September 22, 2025 • 29 mins
First, The Indian Express’ Siddharth Upasani breaks down the government’s overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and how the move is aimed at simplifying the tax structure and putting more money in the hands of consumers.
Next, Contributing Editor for The Indian Express Neerja Chowdhury explains the political and institutional implications of the controversy surrounding the Election Commission after Rahul Gandhi alleged voter roll manipulation in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. (17:11)
And in the end, we look at the Supreme Court’s response to a plea seeking an independent investigation into the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed 260 lives. The petition, filed by an aviation safety NGO, raises concerns about the handling of the probe by India’s official crash investigation agency, the AAIB. (26:28)
Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Next, Contributing Editor for The Indian Express Neerja Chowdhury explains the political and institutional implications of the controversy surrounding the Election Commission after Rahul Gandhi alleged voter roll manipulation in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. (17:11)
And in the end, we look at the Supreme Court’s response to a plea seeking an independent investigation into the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed 260 lives. The petition, filed by an aviation safety NGO, raises concerns about the handling of the probe by India’s official crash investigation agency, the AAIB. (26:28)
Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode, we talk about a political storm over
voter rolls, with Rahul Gandhi accusing the Election Commission of
shielding irregularities. We also talk about se issuing a notice
in the Mdabad Air India crash probe after a plea
demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the tragedy that
(00:21):
killed two hundred and sixty people. But we begin today
with the government's biggest overhaul of GSD restructuring and what
it means for the consumers and the economy. Hi, I'm
Micha Sharma and you're listening to Three Things the Indian
Express New Show. When GSD was first introduced back in
(00:47):
twenty seventeen, it replaced a range of state and central
taxes such as OKTRA, luxury tax, value added tax and
entry tax. The idea was to simplify things into a
single unified structure, with one tax charged at the destination level,
but over time, with four different slabs of five, twelve,
(01:08):
eighteen and twenty eight percent, the system became complicated. For years,
there have been calls to reform it and make it
as simple as originally envisioned, and so earlier this month,
the government announced a complete restructuring of GSD, removing the
twelve percent and twenty eight percent brackets while introducing a
new forty percent slab. As part of this overhaul, the
(01:31):
government has reduced taxes on several household and FMCG goods,
aiming to put more money into people's hands. So to
talk about what these reforms really mean and how they
will affect people, Michaelague shang Bhargav speaks to the Inuan,
expresses Sidha Upasani, So that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What has been the government's pitch, What does it say
about why it has decided to restructure GSD.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So this is not something which has system recently. A
group of ministers, the committee was set up as long
back as September twenty twenty one to look at in
the rationalization which is essentially primarily reduction but some increases
also in GSD rates on all the goods and services
which the regime houses. This has been a work in progress.
(02:19):
Therefore has been a working progress for a long time.
So a group of ministers is led by some state minister,
either a chief minister or a finance minister state level.
Considering that GSD is made up of both center and states.
Now in the middle, you had state elections. A member
who was part of this group of ministers on rate rationalization,
a new party came into power, so they had to
(02:39):
reconvene the entire group of ministers, and therefore this has
taken so long. You also had the national elections in
the middle last year, so this has been a work
in progress for a while and it has finally seen
the light of day now. The government's pitch has been
that like in any tax system, we saw the income
tax rates being reduced in the budget for twenty five
twenty six in February. Direct tax rates, however, like the GSD,
(03:02):
are inherently more regressive, which means that okay, taking come
tax rates. For instance, where a person earning thirty lacks
or a person earning ten lacks, they have different tax rates.
So an income tax regime is supposed to be progressive,
where person earning less pays less tax as opposed to
someone who's earning twice or thrice more. However, an indirect
tax system like the GSD is inherently regressive for the
(03:24):
simple reason that two people earning at different levels of
income end up paying the same tax on the same
item they purchase.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, that's why they say that GST for example, hurts
the poor a lot more.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, so if someone earning twelve lacks, who now under
the new rules new announcement made in the budget by
the Finance Minister, is not supposed to pay any tax
if they're under the new direct tax regime. But if
a person earning twelve lax buys a packet of Maggie,
for instance, and a person earning fifty lacks also buys
a pack of Maggie, they are paying the same amount
of tax, which ideally shouldn't be the case, but you
(03:57):
can't start you know, have living different tax rates on
items depending on the bio's income, which is why lower
indirect tax rates are better. Therefore, the governments pitch is
this that lower tax rates indirect tax age GSC rates
is good for consumption. People at the lower income levels
are now able to afford more for the same amount
(04:18):
of money. At the same time, what we've seen over
the last roughly a decade is that inflation has been
coming down. Inflation is the year on your changing prices.
So consumers households of getting two benefits in here, which
is lower tax rates in terms from the GSD lower
tax rates in terms of income taxes, especially those at
the lower end of the section of the society, and
(04:39):
lower inflation. Lower inflation obviously just eats away at a budget.
So there are these two three things which are coming
together and the hope from the government is that this
will boost consumption. So the final reduction rates comes at
a good time because it will help support urban demand.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
And tell us exactly the kind of restructuring that has
now been done, Well, what are the kind of items
that are now going to become cheaper as a result
of this.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So there has been a very clear push from the government,
from the GSD council, I shouldad they want you to focus.
They want consumers to start buying more quality products, which
is why you now have some things which you probably
paid eighteen percent tax on now in the five percent
tax bracket.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Take pasta, for instance.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
The average Indian probably doesn't consume package pasta, but now
that has pasta, caniloni, lasagna. All of those items. Packaged
items are around five percent GSD. This is the same
as butter. Butter, which is a far more mass consumption item,
is also tax at five percent now, so there is
a clear push to more organized sector. I mean you
(05:43):
will when faced with two items let's say labeled package pasta,
a branded pasta to a packup pastl source from local suppliers,
they might still be a difference in price, even though
the tax date is same. But for anyone who's not
on the margin, who's not much lower income level, they
might prefer to go for a branded, labeled twelve package
past The first simple reason that you have more faith
(06:07):
and trust in the quality standards that they maintain.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
So that's one push.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And since we're talking about food items, what does this
restructuring look like for dairy products?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So there have been two shifts here. One things like
Pannier they have been made exempted from the GC so
Amul Mother Dairy they have announced that they're two hundred
gram packets. Their prices have been reduced by three percent,
so what was earlier ninety five rupiece is now ninety two.
