Crowds of migrant workers in Mumbai defying the extended lockdown and demanding transport home belied Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-congratulatory speech on managing the Covid-19 pandemic. Those disturbing visuals when added to those showing families making the long treks back to their villages and reports of police brutality urgently call for a reorientation of political leadership and the future of economic reform. What shape should these policies take? Opinion writers offer their suggestions. Kanika Datta sums up the views.
Parthasarathi Shome suggests that the time has come to set economic growth aside and focus on redistributive programmes. He offers a template