Iran to Udupi, a Running Thread: Let Women Choose
Writer and historian Rakhshanda Jalil, in her column for The Indian Express, compares Karnataka's attempts to impose restrictions on the hijab for Muslim women with Iran's brutality in enforcing the opposite. Both are, she argues, cases of "men telling women what they can, or cannot, wear."
"What we have unfolding before our eyes are two scenarios: In Karnataka, a ‘reformist’ or ‘secular’ impulse of a ‘progressive’ state bent upon removing the outward symbols of backwardness from an already beleaguered minority that finds itself pushed into a corner by vigilante mobs. And in Iran, an Islamic republic, bolstered by the might of state apparatus, bent upon enforcing what it considers its version of righteous conduct, especially on women, with all the brutality and power at its command. The impulse behind both is men controlling women."Rakhshanda Jalil for the Indian Express
Post Abe, the Contours of India-Japan Relations
Dhruva Jaishankar, son of India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, writes in the Hindustan Times about how the late Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, made relations with India his topmost priority within foreign policy. He compares Abe to Japan’s current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and how the latter has a different approach to international diplomacy, such as prioritizing better relations with China.
"Japan's relations with India are currently healthy but, in some respects, the proverbial glass appears only half full. On the economic front, trade between India and Japan has grown and diversified, the currency swap has proved effective, and Japanese investment is flowing to India both directly and through intermediaries such as Singapore and London. Newer aspects of economic engagement have also emerged, which is encouraging. These include green technology and the establishment of Japanese research centres in India. At the same time, Japanese technology transfers have become more restrictive. This is motivated primarily by concerns about intellectual property theft and reverse engineering in China, but also potentially affects emerging partner countries such as India. Rather than diversifying to other foreign markets from mainland China, many Japanese companies have opted for reshoring back to Japan."Dhruva Jaishankar for the Hindustan Times
Shared Darkness
The renowned historian, Ramachandra Guha, in his column for The Telegraph, takes us back in time in order to "invoke a little-noticed parallel" between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. He goes on to explain in detail why, despite the latter's incompetent governance, his party, the CPI(M), kept winning elections in the state.
"It seems to me that Narendra Modi and the BJP are emulating at the national level what Jyoti Basu and the CPI(M) had previously done in West Bengal. The Left Front, of which the CPI(M) is the principal constituent, was in power in West Bengal for thirty-four years. Jyoti Basu was chief minister of West Bengal for twenty-three of those years. And not a particularly effective chief minister either. Like Modi’s BJP in India, Basu’s CPI(M) in West Bengal was both brilliant at winning elections and incompetent at governance."Ramachandra Guha for The Telegraph
The Leader and the President
Admitting that the party machinery needs to be fixed urgently, Congress Party leader P Chidambaram argues in his column for The Indian Express that the "unusual, almost obtrusive" interest in the upcoming internal elections is proof of the Congress Party's relevance in Indian politics. He differentiates the role of the party leader from the party president, and with historical examples, explains why both are important.
"In a large political party of a large country, the arrangement makes eminent sense. The Leader's task is to provide leadership to the people, share a vision with them, and inspire them to vote for the party. The President’s main function is to fix the nuts and bolts of the organization, keep it in good repair and make it a fighting-fit election machine. The two tasks are complementary. If a party finds one person to perform both tasks, that party is lucky; if it divides the duties between two individuals, that party is practical and wise."P Chidambaram for The Indian Express
Can Congress Ensure Free and Fair Polls?
While appreciating the internal elections of the Congress Party, veteran journalist Karan Thapar, in his opinion piece for the Hindustan Times, questions whether it would be fulfilling the requirements of its own constitution or circumventing them. He argues that while an applaudable election may occur, it can't be fully free and fair unless the electoral college has been chosen in line with the rules of the party's constitution.
