Top News: What to expect in no-confidence vote, WhatsApp’s latest patch, no ‘dhak dhak’ in Dhadak
Also the latest in the investigation into the industry of predatory journals, Yashwant Sinha on the importance of a single GST rate and what we should learn from Mandela.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the cooperation of all political parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament and a productive session. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
The biggest event this Friday is the no-confidence motion that the Narendra Modi government will face. It’s not expected to fall, but the Opposition is hoping to land some body blows in the Lok Sabha debate that they hope will help in the battle of 2019. Also, Whatsapp is trying yet another measure to stem the easy spread of misinformation and what we think of this week’s big Bollywood release Dhadak.
BJD, TRS, AIADMK may do vanishing act during no-confidence vote: The must read
The BJD, TRS and AIADMK govern a state each and despite very different political ideologies they may follow a common strategy during the upcoming no-confidence vote in the Lok Sabha: either a walkout or abstain from voting. All three parties haven’t revealed their strategies yet, but all signs indicate that they don’t want to take a side. While the BJD may use the opportunity to take a few potshots at rival BJP, it’s not certain their 19 MPs will make their votes count in the no-confidence motion. Read Pradeep Kaushal’s report here.
Also, here’s how every no-confidence vote in Parliament has gone so far. Fun Fact: Only one no-confidence motion ever resulted in a prime minister losing his seat and that was in 1979, but in that case, Morarji Desai didn’t wait for the vote before resigning. Read more here
Exploring the hub of predatory journals in India: The investigation
In the second part of its investigation into ‘predatory journals’, The Indian Express’s Shyamlal Yadav explores the industry in Hyderabad, which is now a hub for such journals in India. Most of the journals are found to exist online and operated by companies based across the city, but on their websites cite addresses in the US and UK. Few of them list any details of their editorial staff.
WhatsApp brings more norms to curb forwards
After being told by the Indian government to bring in more measures to curb the spread of fake information, WhatsApp has said it is testing a new feature that will limit how many times a message, video or photo can be shared. A user may be allowed to share forwarded media, like video, just five times from one account after which WhatsApp will disable the option to forward it further. The instant messaging service is hoping this will finally limit the spread of misinformation that is being blamed for multiple lynchings across India.
The merits of a single GST rate, Mandela’s Nehruvian bent: The think pieces
Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, an outspoken critic of the Narendra Modi government, in his column, points out the problem with having multiple and complex GST rates. The Prime Minister has written off having a single taxation rate saying that milk and Mercedes can’t be taxed the same, but Sinha argues that an indirect tax shouldn’t be used as a tool of social justice. Sinha also argues for GST to be simplified into three rates and that the Prime Minister should say the aim is to move towards a single rate of taxation.
While Nelson Mandela is often compared to Mahatma Gandhi, Pratap Bhanu Mehta in his column points out that there are plenty to link the South African leader with Jawaharlal Nehru. Both leaders felt there was no place for politics of resentment, though for completely different reasons. Mehta points out the greatness of Mandela’s message of forgiveness and that we now live in a world where these sentiments are completely alien.
No dhak dhak in Dhadak: Out this week
This week’s big Bollywood release is Dhadak, the remake of Marathi film Sairat. It was always expected to be an uphill task for the film to emulate the Marathi original. In her review, Shubhra Gupta says, “It doesn’t work, not as an official copy of Sairat, nor as a standalone Bollywood romance. There is, I’m afraid, no ‘dhak dhak’ in this Dhadak.” Ouch.
But if you’re more keen on superheroes, then there’s the latest instalment from the Marvel universe: Ant Man and the Wasp. If nothing else, its makers expect you to catch it just to get a hint of what happens in the next instalment of Infinity War.
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