Best of BS Opinion: Trump, CSR, and the machinery of Indian democracy

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

There’s a quiet joy in tearing into a fresh croissant. The flaky shell gives way to soft, buttery folds within. Each layer is distinct, yet part of one creation. Life’s big stories often feel the same. It has separate textures and flavours, each revealing something new as you peel further in. Today’s writeups are a croissant of their own, with layers of law, geopolitics, economics, corporate conscience, and the mechanics of democracy, all shaped by heat and pressure. Let’s dive in. 

The first crisp fold is legislative reform. The government’s Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, its seventh such tweak, has been laid before the Lok Sabha and sent to a select committee. On paper, it promises faster resolutions (150 days instead of 602), group insolvency for tangled corporate webs, and a framework for cross-border cases. Yet, without more judges and resources at the National Company Law Tribunal, cautions our first editorial, these timelines may remain as aspirational as the perfect pastry rise. 

Peeling deeper, we find the darker layer of South Asian geopolitics. Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir has made his second US visit in as many months, raising eyebrows with feckless threats about his nuclear policy. His confidence, boosted by military operations and warm words from Washington, could lead to risky missteps with India. Our second editorial highlights that India’s restraint, vigilance, and fixing our own security lapses are the butter that will help South Asia rise, instead of collapsing into a charred blob. 

Then comes the chewy centre of trade policy. M Govinda Rao writes that Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff blitz on key Indian export items exposes the weakness of India’s protectionist turn since 2017. Shielding uncompetitive sectors won’t do. Rao calls instead for liberalised trade, more FDI, and an agricultural leap akin to a second Green Revolution. Productivity, he argues, is the yeast for lasting prosperity. 

Meanwhile, Kanika Datta slices into corporate social responsibility (CSR), a decade after India made it mandatory. The FY24 spend of roughly Rs 17,967 crore is impressive but unevenly spread, favouring richer states and PR-friendly causes.. Without course correction, CSR risks becoming a glossy outer layer with little depth beneath. 

And finally, Aditi Phadnis reviews SY Quraishi’s An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, an unflinching look at the Indian election machine. From trekking to a single remote voter to battling AI-fuelled propaganda, it’s a reminder that democracy, like a croissant, demands constant, careful watching. 

Stay tuned!