Table of Contents
The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
Shah says all illegal immigrants will be sent back
- Amit Shah said the NDA government will “find them, remove their names, and send them back” while speaking in a heated Lok Sabha discussion on electoral reforms. The debate became tense and finally the Opposition members walked out after strong disagreements.
- The whole debate was focused on electoral reforms, mainly the Special Intensive Revision announced by the Election Commission in June. This revision became a big point of argument between the government and the Opposition.
- Shah used his speech to reply to Rahul Gandhi’s questions, which were about voter list changes, how the Election Commission works, and doubts about fairness in elections.
- He accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading wrong statements about “vote theft” and said some political families have been “stealing votes for generations.” He claimed they were confusing people on purpose about the voting system.
- Shah said the Opposition was against the Special Intensive Revision because, according to him, they wanted the names of illegal immigrants to stay in the voter lists for their political benefit.
- When Shah talked about the Election Commission’s clarification about alleged wrongdoing in Haryana elections, Rahul Gandhi challenged him to an open public debate and demanded clear answers.
- Rahul Gandhi again asked why the new 2023 law gives prosecution protection to Election Commissioners. He said this rule needs proper accountability and a clear explanation from the government.
- Shah said he would answer all the questions but not in the order Gandhi demanded, saying he would reply in his own way. This created visible tension in the House.
- Rahul Gandhi replied that the Home Minister looked nervous and defensive. After the walkout, he again said that Shah ignored all his questions and did not answer anything properly.
- Inside the House, Shah stayed calm and said real vote theft happens when the people’s mandate is disrespected, not when the government tries to clean the voter lists.
- The argument got heated when Shah said the Opposition wanted to keep foreign infiltrators in the voter list, which he claimed was dangerous for national security and harmed genuine voters.
- After the Opposition left the House, Shah said that even if they walked out two hundred times, the government would still remove every infiltrator from voter lists through legal and constitutional steps.
- Shah said the NDA government’s motto is “detect, delete and deport,” and he said these three words in English to show the seriousness of the plan.
- He accused the Opposition of trying to normalise illegal immigrants by protecting their names in voter lists, calling it a politically motivated misuse of the election system.
- Shah said the Opposition had been spreading false statements about the Special Intensive Revision for months, even though the Election Commission has a constitutional responsibility to make clean and transparent voter lists.
- He reminded the House that the first Special Intensive Revision happened in 1952 during Jawaharlal Nehru’s time, and no party opposed these revisions before recent years.
- Shah said the Opposition praises the Election Commission only when they win but complains when they lose, showing double standards.
- He listed elections the BJP has lost since 2014, saying they lost more than they won but never blamed the Election Commission, unlike the Opposition parties.
- Shah said if voter lists are wrong, then the Opposition should explain how they took oath after winning using the same voter lists they now call fake.
- Amit Shah said the Special Intensive Revision is important because voter lists should not include foreigners, duplicate names, or the names of people who are no longer alive. Correcting these lists will affect some political parties more.
- Shah asked how any country can stay safe if infiltrators decide the Prime Minister or Chief Minister, or if outdated voter lists allow one person to vote many times.
- He said a country must decide whether foreigners should influence who forms the government, and he stressed that clean voter lists protect democracy.
- Speaking about Election Commissioner appointments, Shah said for seventy-three years there was no proper law, and former Prime Ministers directly selected Election Commissioners without any balanced panel.
- He said the 2023 law was made after the Supreme Court said the process must be more transparent. Now the Opposition gets at least one-third representation in the selection panel.
- Shah added that earlier the Opposition had no role at all in choosing Election Commissioners, so this new rule actually increases their participation.
Bilaspur Train Accident: Report Says Loco Pilot Was ‘Unfit’
- The report said the pilot of the commuter train involved in the deadly Chhattisgarh accident was not suitable for duty because he did not even know the basic safety rules.
- The MEMU train crossed a red signal at high speed on November 4 and hit a parked goods train, causing twelve deaths including the pilot, and injuring nineteen passengers.
- Railway Safety Commissioner Brijesh Kumar Mishra investigated the accident in the Bilaspur Division and found that the pilot did not have the necessary qualities to safely run a MEMU train.