Other things which have been brought under the five percent
bracket are things like GhIE. Another thing which is now
attracting lower rates is what is called UHT milk, which
(06:43):
is ultra high temperature milk, which is essentially what comes
in a cartons, So unlike packet milk, you were able
to keep them for longer, so that is also now
attracting five percent. Other dairy products things like cheese, and
there are wide varieties of cheese, things your basic slices
which Amoul or other manufacturers like Mother Dairy make, that's
also five percent. More premium types of cheese are also
(07:07):
under five percent. So milk products have been a big beneficiary.
And most food items, for instance, are all in either
in zero percent or five percent. Take something like package parota, roties, japaties.
These are all in either zero percent of five percent.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And what about other household items.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
So a lot of other household items which came under
even twelve percent and eighteen percent are now in five
So let's take ice cream, for instance, which is earlier
eighteen percent is now going to cost you only five
percent tax.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
So the most basic of ice creams.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Take a cup of vanilla, you know, the smallest vanilla cups,
which is like fifty mL, used to be ten or
eleven rupees. Mother Dairy was ten and they've cut it
down to nine rupees now, so that's a ten percent reduction.
Take things like shampoos. Shampoos are now have gone from
eighteen to five percent. Even a you know, slightly premium
item like a Laureal total repair shampoo used to earlier
(07:59):
core two hundred and nineteen rupees that is now thirteen
percent cheaper at one hundred and ninety rupees. This for
two hundred mel bottle a conflicts eleven percent cheaper hair oil,
after shave loceans, toothpastes, these are all eleven to twelve
to thirteen percent cheaper now.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
And so that you know earlier when you gave the
example of panier, you know, two hundred grams of pannier
becoming three rupees cheaper now, That alone does not sound
like a lot, right, But is the idea that all
these reductions together will add up?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Yeah, so exactly, you're completely right here. It won't be wrong.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
But it's perhaps better to look at all these reductions
as a whole.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You obviously, I mean.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
We might at any given point in time might buy
a packet of Pannier on its own, but that's not
what all households function.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You'll go out, you'll buy things for the week. Sometimes,
if you're going to a big supermarket, you might even
buy things for the month. Two cages of rice, two
cages of the maybe three packs of sliced cheese. So
all of this together, and you put all of that
together three percent here, four percent here, slightly more durable
goods like toothpast which might end up lasting a month
or so a couple of months, ten percent there. Washing
(09:06):
machines acs are also good, ten eleven percent cheaper in
some cases.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
All of this put together, it adds up.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And when you look at the fact that inflation that
has come down to three percent, at the same time,
you're getting this additional three to nine to ten percent
discount on items which you would have bought anyways. Put
this all together, it's much larger than just three rupees.
Now there are two things there. You can either afford
to buy more, but when it comes to food items,
there's only so much that you're going to eat. What
(09:34):
you might end up doing with this extra saving is
that you could use this for other things. Uses for
things which you probably didn't earlier. You might end up
saving it. You might cut down on your credit card debt.
You might plan a fancy travel somewhere I know, in
for one month. It might not add up, but normal
people like us, we'll accumulate towards a holiday, let's over
at twelve month period and then finally, you know, for instance,
(09:55):
if you're thinking of going to Bhutan, the additional savings
from this could help us go to Highland.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Who knows, right, and more money in the hands of
people is a good thing because one problem that people
have been facing is that after buying groceries and you know,
making the basic expenditures, they're actually not left with a
lot of money.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, so, which is why the reduction and rates provides
an outlet for savings. Over the last three four years,
it's been every once in a while you'll hear that
household savings have come down. Now, it's important to keep
in mind that this is household savings as a percentage
of GDP, and while that may post pandemic. During the pandemic,
(10:34):
especially on twenty twenty one, there was obviously a drowdown
in savings.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Some people may have lost jobs, some.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
People may have had reduction in salaries, so they use
their savings to fund their expenses, emergency medical expenses, or
just normal lifestyles. Now, with tax rates coming down, with
prices coming down, with income tax rates coming down, you
would expect the people at those levels, especially let's say
seven to twelve to fifteen, lack that bracket to start
(11:01):
perhaps building up their savings. And this is important keeping
in mind that we are living in a time when
uncertainties are very high. Trade policies have affected everyone. I mean,
so building these buffers, which are essentially savings is also important.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
And you know, earlier when there's GSD restructuring was announced,
there were concerns that perhaps businesses won't pass on the
benefits to the consumers. Is that still a concern.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
So what has happened over the last couple of weeks
is that we have seen an incredible advertisement blitz from
a lot of these companies, especially the big names who
have you know, already announced what their prices are going
to be starting September twenty second, and which is why
we know that things are three four, five to eleven
twelve percent cheaper. A lot of them have said that
they will fully pass on the benefit to consumers. Take
(11:51):
cement companies for instance, So the GS and cement has
been reduced from twenty eight to eighteen percent, and they've
all said that we will pass on this benefit to consumers. Now,
cement is extremely important for simple reasons it's used to
build houses. Now, none of us are probably going to
go and buy a fifty kg bag of cement, which
is now fifty to sixty roupiece cheaper. So cement prices
are roughly down nine to twelve percent, depending on the
company you're buying from, the brand you're buying. But use
(12:13):
of cement into in housing, the residential buildings, commercial spaces
and their price coming down is extremely important because construction
has many what economists called forward and backward linkages.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Right, there are a number of people involved in the process, carpenters, electricians,
you know, a lot of them get jobs, and so
it has a multiplier effect exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
So cement is extremely important. Take insurance for instance, insurance
which was earlier eighteen percent which for health and life
for individual policies, is now exempt. So you expect insurance
policies to be now fifteen percent cheaper. I say fifteen
percent and not eighteen percent for the simple reason that
when you remove the tax, it doesn't reduce by that much.
