracted.
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