The Latest: Top stories of the day
1. A second spell of rains has been lashing Chennai, prompting people to throw open their doors to stranded strangers. The army and navy are now helping with relief work.
2. The Reserve Bank of India kept its key rates unchanged in the last policy review of the year, having already cut interest rates by 125 basis points in 2015.
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Turkey shot down Moscow's warplane to protect the Islamic State's oil supply.
The Big Story: Changing tack or spinning yarn?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to use Parliament as the venue for statements that have long been demanded of him, furthering the current narrative that he is in a conciliatory mood in the aftermath of the Bihar elections. Modi told the Rajya Sabha that unity and harmony are the only ways forward for India, that any atrocity is a "blot" on society, and that nobody needs to prove their patriotism day and night.
Boilerplate stuff for a leader in Parliament, except that Modi had chosen to remain silent in the immediate aftermath of the very atrocities that gave rise to concerns about rising intolerance. As such, Modi's words are much-awaited but also very pointedly delayed. To put it simply, Modi could have said that no one needs to prove their patriotism right after Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said that crackers would be burst in Pakistan if the BJP lost in Bihar. Instead, Modi waited until after the elections dealt a resounding defeat to the BJP to make his comments.
Modi's comments are nevertheless welcome, especially if they do suggest a shift in this government's approach to criticism, which so far has been to tell anyone who speaks up that they are anti-national. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also invited those who speak of rising intolerance to actually discuss their concerns with the government.
But it is the delay that's crucial. One way to read these comments is to see a conciliatory Modi and to welcome the change. Another is to see an opportunist who waited until Parliament to say this, and might retreat back into 'campaign Modi' whenever the need arises. The most likely outcome lies somewhere in between those two paths.
The Big Scroll
Girish Shahane explains how India both is and isn't an intolerant nation. Meanwhile, Manoj Mitta points out that Modi's own favourite police officer raised fears of growing intolerance in 2002. And Ajaz Ashraf asks why the media has chosen to use the word "tolerance" rather than speaking of "mutual respect".
Politicking & Policying
1. Parliament Watch: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi gave a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha, at the same time as Modi was speaking in the upper house, complaining about the government's ham-fisted reaction to dissent.
2. The Samajwadi Party seems to be sending mixed signals on the Goods and Services Tax Bill, with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav seeming to support it while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav saying debate is still "open."
3. President Pranab Mukherjee, speaking at Mahatma Gandhi's ashram, has said that the real dirt of India lies not "on the streets but in our minds".
4. Patidar leader Hardik Patel won't be tried for waging war against India, Gujarat's High Court decided, but the sedition charges against him for demanding reservations remain.
Punditry
1. Kunal Ambasta in the Indian Express writes that the government should listen to Arun Jaitley when he calls for a review of Section 377, which criminalises homosexuality.
2. The latest pay commission is unlikely to improve the accountability of India's bureaucracy , writes Subir Roy in the Business Standard.
3. KP Nayar in the Telegraph tells us the backstory behind the Modi-Nawaz Sharif handshake in Paris and how Modi is losing control of his foreign policy.
Don't Miss
Shashwat Malik documents a Manipur town that has refused to bury nine people three months after they died.
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1. A second spell of rains has been lashing Chennai, prompting people to throw open their doors to stranded strangers. The army and navy are now helping with relief work.
2. The Reserve Bank of India kept its key rates unchanged in the last policy review of the year, having already cut interest rates by 125 basis points in 2015.
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Turkey shot down Moscow's warplane to protect the Islamic State's oil supply.
The Big Story: Changing tack or spinning yarn?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to use Parliament as the venue for statements that have long been demanded of him, furthering the current narrative that he is in a conciliatory mood in the aftermath of the Bihar elections. Modi told the Rajya Sabha that unity and harmony are the only ways forward for India, that any atrocity is a "blot" on society, and that nobody needs to prove their patriotism day and night.
Boilerplate stuff for a leader in Parliament, except that Modi had chosen to remain silent in the immediate aftermath of the very atrocities that gave rise to concerns about rising intolerance. As such, Modi's words are much-awaited but also very pointedly delayed. To put it simply, Modi could have said that no one needs to prove their patriotism right after Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said that crackers would be burst in Pakistan if the BJP lost in Bihar. Instead, Modi waited until after the elections dealt a resounding defeat to the BJP to make his comments.
Modi's comments are nevertheless welcome, especially if they do suggest a shift in this government's approach to criticism, which so far has been to tell anyone who speaks up that they are anti-national. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also invited those who speak of rising intolerance to actually discuss their concerns with the government.
But it is the delay that's crucial. One way to read these comments is to see a conciliatory Modi and to welcome the change. Another is to see an opportunist who waited until Parliament to say this, and might retreat back into 'campaign Modi' whenever the need arises. The most likely outcome lies somewhere in between those two paths.
The Big Scroll
Girish Shahane explains how India both is and isn't an intolerant nation. Meanwhile, Manoj Mitta points out that Modi's own favourite police officer raised fears of growing intolerance in 2002. And Ajaz Ashraf asks why the media has chosen to use the word "tolerance" rather than speaking of "mutual respect".
Politicking & Policying
1. Parliament Watch: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi gave a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha, at the same time as Modi was speaking in the upper house, complaining about the government's ham-fisted reaction to dissent.
2. The Samajwadi Party seems to be sending mixed signals on the Goods and Services Tax Bill, with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav seeming to support it while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav saying debate is still "open."
3. President Pranab Mukherjee, speaking at Mahatma Gandhi's ashram, has said that the real dirt of India lies not "on the streets but in our minds".
4. Patidar leader Hardik Patel won't be tried for waging war against India, Gujarat's High Court decided, but the sedition charges against him for demanding reservations remain.
Punditry
1. Kunal Ambasta in the Indian Express writes that the government should listen to Arun Jaitley when he calls for a review of Section 377, which criminalises homosexuality.
2. The latest pay commission is unlikely to improve the accountability of India's bureaucracy , writes Subir Roy in the Business Standard.
3. KP Nayar in the Telegraph tells us the backstory behind the Modi-Nawaz Sharif handshake in Paris and how Modi is losing control of his foreign policy.
Don't Miss
Shashwat Malik documents a Manipur town that has refused to bury nine people three months after they died.
After the bills were passed, the tribal residents of Churachandpur district took to the streets in protest. In the arson and violence that followed, nine people were shot down by security forces. Soon afterwards, a joint action committee to articulate tribal demands was formed and the agitation against the bills was organised around the bodies of the fallen protesters. They became the symbols of protest and Churachandpur entered a long, angry period of mourning. Hundreds gathered to keep vigil with the bodies every day. Nearly three months after they were killed, the town has not buried its dead.