China’s Salami Slicing at LAC; Queen Elizabeth: Silent royalty; Transgender accommodation
Opinion Watch
The 16th round of the meeting between the military commanders of India and China yielded disengagement at Gogra-Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh.
The Times of India in its Editorial makes it clear that there is no change in the Chinese intent.
People’s Liberation Army of China as part of the design sought to change the status quo on line of actual control in eastern Ladakh. But the Salami slicing ploy of China had run into ferocious push back by the brave Indian soldiers in the Galwan valley. Yet, the Chinese camped on the LAC.
ToI stated that the disengagement at Gogra-Hotsprings would only mean creation of buffer zone, and the two armies cannot patrol the area.
There has been no outcome on disengagement in the Depsang Plateau, which is highly strategically critical.
The daily cautioned India from letting down the guards, for China is clearly executing its plan to push the LAC westwards. ToI builds its counter-response to China’s land grabbing spree by asking the government to work with countries such as Japan and the US to inflict economic cost.
But this argument is too often spoken by the military veterans. India should along with economic strategy break free from the long-held inhibitions and take cue from Taiwan to help build an international narrative on Tibet.
The ballooning India-China trade deficit to the advantage of Beijing is proof enough that the inflicting economic cost in Beijing is just a pipedream.
Queen Elizabeth: Silent royalty
From Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, Queen Elizabeth II saw as many as 15 Prime Ministers in the United Kingdom in her 70-year reign.
The Indian Express, The Pioneer and The Hindu have all recalled her virtue of silence. The dailies chronicled her reign for presiding the collapse of the British Empire, and in the last two years of her life also the economic meltdown of the UK.
There is no reason why her monarchy should be celebrated by anyone, for she represented a power that looted the world, killed and mailed several millions, inflicted the worst of the human rights violations in the Asian and African countries, while being an anti-thesis of the people’s aspirations for self-governance.
The Indian Express mentioned the blemishes of her reign on personal front, which included the controversial love life of her sister Princess Margaret, the tragic death of Diana, the departure of Meghan Markle and Harry.
“In 2021, Barbados became the 18th country to remove the British monarch from the role of head of state. The British monarch remains the head of the state in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, The Bahamas, and Tuvalu,” The Hindu stated in its Editorial, while mentioning countries keen to throw the colonial yokes.
India along with 55 other countries is part of the Commonwealth, which is another colonial hangover grouping, with suspect economic or strategic relevance.
Transgender accommodation
The Pioneer has welcomed the Supreme Court direction to the Central government to form a policy for reasonable accommodation to transgender persons in three months.
Indeed, it’s hypocritical of a society that a section of the people, because of their conditions of births, have for several decades been pushed to the margins to live condemned life of unwanted individuals. Conditions of births cannot be punishment for denial of space in the social mainstream.
The Pioneer unlike other dailies has found space to write on transgender is laudable.
The Supreme Court bench of the Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli have issued the direction to the Central government for reasonable accommodation. Justice Chandrachud with his several judgments has shown greater empathy for human values.
About The Author
Crisp coverage on China’s intent and our response on border. Appreciate SC direction on transgender.