Daily Briefing: Adani storm rattles Parliament; two political veterans steer new ties in Tripura; Assam’s child marriage arrests

The Adani storm hit Parliament yet again on Tuesday when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the Opposition in accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of pulling strings in the businessman’s favour. In a 53-minute speech in Lok Sabha, Gandhi displayed photographs of Gautam Adani and PM Modi together to claim their proximity and listed out business deals the Adani Group had got since 2014.

Unsurprisingly, Gandhi’s speech set off a political firestorm. Top BJP MPs rose to their feet, seeking “proof” and demanding that the allegations be expunged from the records of the House. Some BJP leaders mounted an attack on the Gandhi family, saying they were all “corrupt” and out “on bail” in the National Herald case.

In Parliament, Gandhi had also mentioned the Adani Group’s controversial aviation foray. From running a private air-strip at Mundra, the Adani Group’s transformation into the country’s largest private developer in terms of number of airports handled and the second largest, in terms of passenger traffic, happened over less than 24 months. The Group’s entry into aviation came about despite the Union Finance Minister and Niti Aayog’s objections.

Only in the Express

In our opinion section today, Ishan Bakshi writes on why the private sector has not responded to government initiatives so far and whether the Union Budget 2023-24 can change that: “Despite record profits accruing to the larger firms, despite lower tax rates for both the corporate and the household sectors, and despite the ramp-up in capital spending by the public sector, a broad-based recovery in private sector investments and consumption has not materialised.”

From the Front Page

For the unusual CPI(M)-Congress alliance to work in Tripura, particularly against the BJP’s might, a lot depends on the state chiefs of the two parties. On one hand, we have CPI(M) Tripura chief, Jitendra Chaudhury, who at 65 is part of the “young brigade” in the characteristically old ranks of the Left party. On the other, we have 71-year-old Congress Tripura Chief, Birajit Sinha, who is one of the rare leaders of the party in the state who has never switched sides. Both veterans are now seeking to reorient their politics citing the “changed scenario” in the state.

India has sent rescue and medical teams, including an Army medical team and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, along with medical supplies to quake-hit Turkey.

Minutes after the Supreme Court junked a plea challenging her appointment, advocate Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri was sworn in as an Additional Judge of Madras High Court on Tuesday. The SC Collegium’s recommendation of her appointment last month was followed by protests from a section of lawyers who pointed at her previous association with the ruling BJP and alleged instances of hate speech by her.

Must Read

At Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University in Sonipat, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sudesh, has taken on a gargantuan task — dismantling Haryana’s predominantly patriarchal society, one woman sarpanch at a time. Sudesh has been interacting with 42 newly elected women sarpanches from nearby villages to ensure they push well-entrenched boundaries by being more visible and asserting themselves.

Despite several reminders, the Jharkhand government has not responded to the “desired comments or clarifications” that the Centre has sought on eight state Bills it had sent for Presidential assent between 2015 and 2021. What are these Bills? Why the delay? Take a look.

Over 2,000 men have been arrested in the past few days in a statewide crackdown on child marriages, recently announced by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, against the backdrop of growing debate on the minimum age of marriage of Muslim women. Under which laws are these arrests being made? What is the debate on age of marriage among Muslims? Khadija Khan explains.

And Finally…

🏏 Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India-Australia clashes are the most intense and high-quality match-ups this century, and another edition is now upon us. At the heart of the drama and theatre, the bark and the bite, the aggression and antagonism these contests have repeatedly but un-boringly produced over the last two decades is this supreme pursuit of conquering elements alien to each other. Pace and bounce for India; spin and spinners for Australia.

🤫 Delhi Confidential: Combining the government’s push for millets and clean energy, Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar cooked a barnyard millet ‘khichdi’ on an indoor solar cooktop developed by Indian Oil. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the novel demonstration that took place during the ministry’s India Energy Week in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things podcast‘, we take a look at the science behind Turkey’s devastating earthquake, Sabarmati river pollution, and a new pension model proposed by the Andhra government.

Until tomorrow,

Ariba and Rahel Philipose

Business As Usual by E P Unny