Best of BS Opinion: Trump's India visit, SC blow on AGR dues, and more

From Trump's first India visit after Senate acquittal to SC blow on AGR dues, here are the opinion pieces of the day.

Policy flip flops have reduced the once vibrant telecom sector to crisis point, and the Supreme Court’s decision to reject telecom companies’ petitions seeking an extended duration to pay hefty dues linked to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) is another example of judicial fixation on form over substance. Now is the time for the top political leadership to back the Department of Telecom to get the financially stressed telecom sector back on track, says the top edit here.  Elsewhere on the opinion pages, columnists assess the government and central bank’s efforts to kick-start the economy. Kanika Datta sums up the views  

India’s economy has grown beyond the stage where it needs a ma-baap sarkar. The Central and State Governments must now step back from direct engagement in the economy and focus on what  they need to do to correct market distortions, says Nitin Desai. Read it here...

The Reserve Bank of India’s long-term repo operations (LTROs) will probably boost the value of speculative, not productive assets and curb consumption by lowering interest income rather than spurring credit growth. Debashis Basu explains why here...

Tamal Bandyopadhyay says despite some improvements, the public sector banks are not out of the woods yet, not least because impending mergers reduce visibility on future performance. Read it here...

With direct tax arrears accounting for nearly half the government’s gross tax collections, the big challenge is to prevent fresh disputes. A K Bhattacharya assesses the current regime’s ability to do so. Read it here...

The US president visits India at a uniquely opportune moment, says the second edit, explaining what’s at stake for both countries in the upcoming talks. Read it here...

“I want to work by taking everyone along. We forgive our opponents for whatever remarks they made during the poll campaign. The election is over,” Arvind Kejriwal at his oath-taking ceremony at Delhi’s Ram Lila Maidan.