The price isn't reduced by that much. So how do
(12:58):
we ensure that this actually happens. The government has been
very vocal that it wants companies to pass on the
benefit there is. We know a colleague of mind Anchal
has reported that the Finance Ministry is keeping it initially
weekly and then a monthly tab on what prices are
prevailing in the market, and Finance Misty will look at
for the next six months or so whether companies are
(13:21):
passing on or not so And it's finally it's in
company's interest to reduce prices.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Let's take a random segment. Let's take shampoos for instance.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
If one player it has reduced their price by let's
say ten percent for the same damage, they are going
to get more demand. Now, if another player refuses to
reduce the prices in following the tax cut, they are
going to see a fall in demand.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
But there's also a case of optics. You don't want
to be.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Seen as someone who's not passing on this benefit when
government has so clearly and visibly announced that they're cutting
taxes by so much, and you know.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
The other big pitch has been that this will boost
demand and thereby improve the overall state of the economy.
What do economists have to say about this? To what
extent do they think this will actually do that?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
So, as I just mentioned earlier. Inflation has already been
coming down. In August, the Reserve Bank of India actually
reduced its focust for inflation in twenty twenty five twenty
six to three point one percent from three point seven percent,
which is a sizeable decrease. Now economists are predicting that
because of these price cuts, some of which has happened,
(14:30):
more companies will follow suit. You could have CPI inflation
averaging as low as two and a half to two
point six percent this year, which is the lowest since
the Reserve Bank of India adopted this framework ten years
ago in August twenty sixteen. So clearly inflation is going
to be lower now. When inflation is lower, therefore prices
are increasing less quickly as before. You have more disposable income,
(14:54):
so to say, with people that is, they are able
to afford more with the same amount of money, same
amount of income, expect them to buy more Now they
might spread that purchases around a whole variety of things,
even holidays. Finally, you are living in a hotel, for instance,
you are going to travel by either by rail or
by air. All of this put together over a year
(15:15):
could lead to the GDP growth rate of India as
a whole, increasing by anywhere between fifty basis points or
point five percentage points to as much as one hundred
basis points. Let's say if before all these tax cuts,
if the economy was expected to grow by six and
a half percent over the course of a year, growth
might be as highs seven point five percent because of this.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Now, obviously this assumes.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
That prices are cut as much as the taxes have
been cut, so what economists called complete.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Pass through two prices.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
It also assumes that people probably aren't saving as much,
that they'll just consume more given that they have more
to spend. So there is of course a range. And
you also to keep in mind that, like I said,
global uncertainty is high. So if the US has increased
tariff on India to fifty percent starting last month, then
(16:08):
there will be some fallout of that. So you'd expect
these tax cuts to cancel out some of that. So
on the whole, while it might not be as high
as people would have been the case otherwise, but you
still expect growth to be higher by anywhere up to
fifty two hundred basius points over a year. So over
a year is important for a simple reason that these
tax cuts are coming to effect on September twenty second,
(16:29):
which leads only half a year for the current fiscal year,
which is twenty five twenty six, So you might not
see the impact fully this year. The real impact, the
full impact, would be seen in twenty twenty six, twenty seven,
and there's more after that. Because of lower prices, consumption
behaviors patterns change. You might not immediately move to a
higher quality of good this year. You might do it
(16:51):
next year when you are more attuned to price change,
what the prices are where you're more willing to spend
next year. So you might end up seeing consumption behaviors
change and finally take shape over a period of time
as much as maybe one and a half two years.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Next.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
We look at a controversy that raised serious concerns around
the legitimacy of Indian elections and public confidence in the
Election Commission. Last week, in a press conference, the leader
of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, leveled fresh allegations against the
Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Ghanesh Kumar, accusing them of
shielding vote thieves and undermining democracy.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Alan this constituency in Karnataka eighteen votes. Somebody tried to
delete six eighteen votes. We don't know the total number
of votes that were deleted in Land in the twenty
three election. They're much higher than six eighteen. But somebody
(18:02):
deleting six eighteen votes and it was caught, like most crimes,
by a coincidence.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Now, he alleged systematic voted delations in a Karnataka Assembly
constituency and even produced witnesses to back his claim. At
the heart of the allegation is that names allegedly of
Congress supporters and people from disadvantage communities were removed from
the roles through technology driven processes. But what's worth noting
is that Gandhi's press conference left unclear exactly how these
(18:33):
deletions took place, which is why the issue now demands
close or scrutiny. So what do these accusations mean for
the Election Commission's credibility and for India's political narrative ahead
of the elections. To unpack this, our colleague Shamik shah
Mishra spoke to Nija Chaudhry, contributing editor to The Indian Express,
and she began by talking about the allegations themselves.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Look, it's noted in the past. This did not happen.
Speaker 7 (18:59):
This has happened in the past, and it was also
very strident, very all out. Rahul Gandhi's grandmother lost her
election petition in nineteen seventy five when the Alabad High
Court disqualified her for electoral malpractices, and instead of stepping down,
she went in for an emergency and then two and
(19:20):
a half years later she lost that election. Such was
the strength of the public opinion that had built up
against her.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
So it's not as if it has not happened in
the past.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
Of course, it has happened in the past, but it
has never been so sharp, so strident in tone, and
there seems to be no restraint in language at all.
You can say the same thing in a different way
and parliamentary discourst you don't. Normally, at least in the past,
(19:49):
people didn't use all out charges. Now, Rahul gand they
may have evidence, but to use language like safeguarding the
ec safeguarding the mud of democracy now you have to
come out with much more evidence. At the moment, I
don't fully understand how the voters can be deleted from
the voter's list is it using what he was alluding to,
(20:13):
using some kind of technology and software and this can
be done online and he set six thousand plus voters
were deleted. They were obviously supporters of the Congress Party
and also belonging to the lower cast, etceter.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Now he's produced some witnesses.
Speaker 7 (20:30):
Certainly, I would say it could have been handled differently,
because you know, why should it be handled differently? Why
shouldn't we have the right to say things very openly.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
Baldly attack the other side. If this is the truth,
you would say that, but till it becomes the truth.
And because what is at stake.
Speaker 7 (20:47):
Is the legitimacy of the whole electoral process in India.
Nothing is more precious to our democracy than that the
legitimacy of election. So you cannot take this lightly at all.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
We are making charges without enough proof.
