Best of BS Opinion: Trade barriers, bulldozers, and Indian boardrooms

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

The world seems to be moving in reverse, just like switching from a smartphone back to a landline. Progress isn’t just stalling — it appears to be rewinding. One moment, we’re celebrating open markets and seamless global trade, and the next, we’re slapped with tariffs straight out of an isolationist playbook. Technology and governance were supposed to evolve, but instead, we find ourselves defending fundamental rights and re-examining mistakes we thought we’d long outgrown. It’s a strange feeling, watching history replay itself—only with fewer excuses this time around. Let’s dive in. 

Donald Trump’s latest move on April 2, framed as "Liberation Day," is anything but liberating for global trade. The US has imposed a 10 per cent blanket tariff, with European goods taxed at 20 per cent, Indian imports at 27 per cent. This aggressive economic nationalism might shrink the trade deficit on paper, but in reality, it’s more like jamming a wrench into a well-oiled machine. India must accelerate deals with the EU and UK and reconsider its own trade barriers before it's boxed into a corner, argues our first editorial. 

 

Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, a Supreme Court ruling reminds us that justice should be a dial tone we can rely on. The SC ruled that the Prayagraj Development Authority’s 2021 demolition of six homes was “inhumane and illegal.” Our second editorial notes that bulldozer justice has become the norm in several states, and unless lower courts uphold this precedent, the ruling risks becoming just another warning label that no one reads. 

Laveesh Bhandari writes that Trump’s tariffs, though disruptive, present India with an opportunity to strategically lower its own. Historically seen as a protectionist outlier, India should leverage trade policies like PLI and explore a US-India free trade deal, carving a long-term competitive position independent of Washington’s mood swings. 

Even corporate boardrooms are not immune to regression. Rama Bijapurkar and Vinita Bali argue that Indian boardrooms need to clarify their role—supervision, not participation. Instead of providing strategic direction, many act like backseat drivers, muddying decisions instead of ensuring accountability, a problem better-governed Western boards have largely resolved. Role clarity isn’t just about governance—it’s about survival. 

And then there’s history—another kind of signal we often fail to receive. Amritesh Mukherjee reviews Spies, Lies and Allies: The Extraordinary Lives of Chatto and Roy by Kavitha Rao, a piercing look at two revolutionaries whose global ambitions ultimately left them erased from India’s nationalist narrative. If today’s climate of rigidity feels familiar, perhaps it’s because we’ve cut the line to stories that don’t fit the official narrative. 

Stay tuned, and remember, the world seems to be picking up old habits but do we accept this regression, or do we insist on moving forward?