Syrian Saffron; Fratricidal Fear; Searing Sudan
Opinion Watch
Syrian Saffron
The Asian Age has sought to argue in its Editorial that the Syrian Christian Churches in Kerala and the Bharatiya Janata Party are walking to each other for mutual political considerations. The daily has claimed that the churches in Kerala are cherry-picking data to “dangerously” peddle “love jihad” and “drug jihad” against Muslims.
The daily has also claimed that Kerala remains the only frontier for the BJP to test its wherewithal after sweeping through erstwhile Left-dominated Tripura and predominantly Christian Goa and a few Northeastern states. It also stated that Congress remains clueless to shield Christian vote base in Kerala, which gave maximum MPs in the Lok Sabha to the party.
Kerala political pot has been over low flame for over five years now. Some of the Congress’ Christian leaders had been weighing BJP option for long. Kerala politics may have business interests driving changes, for Christians held sway over the economy of the state, which is now being challenged by Muslims. The BJP knows the art to make most of the gains in such transitory social state.
Fratricidal Fear
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, said the Telegraph in its Editorial, while lamenting another fratricidal killing in Bhatinda, which has been pinned down to bullying after probe. The daily quoted government’s reply to Parliament to state that there had been 29 fratricidal cases between 2018 and 2022 in paramilitary forces, and 18 in the army between 2014 and 2021.
Bullying and harassment are principal reasons for such incidents, stated the Kolkata-based daily, adding that measures such as buddy system and additional recreational facilities are proving to be inadequate. It called upon the military brass to be more transparent about cases of fratricide and suicide.
Bhatinda incident was a case of extreme sexual harassment of a jawan by his colleagues, and this must not have happened without visible indications for days. This calls for stringent process-based measures backed by technology and a separate team of stress busters to eliminate the scope of exploitation, harassment and bullying of jawans by colleagues.
Searing Sudan
Sudan, the third largest country in Africa and straddling at strategic junction of Red Sea, the Sahel Region and the Horn of Africa, is mired in another bloody episode to control power by military factions, opined The Economic Times, noting that the country is eyed by China, Saudi Arabia, the US, the UAS, Russia and Israel for its mineral wealth, including gold.
The business daily has argued that India being the voice of the Global South should work the multilateral agencies to find lasting peace in the strife-torn nation. It noted that Sudan crisis is also a test for rules-based international order.
Evidently, Sudan is a playground of the big boys of economic imperialism competing to loot mineral wealth the most of the African country. In current geostrategic situation when rules-based international order is just another lofty term, India should focus more to protect its national interests.
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Nice update of news papers reports.