Editorial
Out of line: On West Bengal Governor's visit to violence-hit areas
There is little doubt that West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s visit to areas hit by post-poll violence in Cooch Behar constitutes a grave transgression of the bounds of constitutional propriety. A habitual critic of the Mamata Banerjee regime, he has been given to ignoring the principle that constitutional heads should not air their differences with the elected regimes in public. As recently as December 2020, Ms. Banerjee had appealed to the President to recall the Governor for political statements that she believed were being made by him at the behest of the BJP-led Union government. One would have thought that a fresh election, in which Ms. Banerjee’s TMC has won a resounding victory, would be a reminder, if one was needed at all, that the norms of representative government ought to be a natural restraint on Mr. Dhankhar’s gubernatorial propensity to speak out of turn and step out of line.There was a time when another West Bengal Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, came in for some
Editorial
Cease the fire: On indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Gaza
From Israeli armed forces storming Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning to Israel pounding Gaza with air strikes and artillery on Thursday night in response to the rocket firing by Hamas, the Israel-Palestine conflict has escalated dangerously within days. At least 119 Palestinians, including 31 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since May 10, while nine people were killed in Israel in the rocket attacks, including an Indian national and a child. For now, both sides have refused to stand down from the fighting despite international appeal. Israel cannot evade responsibility for the crisis engulfing the region. There was already resentment and frustration among the Palestinians in the occupied territories as Israel has expanded Jewish settlements and deepened occupation. Besides, Israel’s high-handedness in East Jerusalem and the move to evict Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah for Jewish settlers added to the anger, leading to clashes.
Editorial
Temporary respite: On latest retail inflation and industrial output data
The latest retail inflation and industrial output data from the National Statistical Office (NSO) offer some relief from the pall of gloom cast by the relentless second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provisional headline inflation slowed to a three-month low of 4.29% in April, helped by softer food prices and a statistical base effect. The rate using an imputed index for the year-earlier period was 7.22%. A separate NSO release showed March industrial output jumped by 22.4%, benefiting again from the fact that the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had posted an 18.7% contraction in March 2020, when the economy was halted by the start of a nationwide lockdown. A closer look at the inflation data reveals a substantial cooling in the prices of cereals, milk and milk products, vegetables, and pulses and products. While both cereals and vegetables saw a deflationary trend widen to -2.96% and -14.2%, respectively, dairy products, which have the second-largest weight in the food and
Assam brew: On transfer of power in Assam
Himanta Biswa Sarma cannot continue with the BJP’s evasive position on citizenship
State action: On Centre’s role in COVID-19 fight
Instead of dictating how States deal with the pandemic, the Centre must be a facilitator
Protecting prisoners: On overcrowding of prisons
Imprisonment practices need a relook so that the police do not effect unnecessary arrests
Vaccine skirmishes: On production of COVID-19 vaccine
IPR waiver will not bring immediate benefits; the effort must be to share the stockpile
On the edge: On international pressure on Israel
There must be international pressure on Israel to treat Palestinians with dignity
Lockdown gains: On need to augment health system
State shutdowns are inevitable, but they must be used to augment the health system
