With reference to “How do great institutions come into being?”(January 24), not so long ago two vital institutions, the CBI and the RBI, were n the news. In the case of institutions their duties and jurisdiction of powers should be clearly spelt out and decided by Parliament. In case of any differences with the heads of institutions, the government should have the last word. But it should not intervene in their routine functioning. It is vital for the government and institutions to work in sync with each other.

Coimbatore

Priyanka Gandhi’s full-fledged entry into active politics has sent a ripple of excitement through the country. It lends more colour to the already colourful kaleidoscope of Indian politics. It could force a rethink on the part of BSP and SP to accommodate Congress into their alliance to avoid a triangular contest.

Priyanka certainly has the X factor that all great leaders have. She is sure to make it in the rough and tumble of politics. She is said to have the political instincts of her grandmother Indira Gandhi. Priyanka is sure to make a difference to the Congress’ fortunes.

Her mass appeal is such that it will be counterproductive for the BJP to mount a scathing personal attack on her and drag her husband into the game of politics.

Fighting Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath in eastern UP is a difficult task. It is like bearding the lion in his den. Yet Priyanka Gandhi is widely seen as a leader capable of pulling it off. No wonder she is seen as the ‘brahmastra’ unleashed by the Congress to queer the pitch for Modi. However, recapturing the pre-eminence enjoyed by the Congress is going to be a long haul, if it takes place at all, given the rise and relevance of regional and social justice parties over the decades.

Maruthancode (TN)

With reference to ‘Congress hands over UP-East to Priyanka’ (January 24), her political debut could not have come at a better time. Besides Rahul Gandhi’s appointment of Jyotiraditya Scindia as head of UP-West could also be a game changer. In fact, Priyanka Gandhi’s wider ‘acceptability’ within this party may culminate in reaping some rich political harvest at the ballot boxes with both the BSP and SP having conveniently sidelined Rahul Gandhi.

But since UP, with 80 Lok Sabha seats, always holds the key to the formation of the government at the Centre, one pre-supposes that the Congress party must have done its home work quite well. Time will tell whether Priyanka’s charisma would reap dividends for the Congress Party in UP and Bihar.

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New Delhi

China’s economic indicators such as industrial output and the Purchasing Managers’ Index have dropped to record low levels. A Renmin University professor even estimates that China’s GDP growth for 2018 should be about 1.67 per cent, and not the official figure of 6.5 per cent.

Trump’s aggressive tariff war has exposed the systemic weaknesses in China’s economy . That said, Chinese companies, for sometime now, have been innovating and are more resilient requiring far less protection.

The acid test is to reform the financial sector. Much like giant financial institutions in US that have graduated into “the too-big-to-fail” class, China too has acquired that halo.

China’s economy driven by an energetic leadership can be counted on to reassert its dominance .

Navi Mumbai

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