Speaker 7 (21:02):
Or equally, what the Election Commission is also doing is
very strange.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Nija says that this is where the Commission's handling comes
under scrutiny. According to her, a simple confidence building step
would have been to invite the opposition leader and his
team for a detailed meeting. Instead, by responding through social
media posts, the Commission risks appearing partisan.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Because the other side, the LP, should not have even
an iota doubt about the veracity of elections. So I
think both sides has been very disappointing in the way
they've handled this. I don't know what the truth is
about ravel Dundy's charge, and I would say certainly that
it needs to be looked into.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
This is what the Election Commission is supposed to do.
Speaker 7 (21:47):
It is to dispel any doubts, you know, as I
keep saying, Caesar's wife must be above suspicion in a democracy,
but seem to be above suspission also.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Now politically, Nija says, the opposition strategy seems to be
to keep the issue simmary. After a voter rights yatra
that drew public attention, Gandhi's team has signaled that it
will return to the theme repeatedly, though this approach is
not uniform across the opposition.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
You know, it's very interesting that Dejesviata, whom undertook that
yatra with Raandhi in Bihar, has started another yatra that
is on Bihar Yatra the Rights of Bihar, and he's
going to go through five districts and he has not
made voter schory an issue. He's talking about livelihoods, economic distress, prices,
(22:41):
rampant corruption in Nishkumar's government, but he's not referred so
far to this vote schory. Now, to my mind, the
question comes, is this an acknowledgment that this issue is
not having the kind of traction that they'd vope for,
or because it's having less traction because the adhar kad
is now being into accepted is one of the documents
(23:02):
for voter getting on the water rolls or being on
the voter rolls. So I don't have a field for
this answer, you know, is it an issue or is
it not? How much of an issue it is? But
the timing of it is also very interesting. The Bihariatra
was undertaking keeping in mind the elections in Bihar a couple.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Of months round the line.
Speaker 7 (23:23):
But today Rahul Nandhi brings the charge.
Speaker 6 (23:26):
Of votchori again. But it's not doesn't relate to Bihar.
Speaker 7 (23:29):
He's talking about an assembly constituency in Karnatak in twenty
twenty three.
Speaker 6 (23:33):
Citistically, I don't know, you know, does it make sense?
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (23:37):
So will that agitate the voter in behave what happened
in one of the assembly constituencies in Karnata. Or will
the point that this has been happening Because this has
happened here, it has been happening in other states also,
So it's a widespread malage which needs to be look at.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Now when it comes to the ruling party. They quickly
pushed back. At a press conference, senior BJ leader Taker
described Gandhi's stance as infiltrators first politics.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
The BJP is going on its own agenda. The issue
is going to flag in Bihar. This is infiltrated. The
Prime Minister also spoke about it, and they're going to
have a mission, you know. The Prime Minister spoke about
that at his Independence Day speech. Abound illegal migrants that
have come into the country, and illegal migrants must be
(24:28):
sent out some way has too. Nobody's making a case
for keeping illegal migrants in. But under the garb of
illegal migrants, you cannot say other Bengalies must be sent out,
which has happened in some parts and that has been
a cause of concern to many people. So I'm not
Raktaku saying that Lawi Gandhi is pursuing his prop infiltrators
(24:49):
policy that the Congress this is the line the JP
is taking. And also that you know they're playing cast politics.
Now it could be true that the name is deleted
when it largely belongs to those of their you know,
whether it's a Dalit community, the Muslim community, or the
OBCs or the EBC's and and he's certainly making a
(25:10):
pitch for the support of these communities when he's talked
about the cost central So it's very much part of
his politics. It's very much part of the politics of
the JP to go against send filtrators and to paint
the Congress as a party that favors infiltratives.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
So that is what it takes.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
But I feel that, as I said in the beginning,
sium sim sium restraint in language, the same thing can
be said sharply, smartly without being so ugly and personal.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
And besides this, Nieza says that there's also an institutional dimension.
The opposition has long claimed that agencies like the ed
CBI and income tacts are used for partisan purposes, and
the current controversy extends that allegation to the Election Commission itself.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
Look, this is a char that is made that this
is again a cause for concern the manner in which
the EDCBI income tax and now the Election Commission, as
the opposition has charged the government of being may being
used for parties and reasons, for political reasons and to
(26:18):
get at those who are opponents, rather than for cleansing
the system. These agencies were not used in the past,
but they have certainly been used much more under this
government and this is something that they have to worry
about and think about.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
And in the end we talk about the Supreme Court's
intervention in the continuing scrutiny of the m the Bad
Air in their crash. Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued notice
regarding a police seeking an independent investigation into the twelfth
of June crash of an Air India Boeing seventy eight
to seven Dreamliner in m the Bad which killed two
hundred and sixty people. The plea was filed by Safety
(27:02):
Matter Foundation and Aviation Safety NGO, which raised concerns over
the handling of the probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
According to a report by the Uni Expresses, Anantha Krishnan
g a bench of Justices Surikanth and ENK. Singh said
it was unfortunate that media reports had suggested pilot error
(27:22):
as the cause of the crash. When citing the preliminary
findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau or AIB, the
court decided the Center, the Director General of AAIB, and
the Director General of Civil Aviation respond to the plea.
It limited its direction to ensuring a free, fair, impartial,
independent and expeditious investigation by an expert body. Advocate Prashant Bhushan,
(27:48):
representing the NGO, sought disclosure of the flight.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Data recorder details.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
The bench, however, declined to make the data public, stressing
that confidentiality must be maintained until the regular inquiry concludes. Meanwhile,
the angio's petition argued that AIB's preliminary report was incomplete, selective,
and lack transparency. It claimed that the report did not
comply with the two twenty five of the Aircraft Investigation
(28:13):
of Accidents and Incidents Rules of twenty seventeen, which requires
dissemination of all available data during early stages of investigation. Instead,
the report allegedly provided paraphrase references to cockpit voice recordings
without timestamps, transcripts, or supporting context. Another Christian further reports that,
according to the petition, this selective disclosure shaped a misleading
(28:37):
perception that pilot error was solely responsible, while potentially absolving
the airline and manufacturer. The PLA also alleged that releasing
unverified extracts of the cockpit voice recording titled public Opinion
in the favor of the operator and manufacturer, contrary to
principles of impartiality and accountability. You were listening to Three
(29:01):
Things by the Indian Express. Today's show was edited and
mixed by Sish Bravar and produced by Shishang Hahgov and
me Ichasharma. If you like the show, do subscribe to
us wherever you get your podcast. You can also recommend
it to someone you think may like it, with a
friend or in your family. This is the best way
for people to get to know about us. You can
also tweet us at Express podcast or write to us
(29:24):
at podcast at Indian Express dot com.
