Cussed China; Eyeing Economy; Judicial Jab
Opinion Watch
Cussed China
The Hindu has said in its Editorial that China renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh is a new low in the bilateral relations. The daily has said that China’s bid to “standardize” 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh with Mandarin, Tibetan and Pinyin names, which is a third instance since 2017, is an affront to India’s territorial sovereignty.
The Chennai-based daily has speculated that renaming may be in response to India blocking the attempt of People’s Liberation Army to overtake a post in Yangtse in the Tawang sector, India hosting a G20 conclave in Arunachal Pradesh, or something serious cooking in Beijing. The daily has called upon the government to show clarity on its engagement with China.
Even while China stays put across the LAC in the eastern Ladakh, India had sent envoys for in-person talk on border issue to Beijing after a gap of three years. Statements attributed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that China is too a large economy suggest coloured vision in New Delhi to deal with a thuggish regime in Beijing.
Eyeing Economy
The Pioneer has drawn satisfaction in its Editorial that the World Bank has maintained that India will grow at a rate of 6.3 per cent this fiscal. The daily noted the World Bank’s stressing that India must grow by eight per cent annually to achieve middle-income status by 2030.
It has also noted with satisfaction the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index at 56.5, which is a three months high. Capital goods growing at 13.6 per cent in April 2022-January, 2023 gave hints of uptick in manufacturing, added the daily.
Barring demands for cars and mobile phones, domestic consumption stays suppressed for want of disposable income in the hands of the people, while clearly there is a challenge on real wage growth. There is no realistic basis to hope that achieving eight per cent growth in near future will be seen. All indicators point to a status quoist economy.
Judicial Jab
The Telegraph has lauded a group of retired civil servants who slammed Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju for his bid to label former judges of the Supreme Court being part of anti-India gang. The Kolkata-based daily said that the 90 signatories of the letter also bemoaned government attempt for a pliant judiciary.
The daily stressed that Rijiju’s assertion that “anyone who works against the country would have to pay price” smacked of authoritarianism. It also stated that sharpening awareness should be the focus, while also praising the letter for advocating reform in the collegium system by which judges choose judges in higher judiciary.
Executive’s drive to assert superiority over legislature and judiciary is a sign of an insecure leadership, who is not committed to safeguard the interests of the people in the long run. Sign of a mature democracy lies in unbreakable institutions.
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