- The Commissioner concluded that the pilot lacked proper rule knowledge and could not take the right decisions at the right time, making him unsafe for MEMU operations.
- The report to the Railway Board said the pilot had already failed an aptitude test on June 9, showing earlier signs that he was not suitable for such work.
- During performance grading on November 22 last year, he got only two out of seven marks in safety knowledge, showing very poor understanding of essential rules.
- The pilot made two calls to the Chief Loco Inspector during the train journey, asking about small operational issues that a trained pilot should already know.
- The report said these issues were simple routine matters usually handled by pilots themselves, which showed his lack of confidence and poor technical understanding.
- The Commissioner explained that when the signal is yellow, the pilot must slow down to the allowed speed and prepare to stop at the next signal.
- The next signal was red, but the pilot did not stop and continued driving, clearly breaking rules and directly causing the tragic collision.
- The assistant loco pilot should have immediately applied emergency brakes if the train was going too fast or if there was a risk of crossing a red signal, but he did nothing.
- The chain of events showed that neither the pilot nor the assistant pilot took correct action after passing the caution signal.
- The Commissioner also found that the train manager had very poor knowledge, even though he had a competency certificate for automatic signal territory dated November 1, 2025.
- The report said the certificate seemed to be issued without properly checking whether the train manager actually understood the rules needed for safe operations in such areas.
DGCA to place nine officials at IndiGo headquarters in enforcement move
- The DGCA launched a strict action against IndiGo and sent nine officials to its Gurugram headquarters to closely check fleet condition, pilot schedules, network planning, and crew operations.
- The regulator called IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers for a meeting to explain the flight disruptions that started in early December because of poor planning for pilot rest rules.
- Elbers will be questioned about steps taken to restart cancelled flights, hiring of pilots and cabin crew, handling refunds, returning baggage, and other passenger-related problems.
- Two DGCA officials will keep track of refund progress, passenger compensation, and all data about delays or cancellations, especially because IndiGo has not shared detailed compensation numbers publicly.
- DGCA rules say passengers must receive ₹10,000 compensation for flights cancelled within two hours and ₹20,000 for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage, and the officials will ensure these rules are followed.
- Officials will also check airports in the coming days and prepare a detailed report on IndiGo’s flight operations and how passengers are being managed.
- This action came after a meeting held by the Prime Minister’s Office with aviation authorities, where IndiGo reported ₹1,158 crore in refunds and the government set up a four-member committee.
- DGCA also issued notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras as part of the probe into the operational disruptions.
- After heavy criticism on social media about the airline’s management, IndiGo released a video message from chairman Vikram Singh Mehta replying to the allegations.
- He said the claims that IndiGo purposely caused the disruption or tried to avoid mandatory rules about pilot duty hours and rest requirements were false.
Important Questions
- Why did Amit Shah say the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists was necessary during the Lok Sabha debate?
- What reason did Rahul Gandhi give for questioning the 2023 law that provides immunity from prosecution to Election Commissioners?
- Why did Railway Safety Commissioner Brijesh Kumar Mishra conclude that the loco pilot lacked the necessary qualities for operating a MEMU train?
- How did the MEMU train crossing a red signal after a yellow caution signal directly lead to the tragic collision with the stationary goods train on November 4?
- Why did DGCA place nine officials at IndiGo’s Gurugram headquarters to monitor fleet status, pilot rosters, and network planning?
- What information did DGCA demand from IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers regarding the operational disruptions and cancelled flights?
Important Vocabulary
- Generational – something happening through many generations or families.
- Clarification – an explanation given to make something clear.
- Constitutional – allowed or guided by the Constitution.
- Legitimacy – the quality of being lawful, real, or valid.
- Aptitude – natural ability to learn or perform tasks.
- Competency – the required skill or knowledge to do a job.
- Territory – a specific area under control or rules.
- Operational – related to the functioning or running of a system.
- Summoned – officially called someone to appear.
- Compensation – money given for loss, damage, or trouble.
- Disruptions – problems that stop normal functioning.
- Investigation – a formal check to find facts about an issue.
Download Online Mock Test Mobile APP
3
