Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. India topped the list of countries asking Facebook to take to down content last year.
2. Inflation has dipped for four months in a row, on the back of a drop in oil prices, but unseasonal rains could mean that's about to change.
3. India has been confirmed as the world's largest importer of arms yet again.
4. The government has halted its coal block auction process to look into suspicions of cartelisation on low bids.
5. The Supreme Court has ordered to government to ensure that Aadhar is not mandatory for social security schemes.
The Big Story: Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object
The Land Acquisition Amendment Bill is not going to pass the Rajya Sabha. This much is evident. But it's also not going to fail in the upper house, in which case the government wouldn't have the option of calling for a joint session to pass it either. The Congress, which for months has been wandering in the wilderness, showed the strength of its opposition to the Bill with a protest on Monday and other parties have also dug in their heels.
Concerned about the inability to convince other parties in the Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party government is thinking of proroguing Parliament early ‒ that is, ending the session ahead of time. This would allow it to re-promulgate the land acquisition Ordinance, which lapses on April 5. But that brings up another problem.
The government's agenda includes other legislation that could pass, with a bit of floor management. Two Bills to replace ordinances are currently with select committees but members have complained they haven't been given enough time. For now, the government can't be assured of any Parliamentary victories.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's top story
Instead of pushing forward on the legislative agenda, Parliament has been caught up with a snooping-on-Rahul-Gandhi row where the Congress is desperate to be seen as victims and sexist comments from Sharad Yadav.
Need-to-Know 1: Pehle AAP
The shape of the Aam Aadmi Party should become clear over the next couple of days, as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejirwal returns to his desk after a 10-day naturopathy break. A midnight meeting with sidelined leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan has raised hopes of reconciliation.
Need-to-Know 2: Christian Mutiny
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has doubled down on its attack on a church being built in Haryana, saying you wouldn't put a Hanuman mandir in the Vatican. A VHP leader also said that the 1857 mutiny had been a communal war and that such incidents would continue to happen.
Politicking: Top political stories
1. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's car was surrounded by protesters angry that there hasn't been progress in the nun-gang-rape case.
2. The Bharatiya Janata Party's upcoming National Executive will focus on new territory and assembly elections to ensure it can get over its Rajya Sabha setbacks.
3. The Information and Broadcasting ministry is considering setting up a university for communications professionals that would act as an assembly line for the public-owned publications.
4. Intelligence agencies have been adamant that they get a blanket exemption from an imminent Right to Privacy law.
Giggle
Punditry: The best commentary
1. The sudden appearance of touching heart-transplant corridors in crowded Indian cities reminds us that we can still be good people, writes Peter Ronald Desouza in the Hindu.
2. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has said a lot without accomplishing much, says Ajai Shukla in Business Standard.
3. India, a country with an inordinate sense of insecurity, was right to release separatist Masarat Alam, writes Manoj Joshi in Mail Today.
4. An inherently good idea, direct benefit transfers, is stuck in the pipeline of bad implementation, writes Bibek Debroy in the Indian Express.
5. In the Economic Times, N Shivapriya explains why tech biggies are interested in ad tech firms.
Don't Miss
Eram Agha reports on villages in Uttar Pradesh called things like, in translation, "excreta" and "posterior" whose residents would like those names to be changed.
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1. India topped the list of countries asking Facebook to take to down content last year.
2. Inflation has dipped for four months in a row, on the back of a drop in oil prices, but unseasonal rains could mean that's about to change.
3. India has been confirmed as the world's largest importer of arms yet again.
4. The government has halted its coal block auction process to look into suspicions of cartelisation on low bids.
5. The Supreme Court has ordered to government to ensure that Aadhar is not mandatory for social security schemes.
The Big Story: Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object
The Land Acquisition Amendment Bill is not going to pass the Rajya Sabha. This much is evident. But it's also not going to fail in the upper house, in which case the government wouldn't have the option of calling for a joint session to pass it either. The Congress, which for months has been wandering in the wilderness, showed the strength of its opposition to the Bill with a protest on Monday and other parties have also dug in their heels.
Concerned about the inability to convince other parties in the Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party government is thinking of proroguing Parliament early ‒ that is, ending the session ahead of time. This would allow it to re-promulgate the land acquisition Ordinance, which lapses on April 5. But that brings up another problem.
The government's agenda includes other legislation that could pass, with a bit of floor management. Two Bills to replace ordinances are currently with select committees but members have complained they haven't been given enough time. For now, the government can't be assured of any Parliamentary victories.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's top story
Instead of pushing forward on the legislative agenda, Parliament has been caught up with a snooping-on-Rahul-Gandhi row where the Congress is desperate to be seen as victims and sexist comments from Sharad Yadav.
Need-to-Know 1: Pehle AAP
The shape of the Aam Aadmi Party should become clear over the next couple of days, as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejirwal returns to his desk after a 10-day naturopathy break. A midnight meeting with sidelined leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan has raised hopes of reconciliation.
Need-to-Know 2: Christian Mutiny
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has doubled down on its attack on a church being built in Haryana, saying you wouldn't put a Hanuman mandir in the Vatican. A VHP leader also said that the 1857 mutiny had been a communal war and that such incidents would continue to happen.
Politicking: Top political stories
1. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's car was surrounded by protesters angry that there hasn't been progress in the nun-gang-rape case.
2. The Bharatiya Janata Party's upcoming National Executive will focus on new territory and assembly elections to ensure it can get over its Rajya Sabha setbacks.
3. The Information and Broadcasting ministry is considering setting up a university for communications professionals that would act as an assembly line for the public-owned publications.
4. Intelligence agencies have been adamant that they get a blanket exemption from an imminent Right to Privacy law.
Giggle
Sharad Yadav continues sexist rant. My #cartoon on #SharadDoesItAgain pic.twitter.com/VYzOPphHRp
— MANJUL (@MANJULtoons) March 17, 2015Punditry: The best commentary
1. The sudden appearance of touching heart-transplant corridors in crowded Indian cities reminds us that we can still be good people, writes Peter Ronald Desouza in the Hindu.
2. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has said a lot without accomplishing much, says Ajai Shukla in Business Standard.
3. India, a country with an inordinate sense of insecurity, was right to release separatist Masarat Alam, writes Manoj Joshi in Mail Today.
4. An inherently good idea, direct benefit transfers, is stuck in the pipeline of bad implementation, writes Bibek Debroy in the Indian Express.
5. In the Economic Times, N Shivapriya explains why tech biggies are interested in ad tech firms.
Don't Miss
Eram Agha reports on villages in Uttar Pradesh called things like, in translation, "excreta" and "posterior" whose residents would like those names to be changed.
MP of Aligarh Satish Gautam has an interesting story to tell. When he first went to Parliament, he needed to fill some documents and give his address. Asked the name of his village, he said, "Sada". The woman at the desk could not believe her ears, the MP recalls, and repeatedly asked him to spell it out. "Finally, I said, 'Take a guava, keep it out for 10 days. It will rot. That is what my village is called'."
