Not reform vs populism -
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Indian Express
It is tempting to characterise the current impasse in Indian politics as a clash between reformers and populists. On this view, the government has, belatedly, woken up to reform and is now being obstructed by a motley crew of opportunists and populists. It would be terrific if the spectrum of Indian politics could be defined in these terms; at least, it will bring the focus back to economics. Many of the government’s decisions are welcome; a signal of intent was long overdue. Our economic situation is dire.
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Dirty medicine -
Katherine Eban, Fortune CNN
On the morning of Aug. 18, 2004, Dinesh Thakur hurried to a hastily arranged meeting with his boss at the gleaming offices of Ranbaxy Laboratories in Gurgaon, India, 20 miles south of New Delhi. It was so early that he passed gardeners watering impeccable shrubs and cleaners still polishing the lobby's tile floors. As always, Thakur was punctual and organized. He had a round face and low-key demeanor, with deep-set eyes that gave him a doleful appearance. His boss, Dr. Rajinder Kumar, Ranbaxy's head of research and development...
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The third coming: Peace in the air -
Neena Gopal, Deccan Chronicle
Weeks before the May 11 elections were announced in Pakistan, the $400 m Ittefaq Group of Industries was preparing to dispatch a top official to distant Torangallu, Karnataka, to tie up a deal with the Naveen Jindal-run iron and steel factory there. A Pakistani business associate of Nawaz Sharif in mine-rich Bellary? Once elections were announced, of course, plans to travel to India were scrapped. All hands were needed on deck. But long before the landslide that swept aside the deeply unpopular Asif Ali Zardari...
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Decadence rules over purge in IPL -
Sandeep Bamzai, India Today
Cricket's secret society known for its opacity has seen many trials and tribulations over the years. Loved and reviled equally by savants and cassandras, it has finally exploded in the BCCI's face. The existence of a private cosy club within the cricket establishment had to become a problem child. A problem child which paid in spades and became a cash register for the cricket board. Why was it a problem child from the very beginning? Simply because, a parallel power centre built on the edifice of private enterprise...
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Time for a new stance on Tibet -
Seema Sirohi, Times of India
The recent Chinese incursion into India, the long stand-off , the fear and fury surrounding the brazen episode and the eventual resolution once again raises an old question : What about Tibet? India's security is directly linked to Tibet, as Lobsang Sangay, the prime minister of Tibet's government-in-exile , told a Washington audience last week and he is right. "When China says that Tibet is one of the core issues, all the more (reason ) that India should say, Tibet is a core issue...
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The worst Washington scandal since Watergate -
Peggy Noonan, WSJ
We are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate. The reputation of the Obama White House has, among conservatives, gone from sketchy to sinister, and, among liberals, from unsatisfying to dangerous. No one likes what they're seeing. The Justice Department assault on the Associated Press and the ugly politicization of the Internal Revenue Service have left the administration's credibility deeply, probably irretrievably damaged. They don't look jerky now, they look dirty. The patina of high-mindedness...
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Can a caged parrot sing? -
Bharat Karnad, NewIndianExpress
Ranjit Sinha, director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is going around town good-naturedly telling people that he is called a “parrot” (apropos the Supreme Court’s cruel but apt observation that his agency is a “caged parrot” that “speaks in its master’s voice”). There is something movingly honest about Sinha’s rueful public admission that this description fits. But, equally evident is the new-found determination of CBI to live down...
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A myth that can devastate Tibet -
Maura Moynihan, Rangzen
The recent Chinese military incursion into Ladakh was a painful reminder of the cost of losing Tibet. And this week Chinese officials announced plans to demolish what remains of Lhasa, Tibet’s ancient capital. Despite its inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Lhasa is a symbol of Tibetan nationalism, and China’s Politburo has determined that Tibetan culture, religion and identity must be exterminated to ensure “stability.” On May 8th, the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington...
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The unreliable source -
Hartosh Singh Bal, Open
Over the past week, as the drama over the resignations of Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal was being played out in TV studios, anchors peering at their text messages were quick to turn the flow of information into ‘breaking news’ on the screen. But for much of the time there was no news to break, and this hurry to get information out, whatever its veracity, meant that it was ‘sources’ and not anchors who were driving TV coverage and the spin being put on events.
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Caste as social capital -
S Gurumurthy, Business Line
Decades ago, an elderly gentleman speaking at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi, asked, “What is it that keeps the country down”? A young man responded: “Undoubtedly caste. It has kept society backward”. The speaker replied, “may be”. He paused for a moment and said “may not be”. The young man angrily asked him to explain his “may-not-be” theory. The speaker calmly mentioned just one fact that shocked the audience. He said, “before British rule, over two-thirds — yes, two-thirds — of Indian kings...
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Is John Kerry pro- or anti-India? -
Tanvi Madan, Indian Express
Later this summer, US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit India for the US-India Strategic Dialogue. Before and during his visit, many observers in India will likely try to assess whether Kerry is "pro-" or "anti-" India. This is not surprising. In the narrative of US-India relations, there has always been a hall of fame and a hall of shame. Praise was heaped upon "heroes" — such as President John F. Kennedy and US ambassadors to India Chester Bowles, John Kenneth Galbraith and Robert Blackwill — for being pro-India.
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