| | | Good morning! | | In my newsletter on April 30, I wrote about the deteriorating relations between the Union government and the states. Here's what I said: The next few years are likely to see relations between the Centre and states not governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party deteriorate significantly, perhaps climaxing in the 2026 delimitation which will see northern states, largely ruled by the BJP, benefiting at the cost of southern ones, mostly ruled by other parties, in terms of representation in the Lok Sabha. I also wrote of how the imminent end of the GST compensation period could be a flashpoint. This week saw two judgments by the Supreme Court, in widely unrelated matters, that fit in with the same trend. The first was its decision to set free AG Perarivalan, a convict serving a life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case (TV anchors and experts struggled unsuccessfully to pronounce his name right — the la sound in Tamil is unique). The court was clear that in matters which come under a state government's purview according to the Constitution, the governor has no business seeking the advice of the President (and, by extension, the Union government). Through its independent history, India has seen many governors whose behaviour has been characterised more by loyalty to the government that appointed them than propriety and constitutional principles, and the current period is no exception. The second was the court's ruling, in a rather innocuous case regarding imports, on the powers of the GST Council. The court said the recommendations of the apex decision making body when it comes to all matters related to the goods and services tax are not binding on either the Centre or the states. While the Union finance ministry maintained that this doesn't change anything, the finance ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu disagreed. As Hindustan Times wrote, "Does this mean states can refuse to legislate decisions taken by the GST Council? Perhaps not, but the ruling is likely to result in more friction in the GST Council, add another page in the ongoing saga of Centre-state squabbling, and likely push the Union finance ministry to seek legal clarification." We are in for some interesting times in what is usually the silly season for news. | | THINK It was a week that started with India's surprising win in the Thomas Cup — only, it became clear after the event, this was the outcome of a process that was at least a decade-old. Especially in sport, there's no way of knowing that the process works — till it does. In this case, it did (and how!) on Sunday. HT's data partners How India Lives detailed the journey of a decade. And our columnist Sharda Ugra called the win, "the bugle of history, chorus of (the) future". As she wrote: "… what it takes to get to the top of a sport, any sport, is the creation of an ecosystem that does the simple things with repeated commitment: churns out players and events in numbers; gives players the chance to run into quality competition day after day; and ensures that the best of them can go out into the world." | | THINK MORE It seems criminal to ask people to think, or think more, when it is too hot to do anything at all. Also on Sunday, temperatures in some parts of New Delhi crossed 49 degrees Celsius. Jayashree Nandi wrote of how temperatures of this magnitude should no longer surprise us — and that 50 degrees Celsius is possible too. The city-state recorded a maximum temperature of 49 degree Celsius on Sunday, May 15. On Friday, May 20, it recorded 44.4 degree Celsius. It's only Delhi, and parts of northwest and central India that are burning up, though. Many parts of the country saw maximum temperatures lower than their historical average in the second week of May. It's likely everyone felt a bit hotter after reading the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Climate report that was released in the course of the week. Four important climate crisis metrics, greenhouse gas concentrations, sea-level rise, ocean heat, and ocean acidification, set new records in 2021, it said. Something tells me these are records that won't last long. | | KNOW What will, unfortunately, last long, is Covid-19, with new research indicating that more infectious variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will increase chances of reinfection. But vaccination (two doses, good; three, even better) sharply decreases the chances of hospitalisation and death. Writing and reading about Covid-19 may seem oh-so-2020, but it's relevant now because cases around the world, while still low, have started increasing (especially in the US), and around 75% of those eligible for booster shots in India just haven't shown up to take them. | | LEARN The new Star Wars spin-off, Obi-Wan Kenobi (set 10 years after Episode III), a six-part miniseries launches on May 27 (the original movie, now rechristened Star Wars, A New Hope released May 25, 1977), and it is as good a time as any to revisit the universe that has captivated audiences across generations — and whose story has only grown longer and more detailed in the telling. May 22nd's HT Wknd cover story, penned by Varun Duggirala, is our own tribute to it. For those inclined to more serious matters (although Star Wars is serious, I acknowledge), as the crisis in Sri Lanka intensified, Sutirtho Patranobis, our man in Beijing, who spent several years covering the island nation for HT, wrote on what went wrong; former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao explained how the humanitarian aspect of the crisis has impact extending far beyond the country's borders and as a few analysts remarked on the similarities between India and Sri Lanka, Roshan Kishore detailed the vastly different political economy contexts in the two countries. | | | | READ MORE SC won't interfere with Gyanvapi survey order, transfers case to Varanasi court Explainer: The Places of Worship Act Wholesale inflation leads retail inflation, touches a 27-year high What Perarivalan's release means for other convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi case | | OUTSIDE The Great Replacement Theory has been in the news after the Buffalo massacre. Alex Shepard writes in the New Republic that what was once a fringe idea has now become a mainstream one after its adoption by Republican leaders. GRT, as the piece explains is a "racist conspiracy that posits that Democrats and other elites are bringing nonwhite foreigners into the United States for the purpose of destroying the white race". | | WHAT I'M READING  (Click to expand) A few weeks ago, I was telling a colleague that Gurugram needs its own Carl Hiaasen; so, for that matter, does Delhi. The book I just finished reading Villainy suggests that the job is Upamanyu Chatterjee's should he want it. Villainy is a thriller — and in the finest tradition of books inspired by James M Cain's works, whether they know it or not), there are no good guys in it — so I will say no more. | | WHAT I'M LISTENING TO One of the best (and purest) blues albums ever made — and one entirely in sync with the current news cycle in India. Taj Mahal's Taj Mahal. Recorded in 1967, released a year later, featuring a fantastic line-up apart from Taj Mahal himself, Jesse Ed Davis, Ry Cooder, and Bill Boatman performing some blues classics and a whole lot more, I see this as bridging two different eras of blues music. Even today, it's the perfect reminder of what good blues music should sound like. | Please share your feedback with us What do you think about this newsletter? | | Were you forwarded this email? Did you stumble upon it online? Sign up here. | | | | | | Get the Hindustan Times app and read premium stories | | | | | | View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Contact us You received this email because you signed up for HT Newsletters or because it is included in your subscription. Copyright © HT Digital Streams. All Rights Reserved | | | | |
