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Best of BS Opinion: Crashes, voter rolls, and fear of digital control
The preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the Air India Dreamliner crash that killed 260 people last month has been met with criticism for being vague and speculative. The June 12 crash, which occurred just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, led to a deadly collision with a doctors' hostel. The AAIB suggests a fuel-control switch may have moved from 'run' to 'cut-off,' shutting down the engine, but fails to explain whether this was pilot error or a technical flaw. One pilot is heard questioning the other about the switch, but voices remain unidentified. Experts say the report's timeline is murky and that referencing a 2018 FAA alert without new technical data only fuels unverified theories. Despite international oversight and ministerial caution, the report raises more questions than it answers, notes our first editorial.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India is considering taking its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, currently under way in Bihar, to other states. This follows the Supreme Court's initial approval of the SIR as constitutionally valid. But civil society groups have warned that its execution may exclude marginalised voters. The ECI claims to have identified many individuals of foreign origin, but critics question how booth-level officers are making such determinations. The requirement of up to 11 documents for verification is a challenge in a state with high migration and low literacy, highlights our second editorial. The ECI says it has already covered 80 per cent of voters, but doubts persist over inclusivity. The top court will hear further petitions on July 28.
Ajit Balakrishnan reflects on India's digital journey, praising Aadhaar and UPI but also questioning their implications in light of Rahul Bhatia's The Identity Project. While Aadhaar and UPI revolutionised access, critics warn they also enable surveillance. Globally, consent norms are tightening as seen in Google's $314 million fine in California. The column asks whether India should move towards stricter data ownership and opt-in systems.
Meanwhile, Debashis Basu critiques Sebi's crackdown on Jane Street, linking it to deeper flaws in India's derivatives market. He argues the current system benefits governments, exchanges, and even regulators more than investors, while 90 per cent of retail traders lose money. The piece questions the legitimacy of India's oversized derivatives market.
Finally, Sam Adler-Bell reviews, a book chronicling Biden's failed re-election bid and Trump's resurgent campaign. The book recounts internal dysfunction, missed warnings, and the slow unraveling of Democratic strategy, even as Kamala Harris tried to pick up the pieces. Stay tuned!
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The Wire
15 minutes ago
- The Wire
Bihar SIR ‘Exercise in Exclusion', Says Opposition INDIA Bloc
Politics Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the opposition said that the EC must abandon its 'institutional arrogance' and roll back the SIR. New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday (July 27) called the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar an 'exercise in exclusion', demanding that the poll body give up its 'institutional arrogance' and stop the exercise. 'This is an exercise in exclusion. In the whole month, you could not find a single person who had to be included? There are different categories of exclusion, but it is highly surprising that they did not come across a single person who is eligible for inclusion,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. 'Between the summary revision which was conducted in January 2025 and July 2025 SIR, are we to believe that 22 lakh people have died in the last six months?' According to the EC's figures released on Sunday, a total of 65 lakh people have been found to be deceased, permanently shifted or not found, and another seven lakh were found to have registered in multiple places. The commission said that 7.24 crore enumeration forms have been collected at the end of its month-long exercise, which amounts to 91.69% of the total electors in the state. The press conference was addressed by Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Nilotpal Basu. Singhvi questioned the 'institutional arrogance' of the EC and asked why the exercise could not be de-linked from the assembly elections due to be held in November. 'Please rethink your institutional arrogance. Everyone across the country is urging you to roll this back. What was the hurry to conduct this exercise just three months before the elections and link it to the elections? Why could this not be done after the elections? Many mistakes are being made because of this time limit,' he said. Singhvi said that amid questions being raised that the exercise was not one for the purification of electoral rolls but a citizenship verification drive, the EC has now made its stated objective clear. 'Earlier it was not clear, but now it is absolutely clear that this is a citizenship verification exercise by the EC. The Supreme Court's suggestion is as good as an order. If one is to accept the EC's argument that Aadhaar, ration card and EPIC card cannot be accepted, then that only means you want a proof of citizenship. That means your stated objective is to determine citizenship,' he said. Earlier this week, the EC in its affidavit in the Supreme Court said it has the authority to seek proof of citizenship and also turned down the court's suggestion that Aadhaar, voter identity and ration cards be considered as valid documents in its controversial exercise, which has been criticised for its risk of mass disenfranchisement and exclusion. 