Amit Ambition; Dragon Dollars; Gaming Gamblers
Opinion Watch
Amit Ambition
The Asian Age has credited Amit Shah, Union Minister for Home Affairs, to be the master reader of elections, political narrative and mind games. In its Editorial, the daily termed Shah’s claim of another 300 plus mandate in the 2024 elections as a clever mind game to test the strength of the Opposition unity.
The daily counted a bouquet of issues that may drive 300 plus narrative, which included the likes of Ayodhya Ram Temple, Central schemes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “larger-than-life phenomenon”, and Shah’s election winning machine in the BJP. The daily stated that Opposition has to produce leader who could challenge Shah on 300 plus prophecy.
The BJP is, indeed, ahead of rivals in the preparations for the 2024 general elections. But it’s too early to sniff the wind. That one week is too long a time in politics has served well to caution against armchair prophecy. Rajapaksa Gotabaya too would have thought that like Xi Jinping he would rule Sri Lanka for life, but he along with his family was kicked out of politics within a span of a few days.
Dragon Dollars
The Telegraph has quoted a report of the World Bank, Harvard Keneddy School, and the Kiel Institute for World Economy to state that China has emerged as the leader in addressing debt distress of countries. China pumped in $240 billion in 2022 to address debt distress of countries, while India too provided an assistance of $31 billion in 2021 to stressed countries.
The Kolkata-based daily opined that China has taken the role played by the US in the last century to extract advantages from the borrowers. It also argued that more the Washington Consensus-based model of globalization bleeds, the more important bilateral transactions will become.
China has deep dollar pockets, and the Communist regime is clearly milking its debt-trap policy to further push the countries into the state of vassals. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, African and Latin American nations are bleeding from the Chinese loans, which are most costly. India must work the G20 to save the vulnerable nations from mortgaging their economic sovereignty to China.
Gaming Gamblers
The Hindu has said in its Editorial that Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s assent to a bill prohibiting online games has brought closure to a controversy that has been raging for several months. The bill had received support from all parties, and the Union Minister Anurag Thakur, said the daily, had also clarified that regulating the online games was in the state list.
The Chennai-based daily gave an account that while Ravi had given assent to an Ordinance to regulate online games, he sat over the bill for no explained reasons. The daily pointed out that addictions to the online games has brought financial distress to several families.
The policy vacuum in regulating or checking the menace of online games is baffling, for it’s not just addictive but also being peddled by China to steal data.
About The Author