In this episode, we talk about a political storm over
voter rolls, with Rahul Gandhi accusing the Election Commission of
shielding irregularities. We also talk about se issuing a notice
in the Mdabad Air India crash probe after a plea
demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the tragedy that
(00:21):
killed two hundred and sixty people. But we begin today
with the government's biggest overhaul of GSD restructuring and what
it means for the consumers and the economy. Hi, I'm
Micha Sharma and you're listening to Three Things the Indian
Express New Show. When GSD was first introduced back in
(00:47):
twenty seventeen, it replaced a range of state and central
taxes such as OKTRA, luxury tax, value added tax and
entry tax. The idea was to simplify things into a
single unified structure, with one tax charged at the destination level,
but over time, with four different slabs of five, twelve,
(01:08):
eighteen and twenty eight percent, the system became complicated. For years,
there have been calls to reform it and make it
as simple as originally envisioned, and so earlier this month,
the government announced a complete restructuring of GSD, removing the
twelve percent and twenty eight percent brackets while introducing a
new forty percent slab. As part of this overhaul, the
(01:31):
government has reduced taxes on several household and FMCG goods,
aiming to put more money into people's hands. So to
talk about what these reforms really mean and how they
will affect people, Michaelague shang Bhargav speaks to the Inuan,
expresses Sidha Upasani, So that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What has been the government's pitch, What does it say
about why it has decided to restructure GSD.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So this is not something which has system recently. A
group of ministers, the committee was set up as long
back as September twenty twenty one to look at in
the rationalization which is essentially primarily reduction but some increases
also in GSD rates on all the goods and services
which the regime houses. This has been a work in progress.
(02:19):
Therefore has been a working progress for a long time.
So a group of ministers is led by some state minister,
either a chief minister or a finance minister state level.
Considering that GSD is made up of both center and states.
Now in the middle, you had state elections. A member
who was part of this group of ministers on rate rationalization,
a new party came into power, so they had to
(02:39):
reconvene the entire group of ministers, and therefore this has
taken so long. You also had the national elections in
the middle last year, so this has been a work
in progress for a while and it has finally seen
the light of day now. The government's pitch has been
that like in any tax system, we saw the income
tax rates being reduced in the budget for twenty five
twenty six in February. Direct tax rates, however, like the GSD,
(03:02):
are inherently more regressive, which means that okay, taking come
tax rates. For instance, where a person earning thirty lacks
or a person earning ten lacks, they have different tax rates.
So an income tax regime is supposed to be progressive,
where person earning less pays less tax as opposed to
someone who's earning twice or thrice more. However, an indirect
tax system like the GSD is inherently regressive for the
(03:24):
simple reason that two people earning at different levels of
income end up paying the same tax on the same
item they purchase.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, that's why they say that GST for example, hurts
the poor a lot more.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, so if someone earning twelve lacks, who now under
the new rules new announcement made in the budget by
the Finance Minister, is not supposed to pay any tax
if they're under the new direct tax regime. But if
a person earning twelve lax buys a packet of Maggie,
for instance, and a person earning fifty lacks also buys
a pack of Maggie, they are paying the same amount
of tax, which ideally shouldn't be the case, but you
(03:57):
can't start you know, have living different tax rates on
items depending on the bio's income, which is why lower
indirect tax rates are better. Therefore, the governments pitch is
this that lower tax rates indirect tax age GSC rates
is good for consumption. People at the lower income levels
are now able to afford more for the same amount
(04:18):
of money. At the same time, what we've seen over
the last roughly a decade is that inflation has been
coming down. Inflation is the year on your changing prices.
So consumers households of getting two benefits in here, which
is lower tax rates in terms from the GSD lower
tax rates in terms of income taxes, especially those at
the lower end of the section of the society, and
(04:39):
lower inflation. Lower inflation obviously just eats away at a budget.
So there are these two three things which are coming
together and the hope from the government is that this
will boost consumption. So the final reduction rates comes at
a good time because it will help support urban demand.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
And tell us exactly the kind of restructuring that has
now been done, Well, what are the kind of items
that are now going to become cheaper as a result
of this.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So there has been a very clear push from the government,
from the GSD council, I shouldad they want you to focus.
They want consumers to start buying more quality products, which
is why you now have some things which you probably
paid eighteen percent tax on now in the five percent
tax bracket.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Take pasta, for instance.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
The average Indian probably doesn't consume package pasta, but now
that has pasta, caniloni, lasagna. All of those items. Packaged
items are around five percent GSD. This is the same
as butter. Butter, which is a far more mass consumption item,
is also tax at five percent now, so there is
a clear push to more organized sector. I mean you
(05:43):
will when faced with two items let's say labeled package pasta,
a branded pasta to a packup pastl source from local suppliers,
they might still be a difference in price, even though
the tax date is same. But for anyone who's not
on the margin, who's not much lower income level, they
might prefer to go for a branded, labeled twelve package
past The first simple reason that you have more faith
(06:07):
and trust in the quality standards that they maintain.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
So that's one push.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And since we're talking about food items, what does this
restructuring look like for dairy products?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So there have been two shifts here. One things like
Pannier they have been made exempted from the GC so
Amul Mother Dairy they have announced that they're two hundred
gram packets. Their prices have been reduced by three percent,
so what was earlier ninety five rupiece is now ninety two.
Other things which have been brought under the five percent
bracket are things like GhIE. Another thing which is now
attracting lower rates is what is called UHT milk, which
(06:43):
is ultra high temperature milk, which is essentially what comes
in a cartons, So unlike packet milk, you were able
to keep them for longer, so that is also now
attracting five percent. Other dairy products things like cheese, and
there are wide varieties of cheese, things your basic slices
which Amoul or other manufacturers like Mother Dairy make, that's
also five percent. More premium types of cheese are also
(07:07):
under five percent. So milk products have been a big beneficiary.
