Daily Briefing: BJP’s UCC pitch to woo tribal voters; Gavaskar on India’s Test series performance; CJI at Express Adda today

With that, let’s move on to today’s edition:

• A grenade attack in Srinagar
• CJI DY Chandrachud at Express Adda
• Paradox of stagnant rural wages explained

🚨 Big Story

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Sunday said that tribals would be exempted from the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) wherever it is implemented in India. Accusing JMM chief and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren of creating confusion about UCC, he clarified that the BJP “will not violate the rights and laws of any Adivasi through UCC.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly qualified its quest for uniformity in family laws to assert that tribal cultures need to be insulated. The party’s UCC pitch questions the existence of Muslim personal law in a secular state. However, over the past year, it has been accompanied by assurances that tribals will not be affected. The reason being significantly to woo tribal voters, alongside backwards and Dalits.

After the announcement, Soren hit back at Shah, asserting that neither the UCC nor the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be allowed in the state. He emphasised that Jharkhand would adhere only to the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Acts to protect tribal culture, land, and rights.

⚡Only in Express

✍️ Dis/Agree: The Best of Both Sides

“Any particular Indian policymakers’ preference for one or the other outcome will depend on their own priority issue. But the type of result will affect the approach India takes — and the adjustments it will need to make — not just towards the president and various American stakeholders, but other powers as well,” writes Tanvi Madan.

“Regardless of who takes the Oval Office, there seems to be a consensus that India-US bilateral relations are likely to continue without much hiccup,” Vivek Mishra writes.

As the world has its eyes glued to the US election results 2024, our columnists express their views on its impact on India-US relations, and the different strands of policy consideration which could prescribe a policy for India’s engagement with America under the next administration.

💡“Failure of Indian academics to reach out to general audiences has allowed the growth of WhatsApp history”

In the latest edition of Idea Exchange, historian William Dalrymple speaks on the transformative influence of ancient India, the myth of the Silk Route and why Indians write history books that are unpeopled. He says: “My personal bugbear is that the study of history in academia entered a long phase from about the ’50s through to the beginning of the present century, where academics only talked to themselves, and often did so in deliberately obscure language of the Subaltern Studies Collective and so on… As a result, you’ve got the growth of ‘WhatsApp history’ and ‘WhatsApp University.’”

CJI at Express Adda: With Monday marking the beginning of his last week as a judge, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud will be the chief guest at Express Adda – a series of interactions by The Indian Express Group featuring those at the centre of change – in New Delhi this evening. He is the 50th and longest serving CJI in over a decade.

📰 From the Front Page

‘Some progress’: On the ongoing India-China disengagement process at border points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday called it a “welcome” move which “opens up the possibility that other steps could happen”. His remarks on the ties between the neighbouring countries came during a bilateral visit to Australia, a day after the Indian government confirmed that “verification patrolling has commenced on mutually agreed terms”.

‘Target’ missed: A grenade attack at Srinagar’s crowded Sunday market which injured 12 civilians –mostly shoppers– was aimed at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) area, police sources told The Indian Express. It missed the target and hit a street vendor’s cart, injuring the 12 including two women and four teenagers. Speaking to top security officials later, Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha called for an “effective and forceful” response.

📌 Must Read

Not under fire: In a welcome change, the number of farm fires seems to be at an all-time low despite the paddy harvest season in north India going on in full swing, official data shows. There has been a drastic reduction in the number of stubble-burning incidents so far this year, according to the Indian Agriculture Research Institute’s Consortium on Research Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS). While Punjab continues to top the list, Uttar Pradesh has replaced Haryana in the second spot.

A paradox: The Labour Bureau figures show that the Indian economy’s macro growth numbers are not reflected in rural wages that have fallen in real inflation-adjusted terms. Why are real rural wages stagnant, if not negative, when the country’s GDP and even farm sector growth have been decent-to-good in recent times? Harish Damodaran breaks it down – from rising Labour Force Participation Rates (LFPR) among women to the demand side of labour.

⏳ And Finally…

“One can understand losing a Test match, but all three Test matches are tough to take… What I would say to them is ‘just forget it like it was a bad dream’.”

For the first time since India have been playing Test cricket starting from December 1933, they were whitewashed at home in a series 0-3 against New Zealand. Speaking to The Indian Express following Sunday’s thrashing at Mumbai’s Wankhede, former India captain and Test opener Sunil Gavaskar said with the tour of Australia coming up it is important to back the team. He added that the Indian squad should play warm-up games Down Under, even between Test matches when there is a longer break.

A to Z of getting health insurance: In today’s special episode of our 3 Things podcast, we discuss all things health insurance. We break down jargon, consider all important factors, and bust myths to help one make an informed decision in terms of getting health insurance or switching plans within it.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow,
Ariba and Vibha B Madhava

Business As Usual by E P Unny