Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. The toll in India's current heat wave has risen to more than 1,400 people, with little hope for respite in the next few days.
2. President Pranab Mukherjee's off-the-record claim that the Bofors case is not a scandal, reported by a Swedish outlet, has triggered a row with the Indian embassy writing to the Swedish papers saying it could imperil Mukherjee's impending trip to the country.
3. The Indian Express' Aniruddha Ghosal reports on tension continuing to rule Ballabgarh in Uttar Pradesh after an axe attack on a Muslim farmer.
The Big Story: Delhi versus New Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the central government on Thursday, calling it dictatorial and insisting that its attempts to clip the wings of the Delhi Assembly was an experiment to see how far it could control state governments. Kejriwal's speech, including a resolution in the assembly, came on the same day that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs took its battle against the Delhi government to the Supreme Court.
The MHA has appealed the High Court's decision to allow the Delhi Government Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate officers in the state, even if they came from central services like the Indian Police Services or the Indian Administrative Services. MHA believes Delhi's ACB doesn't have that authority, but the Aam Aadmi Party government insists that it does.
That might not be the only thing that ends up in the Supreme Court. The Delhi government might also be prepared to take on an MHA notification that adds "services" to its list of powers in the capital, in addition to law, land and police, which essentially meant that Delhi chief minister could not pick his own bureaucrats. What began as a battle between Kejriwal and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has openly turned in the a fight between Delhi and the Centre. This won't be pretty.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
The Delhi government's battle with the Lt Governor isn't just a matter of petty politics, it's about the way the state is run. And this isn't some local standoff, it's a full-blown constitutional crisis.
To get Scroll's Daily Fix, a compendium of all you need to know for the day (and a little more) on your phone, download our Android app.
Politicking & Punditry
1. Narendra Modi took on Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who recently criticised him. The prime minister said Gandhi had been an unconstitutional power exercising real authority over the Prime Minister's Office under the previous regime.
2. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a rare public appearance, made a speech criticising the new government for creating a "fragile" recovery, repackaging old schemes and taking a communal approach. He also defended himself against charges of corruption.
3. As it happens, Modi and Manmohan also had a meeting yesterday, at 7 Race Course Road, with the only indication being a tweet from the current prime minister.
4. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi meanwhile has been touring the country, currently on a drive to speak up for the rights of fishermen.
5. The Delhi High Court has allowed the non-profit activist outfit Greenpeace to operate two domestic accounts and called on the government to open up 25% of its frozen funds, after allegations that it hadn't been documenting donations it was receiving properly.
Giggle
Punditry
1. Meeta Rajivlochan in the Indian Express calls for the Indian civil service to aspire to more domain expertise while still holding on to its generalist character.
2. A leader in the Business Standard says the government should listen to Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian's three suggestions on how to improve Make in India.
3. Renu Singh in Mint argues that simply pushing up enrollment numbers in schools will be useless unless we can also improve the quality of the education.
Don't Miss
Nandini Ramnath talks to Sri Lankan writer Dheepan, whose role in a French film took him to Cannes.
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1. The toll in India's current heat wave has risen to more than 1,400 people, with little hope for respite in the next few days.
2. President Pranab Mukherjee's off-the-record claim that the Bofors case is not a scandal, reported by a Swedish outlet, has triggered a row with the Indian embassy writing to the Swedish papers saying it could imperil Mukherjee's impending trip to the country.
3. The Indian Express' Aniruddha Ghosal reports on tension continuing to rule Ballabgarh in Uttar Pradesh after an axe attack on a Muslim farmer.
The Big Story: Delhi versus New Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the central government on Thursday, calling it dictatorial and insisting that its attempts to clip the wings of the Delhi Assembly was an experiment to see how far it could control state governments. Kejriwal's speech, including a resolution in the assembly, came on the same day that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs took its battle against the Delhi government to the Supreme Court.
The MHA has appealed the High Court's decision to allow the Delhi Government Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate officers in the state, even if they came from central services like the Indian Police Services or the Indian Administrative Services. MHA believes Delhi's ACB doesn't have that authority, but the Aam Aadmi Party government insists that it does.
That might not be the only thing that ends up in the Supreme Court. The Delhi government might also be prepared to take on an MHA notification that adds "services" to its list of powers in the capital, in addition to law, land and police, which essentially meant that Delhi chief minister could not pick his own bureaucrats. What began as a battle between Kejriwal and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has openly turned in the a fight between Delhi and the Centre. This won't be pretty.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
The Delhi government's battle with the Lt Governor isn't just a matter of petty politics, it's about the way the state is run. And this isn't some local standoff, it's a full-blown constitutional crisis.
To get Scroll's Daily Fix, a compendium of all you need to know for the day (and a little more) on your phone, download our Android app.
Politicking & Punditry
1. Narendra Modi took on Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who recently criticised him. The prime minister said Gandhi had been an unconstitutional power exercising real authority over the Prime Minister's Office under the previous regime.
2. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a rare public appearance, made a speech criticising the new government for creating a "fragile" recovery, repackaging old schemes and taking a communal approach. He also defended himself against charges of corruption.
3. As it happens, Modi and Manmohan also had a meeting yesterday, at 7 Race Course Road, with the only indication being a tweet from the current prime minister.
4. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi meanwhile has been touring the country, currently on a drive to speak up for the rights of fishermen.
5. The Delhi High Court has allowed the non-profit activist outfit Greenpeace to operate two domestic accounts and called on the government to open up 25% of its frozen funds, after allegations that it hadn't been documenting donations it was receiving properly.
Giggle
Cartoon @ETPolitics @EconomicTimes pic.twitter.com/8vZswxEjZE
— R Prasad (@rprasad66) May 28, 2015Punditry
1. Meeta Rajivlochan in the Indian Express calls for the Indian civil service to aspire to more domain expertise while still holding on to its generalist character.
2. A leader in the Business Standard says the government should listen to Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian's three suggestions on how to improve Make in India.
3. Renu Singh in Mint argues that simply pushing up enrollment numbers in schools will be useless unless we can also improve the quality of the education.
Don't Miss
Nandini Ramnath talks to Sri Lankan writer Dheepan, whose role in a French film took him to Cannes.
Although he is best known for his writing, Anthonyhasan says he has always dreamt of appearing in the movies. “Cinema runs in Tamil blood,” he said. In the short story The MGR Murder Trial from his latest anthology, translated by Anushiya Ramaswamy, he details the popularity of the Tamil cinema icon MG Ramachandran among Tamils in Sri Lanka.