And most food items, for instance, are all in either
in zero percent or five percent. Take something like package parota, roties, japaties.
These are all in either zero percent of five percent.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And what about other household items.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
So a lot of other household items which came under
even twelve percent and eighteen percent are now in five
So let's take ice cream, for instance, which is earlier
eighteen percent is now going to cost you only five
percent tax.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
So the most basic of ice creams.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Take a cup of vanilla, you know, the smallest vanilla cups,
which is like fifty mL, used to be ten or
eleven rupees. Mother Dairy was ten and they've cut it
down to nine rupees now, so that's a ten percent reduction.
Take things like shampoos. Shampoos are now have gone from
eighteen to five percent. Even a you know, slightly premium
item like a Laureal total repair shampoo used to earlier
(07:59):
core two hundred and nineteen rupees that is now thirteen
percent cheaper at one hundred and ninety rupees. This for
two hundred mel bottle a conflicts eleven percent cheaper hair oil,
after shave loceans, toothpastes, these are all eleven to twelve
to thirteen percent cheaper now.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
And so that you know earlier when you gave the
example of panier, you know, two hundred grams of pannier
becoming three rupees cheaper now, That alone does not sound
like a lot, right, But is the idea that all
these reductions together will add up?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Yeah, so exactly, you're completely right here. It won't be wrong.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
But it's perhaps better to look at all these reductions
as a whole.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You obviously, I mean.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
We might at any given point in time might buy
a packet of Pannier on its own, but that's not
what all households function.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You'll go out, you'll buy things for the week. Sometimes,
if you're going to a big supermarket, you might even
buy things for the month. Two cages of rice, two
cages of the maybe three packs of sliced cheese. So
all of this together, and you put all of that
together three percent here, four percent here, slightly more durable
goods like toothpast which might end up lasting a month
or so a couple of months, ten percent there. Washing
(09:06):
machines acs are also good, ten eleven percent cheaper in
some cases.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
All of this put together, it adds up.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And when you look at the fact that inflation that
has come down to three percent, at the same time,
you're getting this additional three to nine to ten percent
discount on items which you would have bought anyways. Put
this all together, it's much larger than just three rupees.
Now there are two things there. You can either afford
to buy more, but when it comes to food items,
there's only so much that you're going to eat. What
(09:34):
you might end up doing with this extra saving is
that you could use this for other things. Uses for
things which you probably didn't earlier. You might end up
saving it. You might cut down on your credit card debt.
You might plan a fancy travel somewhere I know, in
for one month. It might not add up, but normal
people like us, we'll accumulate towards a holiday, let's over
at twelve month period and then finally, you know, for instance,
(09:55):
if you're thinking of going to Bhutan, the additional savings
from this could help us go to Highland.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Who knows, right, and more money in the hands of
people is a good thing because one problem that people
have been facing is that after buying groceries and you know,
making the basic expenditures, they're actually not left with a
lot of money.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, so, which is why the reduction and rates provides
an outlet for savings. Over the last three four years,
it's been every once in a while you'll hear that
household savings have come down. Now, it's important to keep
in mind that this is household savings as a percentage
of GDP, and while that may post pandemic. During the pandemic,
(10:34):
especially on twenty twenty one, there was obviously a drowdown
in savings.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Some people may have lost jobs, some.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
People may have had reduction in salaries, so they use
their savings to fund their expenses, emergency medical expenses, or
just normal lifestyles. Now, with tax rates coming down, with
prices coming down, with income tax rates coming down, you
would expect the people at those levels, especially let's say
seven to twelve to fifteen, lack that bracket to start
(11:01):
perhaps building up their savings. And this is important keeping
in mind that we are living in a time when
uncertainties are very high. Trade policies have affected everyone. I mean,
so building these buffers, which are essentially savings is also important.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
And you know, earlier when there's GSD restructuring was announced,
there were concerns that perhaps businesses won't pass on the
benefits to the consumers. Is that still a concern.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
So what has happened over the last couple of weeks
is that we have seen an incredible advertisement blitz from
a lot of these companies, especially the big names who
have you know, already announced what their prices are going
to be starting September twenty second, and which is why
we know that things are three four, five to eleven
twelve percent cheaper. A lot of them have said that
they will fully pass on the benefit to consumers. Take
(11:51):
cement companies for instance, So the GS and cement has
been reduced from twenty eight to eighteen percent, and they've
all said that we will pass on this benefit to consumers. Now,
cement is extremely important for simple reasons it's used to
build houses. Now, none of us are probably going to
go and buy a fifty kg bag of cement, which
is now fifty to sixty roupiece cheaper. So cement prices
are roughly down nine to twelve percent, depending on the
company you're buying from, the brand you're buying. But use
(12:13):
of cement into in housing, the residential buildings, commercial spaces
and their price coming down is extremely important because construction
has many what economists called forward and backward linkages.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Right, there are a number of people involved in the process, carpenters, electricians,
you know, a lot of them get jobs, and so
it has a multiplier effect exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
So cement is extremely important. Take insurance for instance, insurance
which was earlier eighteen percent which for health and life
for individual policies, is now exempt. So you expect insurance
policies to be now fifteen percent cheaper. I say fifteen
percent and not eighteen percent for the simple reason that
when you remove the tax, it doesn't reduce by that much.
The price isn't reduced by that much. So how do
(12:58):
we ensure that this actually happens. The government has been
very vocal that it wants companies to pass on the
benefit there is. We know a colleague of mind Anchal
has reported that the Finance Ministry is keeping it initially
weekly and then a monthly tab on what prices are
prevailing in the market, and Finance Misty will look at
for the next six months or so whether companies are
(13:21):
passing on or not so And it's finally it's in
company's interest to reduce prices.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Let's take a random segment. Let's take shampoos for instance.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
If one player it has reduced their price by let's
say ten percent for the same damage, they are going
to get more demand. Now, if another player refuses to
reduce the prices in following the tax cut, they are
going to see a fall in demand.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
But there's also a case of optics. You don't want
to be.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Seen as someone who's not passing on this benefit when
government has so clearly and visibly announced that they're cutting
taxes by so much, and you know.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
The other big pitch has been that this will boost
demand and thereby improve the overall state of the economy.
