
Minority quota politics: Karnataka's housing move sparks row
The move, approved in a cabinet meeting on Thursday, follows recent criticism over the state's caste census and has triggered a fresh political firestorm. The BJP accused the Congress of indulging in "appeasement politics" for electoral gain. "Wherever Congress is in power, it brings divisive, religion-based reservation policies," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ET. "This is not welfare, it's
vote bank politics
." State housing minister HK Patil defended the decision, stating that minority communities have a larger share of homeless families. "The Centre itself has flagged this issue. Our move is for social justice, not politics," he said.
The Karnataka BJP is now preparing to launch statewide protests against what it describes as yet another example of "selective governance" by the Congress.

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The Wire
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will find it difficult to commit to a trade deal with a maverick and unpredictable US president without exposing himself to criticism at home. While President Trump has promised a 'win-win' deal, he is now known to interpret every deal as a win for his 'America First' strategy. However balanced a trade deal might be between India and the US, in the competition between Mr. Trump's 'America First' and Mr. Modi's 'India First', the political Opposition in India would have enough to go to town accusing the Modi government of once again 'surrendering' to President Trump's diktat. Just as the BJP opposed trade deals signed by the Manmohan Singh government, the Congress and Left parties would oppose whatever deal India strikes with the United States, especially in the present context. The context is important. The Modi government is still pushing back on criticism that it agreed to a ceasefire with Pakistan under pressure from President Trump. 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India stands on firm ground in rejecting an open-ended policy of trade liberalisation in agriculture. If the United States continues to insist on this front, the Modi government will have no option but to reject and resist all pressure. Neither India nor Japan can agree to trade liberalisation in farm produce without risking a domestic political backlash. The protectionist argument in the case of manufactured goods is, however, much weaker. A policy option that can be pursued would be for the government to come out with a timetable for trade liberalisation and tariff reduction, setting firm dates for sectors, and gradually allowing the rupee to depreciate to partly compensate for tariff cuts. This would be in tandem with the earlier and oft-repeated promise of bringing Indian tariffs 'down to ASEAN levels'. This is a long-stated goal and is one that should be implemented. Rather than berate the ASEAN countries and call them the 'B-team' of China, as Mr Goyal has ill-advisedly done, it is time India caught up with ASEAN on the trade and manufacturing fronts. It may be recalled that India's trade and industrial policy liberalisation began in the early 1990s inspired by the experience of ASEAN. It was after his visit to Malaysia that the then prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh tasked an official in the Prime Minister's Office, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, to come up with a roadmap that would enable India to catch up with Malaysia. Mr Ahluwalia's 'M Paper' was the result and formed the basis of Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's trade and industrial policy. The time has come again for India to 'catch up' with East and Southeast Asia as far as trade and industrial policies are concerned. Mr Modi's 'Act East Policy' requires him to in fact act at home. This article was originally published in Deccan Chronicle. It has been lightly edited for style. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.


India Gazette
11 minutes ago
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