'Because you have said citizenship cannot be determined by ration card, voter ID card or Aadhaar card. So the question arises, has this right been given to the EC?' said Singhvi. Jha said that the exercise was started without consulting political parties, while 'opacity had become a hallmark' of the EC's functioning. 'When the chief election commissioner [Gyanesh Kumar] took over, he had said emphatically that none of his decisions would be taken without consulting political parties. I think in the last 22 years, there has been no bigger decision than this, but no political party was consulted. On June 24 the exercise was announced and on June 25 it was started," he said. Jha said that reports had shown booth-level officers filling out forms or sitting at a party office and signing forms, as well as instances of forms not being filled duly. 'This is a form of constitutional fraud. If my form can be filled without my sign or fingerprint and submitted, and on the basis of this you call it a cleaning exercise, then sorry to say, opacity has become a hallmark of the functioning of the EC,' he said. The opposition parties demanded that the exercise be stopped, with time still in hand. The Supreme Court meanwhile is slated to continue hearing the petitions challenging the exercise on Monday (July 28). The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
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Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Draft Bihar poll roll not final list, clarifies Election Commision
The Election Commission on Sunday hit out at those who, it claimed, were creating an impression that the draft voters' list to be published in Bihar will be the final roll. The poll authority said it is "not able to understand" that when a full one-month period from August 1 till September 1 is available to point out wrongful inclusion or wrongful exclusion of any name, "why are they creating such a big fuss now?" The EC's statement came on the conclusion of the month-long phase one of Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list, where house-to-house surveys were held to distribute semi-filled enumeration forms to the electorate that were to be returned after being filled up. Enumeration forms from 7.24 crore electors have been received. The EC also said that 36 lakh people were found to have either permanently shifted or were not found. It pointed out that seven lakh Bihar electors were found to have been enrolled at multiple places. "Why not ask their 1.6 lakh booth-level agents to submit claims and objections from August 1 till September 1," the Commission quipped. Booth-level agents appointed by political parties work with the EC's booth-level officers in preparing or updating the voters' list. "Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per special intensive revision orders," the EC statement said. Various opposition parties in the state, which goes to the polls later this year, have claimed that crores of eligible citizens will be disenfranchised during the roll revision for want of documents. They have also claimed that the ruling BJP will benefit as the state machinery in Bihar will target people opposed to the ruling alliance in the state. Stepping up its attack, the Congress on Sunday said the Election Commission should not have "institutional arrogance" and asked it to stop the SIR in Bihar. At a joint press conference with CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, RJD MP Manoj Jha and CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the exercise being undertaken by the EC has become a "citizenship test" and questioned its legality. "I humbly request the Election Commission, this is not a matter of political obstinacy. It is not a matter of institutional arrogance. Please reconsider it. Everyone is urging you," he said. The BJP hit back at the INDIA bloc parties for their opposition to SIR, alleging they were trying to "rob" Indian democracy on the back of foreign infiltrators. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Election Commission's drive is aimed at bringing required changes in electoral rolls through transparency. He alleged that the INDIA bloc parties have been winning in places where the presence of infiltrators has brought maximum changes in demography.
Mint
15 minutes ago
- Mint
Monsoon session: Congress issues whip to Lok Sabha MPs for 3 days as House to debate on ‘Operation Sindoor'
The Congress has issued a whip to its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in the House for three days starting Monday, with a debate set to take place on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The ruling alliance and the opposition are set to lock horns over the two issues steeped in national security and foreign policy imperatives. The BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition parties are expected to field their top guns during the discussion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. A whip has been issued by the Congress mandating the presence of its MPs in the House for three days starting Monday. Sources said Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will speak on the issues amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may make an intervention to convey his government's "robust" stand against terrorism. After the first week of the Parliament's Monsoon session ended up in a virtual washout due to opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar and other issues, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on July 25 that the opposition has agreed to the start of a discussion on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on Monday and in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The two sides have consented to a marathon 16-hour debate in each House, which invariably stretches longer in practice.