What do economists have to say about this? To what
extent do they think this will actually do that?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
So, as I just mentioned earlier. Inflation has already been
coming down. In August, the Reserve Bank of India actually
reduced its focust for inflation in twenty twenty five twenty
six to three point one percent from three point seven percent,
which is a sizeable decrease. Now economists are predicting that
because of these price cuts, some of which has happened,
(14:30):
more companies will follow suit. You could have CPI inflation
averaging as low as two and a half to two
point six percent this year, which is the lowest since
the Reserve Bank of India adopted this framework ten years
ago in August twenty sixteen. So clearly inflation is going
to be lower now. When inflation is lower, therefore prices
are increasing less quickly as before. You have more disposable income,
(14:54):
so to say, with people that is, they are able
to afford more with the same amount of money, same
amount of income, expect them to buy more Now they
might spread that purchases around a whole variety of things,
even holidays. Finally, you are living in a hotel, for instance,
you are going to travel by either by rail or
by air. All of this put together over a year
(15:15):
could lead to the GDP growth rate of India as
a whole, increasing by anywhere between fifty basis points or
point five percentage points to as much as one hundred
basis points. Let's say if before all these tax cuts,
if the economy was expected to grow by six and
a half percent over the course of a year, growth
might be as highs seven point five percent because of this.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Now, obviously this assumes.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
That prices are cut as much as the taxes have
been cut, so what economists called complete.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Pass through two prices.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
It also assumes that people probably aren't saving as much,
that they'll just consume more given that they have more
to spend. So there is of course a range. And
you also to keep in mind that, like I said,
global uncertainty is high. So if the US has increased
tariff on India to fifty percent starting last month, then
(16:08):
there will be some fallout of that. So you'd expect
these tax cuts to cancel out some of that. So
on the whole, while it might not be as high
as people would have been the case otherwise, but you
still expect growth to be higher by anywhere up to
fifty two hundred basius points over a year. So over
a year is important for a simple reason that these
tax cuts are coming to effect on September twenty second,
(16:29):
which leads only half a year for the current fiscal year,
which is twenty five twenty six, So you might not
see the impact fully this year. The real impact, the
full impact, would be seen in twenty twenty six, twenty seven,
and there's more after that. Because of lower prices, consumption
behaviors patterns change. You might not immediately move to a
higher quality of good this year. You might do it
(16:51):
next year when you are more attuned to price change,
what the prices are where you're more willing to spend
next year. So you might end up seeing consumption behaviors
change and finally take shape over a period of time
as much as maybe one and a half two years.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Next.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
We look at a controversy that raised serious concerns around
the legitimacy of Indian elections and public confidence in the
Election Commission. Last week, in a press conference, the leader
of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, leveled fresh allegations against the
Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Ghanesh Kumar, accusing them of
shielding vote thieves and undermining democracy.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Alan this constituency in Karnataka eighteen votes. Somebody tried to
delete six eighteen votes. We don't know the total number
of votes that were deleted in Land in the twenty
three election. They're much higher than six eighteen. But somebody
(18:02):
deleting six eighteen votes and it was caught, like most crimes,
by a coincidence.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Now, he alleged systematic voted delations in a Karnataka Assembly
constituency and even produced witnesses to back his claim. At
the heart of the allegation is that names allegedly of
Congress supporters and people from disadvantage communities were removed from
the roles through technology driven processes. But what's worth noting
is that Gandhi's press conference left unclear exactly how these
(18:33):
deletions took place, which is why the issue now demands
close or scrutiny. So what do these accusations mean for
the Election Commission's credibility and for India's political narrative ahead
of the elections. To unpack this, our colleague Shamik shah
Mishra spoke to Nija Chaudhry, contributing editor to The Indian Express,
and she began by talking about the allegations themselves.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Look, it's noted in the past. This did not happen.
Speaker 7 (18:59):
This has happened in the past, and it was also
very strident, very all out. Rahul Gandhi's grandmother lost her
election petition in nineteen seventy five when the Alabad High
Court disqualified her for electoral malpractices, and instead of stepping down,
she went in for an emergency and then two and
(19:20):
a half years later she lost that election. Such was
the strength of the public opinion that had built up
against her.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
So it's not as if it has not happened in
the past.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
Of course, it has happened in the past, but it
has never been so sharp, so strident in tone, and
there seems to be no restraint in language at all.
You can say the same thing in a different way
and parliamentary discourst you don't. Normally, at least in the past,
(19:49):
people didn't use all out charges. Now, Rahul gand they
may have evidence, but to use language like safeguarding the
ec safeguarding the mud of democracy now you have to
come out with much more evidence. At the moment, I
don't fully understand how the voters can be deleted from
the voter's list is it using what he was alluding to,
(20:13):
using some kind of technology and software and this can
be done online and he set six thousand plus voters
were deleted. They were obviously supporters of the Congress Party
and also belonging to the lower cast, etceter.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Now he's produced some witnesses.
Speaker 7 (20:30):
Certainly, I would say it could have been handled differently,
because you know, why should it be handled differently? Why
shouldn't we have the right to say things very openly.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
Baldly attack the other side. If this is the truth,
you would say that, but till it becomes the truth.
And because what is at stake.
Speaker 7 (20:47):
Is the legitimacy of the whole electoral process in India.
Nothing is more precious to our democracy than that the
legitimacy of election. So you cannot take this lightly at all.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
We are making charges without enough proof.
Speaker 7 (21:02):
Or equally, what the Election Commission is also doing is
very strange.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Nija says that this is where the Commission's handling comes
under scrutiny. According to her, a simple confidence building step
would have been to invite the opposition leader and his
team for a detailed meeting. Instead, by responding through social
media posts, the Commission risks appearing partisan.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Because the other side, the LP, should not have even
an iota doubt about the veracity of elections. So I
think both sides has been very disappointing in the way
they've handled this. I don't know what the truth is
about ravel Dundy's charge, and I would say certainly that
it needs to be looked into.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
This is what the Election Commission is supposed to do.
