DailyBrief: Why is the US lecturing India on Arvind Kejriwal's arrest? And, toll booths to be replaced with satellite-based toll systems
Arvind Kejriwal's arrest has led to a minor diplomatic standoff with the US. Meanwhile, Nitin Gadkari has stated that India will replace toll booths with a new satellite based toll system.
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Market Watch
Indian benchmark indices ended the day in the green, with the Sensex up 655.04 points at 73,651.35, and the Nifty up 203.20 points at 22,326.90.
Barring Nifty Media, all sectoral indices ended the day in the green, with Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Healthcare making the biggest gains.
Why is the US interested in Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest?
It all started with reports that the US joined Germany in calling for a “fair, transparent, and timely legal process” for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest, echoing concerns over judicial proceedings.
The context: The statement by a spokesperson for the US State Department was in response to an emailed query regarding India summoning a German envoy after they made a similar statement earlier.
The details: After the report on the US echoing similar sentiments, India issued a strong response, saying democratic states should uphold respect for sovereignty and internal affairs to prevent the establishment of unhealthy precedents.
In response, the US State Department reiterated its stance on encouraging “fair, transparent, and timely legal processes.”
Why this matters: The irony of the US lecturing another country on alleged persecution of political opponents is not lost on anyone. The US weaponized its judicial system to corner former President Trump. He faces 91 felonies across state and federal jurisdictions. A sentence or an implication in any case could jeopardise his run for presidency. He still remains more popular than Biden in most opinion polls in the country.
Yes, but: The timing of the activism by India’s central agencies is equally suspect. For context, in 2024 alone, central agencies have gone after:
former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (Jan 31), who was arrested in the Cash-for-Land scam under the PMLA;
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (March 21), who was arrested in the Delhi Liquor Scam;
the Congress' bank accounts (March 21), which were frozen by the Income Tax Department;
Kerala CM Vijayan's daughter (March 27), who now faces a money laundering probe;
Mahua Moitra (March 27) who now faces an ED summons in the cash-for-query scam, and a CBI FIR;
With the Lok Sabha polls just around the corner, the timing of these actions and arrests raise questions about the ruling party’s control on the agencies as well as their intentions.
The bottom line: While it is clearly established that there is a questionable coincidence in the timings of these actions, India does not need the US to lecture it on democracy at the moment, especially given their own underhanded tactics in stifling former President Trump’s electoral chances.
Clip du jour
This video showing abhorrent behaviour by an ANI journalist physically and verbally abusing a PTI reporter. ANI has now countered saying the PTI reporter started the fight.
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No more toll booths? Here’s what Nitin Gadkari said
India's Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a move towards a satellite-based toll collection system. The new toll system will be GPS-based and will automatically deduct money from the user's bank account based on the distance travelled on the highway, aiming to save time and money.
The National Highways Authority of India aims to implement this system by March 2024.
The new system will feature automatic number plate recognition, replacing the current FASTag-based system and substantially reducing congestion at toll plazas.
Yes, but: Tamil Nadu truck owners expressed concerns over the new system potentially leading to higher toll charges. However, Gadkari said that the savings made in time, and fuel spent at toll plazas will easily make up for any potential increase in charges.
Between the lines: Several countries already have satellite-based toll systems. Germany, Slovakia and Austria use this system for trucks.
Belgium, Hungary, Czechia (The Czech Republic), Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Russia and a few states in the US also use this system for all toll purposes, and not just for trucks.
The toll calculation varies from country to country with some using a time-based usage charge and others using distance as a measure.
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