Best of BS Opinion: Trump's tariffs, data dreams, and gender gaps

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

You know that moment when you unwrap a sandwich that looks gourmet — artisan bread, eco-friendly paper, maybe even a sprig of parsley tucked in? You’ve seen it — neatly sealed and Instagrammably labelled. But then you bite in and realise it’s mostly dry lettuce, no sauce, and the protein promised on the label is barely there. The wrapping was louder than the taste. Today’s stories talk about similar stuff, plenty of sheen, not enough stuffing. Let’s dive in. 

The first editorial today unwraps Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on tariffs — a moment that sent markets soaring. The S&P 500 rose 9.5 per cent, and investors dared to hope. But lift the lid and it’s the same old sandwich: base tariffs remain, Chinese imports face a punishing 125 per cent rate, and nothing has shifted at the core of US trade policy. India might negotiate better terms, sure, but the lingering aftertaste is unmistakable. 

Closer home, our second editorial looks at India’s Women and Men 2024 report. The wrapper is impressive: female labour force participation has surged to 41.7 per cent, wages are rising, bank ownership is nearing parity. But the filling remains unchanged. Women still do 10 times more unpaid housework, political representation is paltry, and freedom is restricted by invisible norms. It’s a story we’ve unwrapped before, only to find the promise spread too thin. 

Then there’s TT Ram Mohan’s column which goes past the decorative toothpick to expose the structure underneath. Trump’s tariffs, he argues, aren’t seasoning — they’re the main ingredient. With backing from economists like Arthur Laffer, Trump sees himself not as a disrupter but a restorer. Forget the free trade gloss. From steel to semiconductors, this is industrial policy reheated from past empires. What looks like impulsive protectionism is actually calculated layering. 

Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar lifts the foil on India’s data economy. We generate 20 per cent of global data but host under 2 per cent of the world’s data centre capacity. The headlines sell a trillion-dollar future, but the infrastructure’s barely buttered. Unless we act fast, we risk biting into ambition that’s all crust and no core. 

And in Rup Narayan Das’s review of K V Prasad’s Indian Parliament Shaping Foreign Policy, we get a scholarly take on how lawmakers have tried to influence India’s global stance. But there are chunks missing — like the constitutional reality that the Parliament can debate but not ratify treaties. The book offers flavour, but doesn’t quite satisfy. 

Stay tuned, and remember, it’s not about the packaging. It’s about whether the bite fills you!