Speaker 7 (21:47):
It is to dispel any doubts, you know, as I
keep saying, Caesar's wife must be above suspicion in a democracy,
but seem to be above suspission also.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Now politically, Nija says, the opposition strategy seems to be
to keep the issue simmary. After a voter rights yatra
that drew public attention, Gandhi's team has signaled that it
will return to the theme repeatedly, though this approach is
not uniform across the opposition.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
You know, it's very interesting that Dejesviata, whom undertook that
yatra with Raandhi in Bihar, has started another yatra that
is on Bihar Yatra the Rights of Bihar, and he's
going to go through five districts and he has not
made voter schory an issue. He's talking about livelihoods, economic distress, prices,
(22:41):
rampant corruption in Nishkumar's government, but he's not referred so
far to this vote schory. Now, to my mind, the
question comes, is this an acknowledgment that this issue is
not having the kind of traction that they'd vope for,
or because it's having less traction because the adhar kad
is now being into accepted is one of the documents
(23:02):
for voter getting on the water rolls or being on
the voter rolls. So I don't have a field for
this answer, you know, is it an issue or is
it not? How much of an issue it is? But
the timing of it is also very interesting. The Bihariatra
was undertaking keeping in mind the elections in Bihar a couple.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Of months round the line.
Speaker 7 (23:23):
But today Rahul Nandhi brings the charge.
Speaker 6 (23:26):
Of votchori again. But it's not doesn't relate to Bihar.
Speaker 7 (23:29):
He's talking about an assembly constituency in Karnatak in twenty
twenty three.
Speaker 6 (23:33):
Citistically, I don't know, you know, does it make sense?
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (23:37):
So will that agitate the voter in behave what happened
in one of the assembly constituencies in Karnata. Or will
the point that this has been happening Because this has
happened here, it has been happening in other states also,
So it's a widespread malage which needs to be look at.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Now when it comes to the ruling party. They quickly
pushed back. At a press conference, senior BJ leader Taker
described Gandhi's stance as infiltrators first politics.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
The BJP is going on its own agenda. The issue
is going to flag in Bihar. This is infiltrated. The
Prime Minister also spoke about it, and they're going to
have a mission, you know. The Prime Minister spoke about
that at his Independence Day speech. Abound illegal migrants that
have come into the country, and illegal migrants must be
(24:28):
sent out some way has too. Nobody's making a case
for keeping illegal migrants in. But under the garb of
illegal migrants, you cannot say other Bengalies must be sent out,
which has happened in some parts and that has been
a cause of concern to many people. So I'm not
Raktaku saying that Lawi Gandhi is pursuing his prop infiltrators
(24:49):
policy that the Congress this is the line the JP
is taking. And also that you know they're playing cast politics.
Now it could be true that the name is deleted
when it largely belongs to those of their you know,
whether it's a Dalit community, the Muslim community, or the
OBCs or the EBC's and and he's certainly making a
(25:10):
pitch for the support of these communities when he's talked
about the cost central So it's very much part of
his politics. It's very much part of the politics of
the JP to go against send filtrators and to paint
the Congress as a party that favors infiltratives.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
So that is what it takes.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
But I feel that, as I said in the beginning,
sium sim sium restraint in language, the same thing can
be said sharply, smartly without being so ugly and personal.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
And besides this, Nieza says that there's also an institutional dimension.
The opposition has long claimed that agencies like the ed
CBI and income tacts are used for partisan purposes, and
the current controversy extends that allegation to the Election Commission itself.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
Look, this is a char that is made that this
is again a cause for concern the manner in which
the EDCBI income tax and now the Election Commission, as
the opposition has charged the government of being may being
used for parties and reasons, for political reasons and to
(26:18):
get at those who are opponents, rather than for cleansing
the system. These agencies were not used in the past,
but they have certainly been used much more under this
government and this is something that they have to worry
about and think about.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
And in the end we talk about the Supreme Court's
intervention in the continuing scrutiny of the m the Bad
Air in their crash. Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued notice
regarding a police seeking an independent investigation into the twelfth
of June crash of an Air India Boeing seventy eight
to seven Dreamliner in m the Bad which killed two
hundred and sixty people. The plea was filed by Safety
(27:02):
Matter Foundation and Aviation Safety NGO, which raised concerns over
the handling of the probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
According to a report by the Uni Expresses, Anantha Krishnan
g a bench of Justices Surikanth and ENK. Singh said
it was unfortunate that media reports had suggested pilot error
(27:22):
as the cause of the crash. When citing the preliminary
findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau or AIB, the
court decided the Center, the Director General of AAIB, and
the Director General of Civil Aviation respond to the plea.
It limited its direction to ensuring a free, fair, impartial,
independent and expeditious investigation by an expert body. Advocate Prashant Bhushan,
(27:48):
representing the NGO, sought disclosure of the flight.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Data recorder details.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
The bench, however, declined to make the data public, stressing
that confidentiality must be maintained until the regular inquiry concludes. Meanwhile,
the angio's petition argued that AIB's preliminary report was incomplete, selective,
and lack transparency. It claimed that the report did not
comply with the two twenty five of the Aircraft Investigation
(28:13):
of Accidents and Incidents Rules of twenty seventeen, which requires
dissemination of all available data during early stages of investigation. Instead,
the report allegedly provided paraphrase references to cockpit voice recordings
without timestamps, transcripts, or supporting context. Another Christian further reports that,
according to the petition, this selective disclosure shaped a misleading
(28:37):
perception that pilot error was solely responsible, while potentially absolving
the airline and manufacturer. The PLA also alleged that releasing
unverified extracts of the cockpit voice recording titled public Opinion
in the favor of the operator and manufacturer, contrary to
principles of impartiality and accountability. You were listening to Three
(29:01):
Things by the Indian Express. Today's show was edited and
mixed by Sish Bravar and produced by Shishang Hahgov and
me Ichasharma. If you like the show, do subscribe to
us wherever you get your podcast. You can also recommend
it to someone you think may like it, with a
friend or in your family. This is the best way
for people to get to know about us. You can
also tweet us at Express podcast or write to us
(29:24):
at podcast at Indian Express dot com.
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