"Since AICC elects members of the critical working committee, let me give you details. Article XIII A(a) says, among other categories of members, AICC shall consist of 'One-eighth of the number of the PCC members elected by them from amongst themselves by proportional representation according to the system of single transferable vote.' If that doesn't happen and, instead, AICC members are nominated by the incoming president, then the body that elects 12 members of the working committee could be deemed to be rigged. A free and fair election to choose the Congress president may be held, but the electoral college has not been properly chosen. Equally importantly, the body that will choose the CWC is nominated and not, as required, elected. So, a process that should have concluded with the internal democratisation of the party could fall woefully short. It may be more than what other parties have done, but it’s a lot less than what the Congress’s constitution requires."Karan Thapar for the Hindustan Times
All Fanatics are Dangerous
In her weekly piece for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh, after making it clear at the very beginning that she detests fanatics (particularly violent fanatics), expresses her pleasure regarding the recent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI). She insists that PFI operatives are "guilty of murdering people they consider enemies of their violent, fanatical interpretation of Islam," and then goes on to write about the rise of political Islam in India.
"Hindutva fanatics are as despicable as Jihadi fanatics, but it is wrong to say that it is because Hindu fanatics tore down the Babri Masjid that we have seen the rise of political Islam. Having covered events in the Kashmir Valley for more than 40 years, I can report that radical Islamists started spreading poison in Kashmir before the Babri Masjid was torn down. I was witness to cinemas, bars and liquors shops being closed in Srinagar by jihadists who threw acid on unveiled women. The violent jihadists who participated in the 9/11 attacks and spread terrorism across Europe had nothing to do with India, but it is their influence that has changed the nature of the much gentler Indian Islam we once knew."Tavleen Singh for the Indian Express
Leicester Calling
In his article for The Telegraph, columnist Mukul Kesavan writes that the similar responses of the Pakistani and Indian high commissions to the recent communal violence in Leicester prove that the Indian state under the BJP does not care about being "neutral in matters of faith." While the world expects the "Pakistani State to view violence of this sort through anything but a communal lens," he argues that the same is not expected from India.
"The attempt to project the Indian high commission as the shield of Britain’s Hindus is part of a larger ambition to cast India as a kind of Hindu Zion. Unlike Israel, India’s Hindu majoritarians aren’t invested in persuading the diaspora to return to the motherland; they see it instead as a useful chorus for amplifying the Leader’s (and, secondarily, the sangh parivar’s) soft power. If it seems odd that Israel, home to less than six-and-a-half-million Jews, is seen as a model for India, home to a billion Hindus, that’s because it is odd, deranged even."Mukul Kesavan for The Telegraph
Disengagement at LAC: A Step in the Right Direction
Writing for the Times of India, Colonel Balwan Singh Nagial (retired) brings our attention back to Sino-Indian border tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). After briefly talking about the few advances on disengagement that were made in the Corps Commander-level talks before 8 September, Colonel Nagial asserts that after those talks, India has "created a conducive environment" for easing relations with China.
"The disengagement of the frontline troops indicates that the Indian side has created a conducive environment for further improvement of India-China relations while protecting territorial sovereignty integrity. It is an encouraging inclination toward resolving the tensions built over the border areas by the Chinese unilateral move to change the LAC. It will create an optimistic atmosphere to holistically find a solution to the standoff in the western sector of the border in Ladakh areas. It will definitely be crucial in reinstating and building mutual trust between India and China. Eventually, the solution to the Galwan Valley military standoff should aim at an all-inclusive disentanglement based on a final agreement between the two sides."Colonel B S Nagial(Retd) for the Times of India
Queen Elizabeth Was a Symbol of Stability
In a tribute to the longest-reigning monarch of Britain, Mark Tully, in his article for the Hindustan Times, provides a detailed narration of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died less than three weeks ago. He says that the queen "stood as a symbol of stability in unsettled and unsettling times."
"But indeed, for Britain, for India and the rest of the world, the most profound gift the Queen gave was the gift of bringing people together. That gift was shown by the thousands who came to say goodbye to her. They came from all parts of the country and from abroad. And, they came at a time when Scotland is considering independence and the future of Northern Ireland is uncertain."Mark Tully for the Hindustan Times
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