Problem is the blind polarisation among the upper-crust - who refuse to see anything good in #Modi. Many had forwarded to me the clip of an MP criticising #PMCaresFund hailing her as the new start in parliamentarian. Same people not interested in #NirmalaSitharaman’s rebuttal.
2/n Similarly, not a word of condemnation for the pandemonium caused in #RajyaSabha (despite televised footage) by the opposition but all sympathies with suspended MPs protesting in the laws of Parliament House and lamenting the “death of democracy”. 3/n
3/n Same set of businessmen and industrialists who have been crying hoarse about labour reforms suddenly start talking like Trade Union leaders. Would love to see their reaction if the government withdraws the amendments in #LabourCodes 4/n
Remember an interview of Arun Shourie by @ShekharGupta in #WalkTheTalk when UPA2 was floundering. He told SG that - had it not been for #PranabMukherjee who was the only person who had credibility within the Congress and with the Opposition the government would have collapsed.
Perhaps, the unkindest cut was - when Manmohan Singh went for his coronary bypass surgery #SoniaGandhi refused to name #PranabMukherjee the interim No 2 despite his being the senior most in the cabinet (she formed a joint committee with AK Antony. Such insecurity.
2/n Dr #ArvindPanagariya endorses the government's decision not to front-end the "demand stimulus" - because with labour not being there and enterprises shut - Supply Curve being vertical - it wouldn't have worked. #COVID19India#BengalChamber
3/n Dr #ArvindPanagariya thinks it was the right decision to focus first on food security and controlling infection spread. Next, the interventions by RBI on liquidity and credit lines was the logical second step #COVID19India#BengalChamber
Talking of a SWOT #KakuNakhate of @BankofAmerica thinks India is far better geo-politically today - though she sounded a word of caution on the situation at the borders. #KalpanaMorparia of @jpmorgan appeared to be bullish on banking reforms and RBI interventions. @CNBCTV18Live
The best came from @rajivmemani of @EY_India, who highlighted the "talent pool" from India providing critical services around the globe at this time of the pandemic. That combined with the technology progress can be a differentiator in the postcovid world. #SomeSizesFitAll#books
Interesting to hear @PereraJehanpc in @iicdelhi’s Neighbourhood First - on #SriLanka’s recent election and return of the Rajapaksas. He appeared to be optimistic about the new government with 2/3 majority - for the very same reasons Indian liberals are unhappy with #Modi 2.0
2/n On #SriLanka-India relationship, @SultanaGulbin i
expects a more pragmatic approach from both the #mahindarajapaksa government and #Modi-2.0 on all fronts - political, military, tourism and cultural but not, perhaps, economic - notwithstanding the “blow hot, blow cold” past.
3/n Jehan Perera states very plainly, #SriLanka sees #Pakistan as a “balancing power” against India. Listening to people like Perera it becomes clear how we screwed up our relations with SL by the #IPKF misadventure.
Excellent exposition of the "Migrant Labour and the Politics of Life" by Ranabir Samaddar of Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group and Dr @VinayshilG in @iicdelhi Webinar. Dr Samaddar drew heavily from Michel Foucault. #COVID19#migrantworkers#migrants
2/n #migrantworkers Of course, there was no hiding Ranabir Samaddar's left orientation - but while castigating "neo-liberalism" - he made some very strong points about the 'politics of life' that afflict the problem of #migrants 3/n
3/n #migrantworkers Ranabir Samaddar debunks the debate between life and livelihood. He says - when even 6 months ago we were talking of Universal Basic Income - the nation cannot risk lives on the excuse of livelihood 4/n
Dilip Puri of @ISHOfficial makes a pitch for #hospitality sector people (both current and aspirants) to go back to school. The hotel industry has been the alma-mater for the entire luxury service sector. They will come out stronger when the pandemic ends. @ndcnn@businessline
All panelists agree that like any other industry - #hospitality industry will have to undertake major reengineering of the business model. JB Singh of @InterGlobe_IGE makes a case for regulatory reforms. But, like everything other sector it is "complicated" @ndcnn@businessline
#hospitality JB Singh talks of "deconstruction" of the old business model and reconstruct new models with radical shifts in costs and revenue models. He points out - how hotels have responded in the past few weeks. #nirupashankar emphasises the #contactless service and investment
My own position on #CAA2019 has been - it is sound in principle (read @pratimbose article👇) and nothing wrong constitutionally (as explained by none other than Harish Salve). But, I anticipate serious issues in implementation. Therefore, other than the #NorthEast#CABProtests /2
#CABPolitics e.g. in #Assam where it is a live issue (but religion agnostic as they are against all immigrants changing the demographics of the region) for the rest of India it is largely an academic issue. Therefore, #CABProtests in the name of “secularism” ill-conceived 3/n
3/n Besides, #CAA2019 has been passed by an act of Parliament and not by any Presidential Diktat. If it has to be undone - it cannot be through violence and vandalism. Those upholding the Constitutional values - must also adopt democratic means and not promote mobocracy #CAB 4/n
