Thumbs up to BJP Containing China
With reference to “Saffron surge” (December 19), without an iota of doubt the Gujarat election was one of most bitter and hostile elections fought in recent times. Winning a state after ruling it continuously for 22 years is no mean achievement, irrespective of the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 16 fewer seats than the last time. Not to forget the massive vote share of almost 50 per cent. And though the Congress has put the blame of this loss on EVM machines and claimed it to be a moral victory as it has increased its tally, it is high time it accepted the defeat gracefully. Few things came out clearly from this result; first and foremost, all the criticism of bold decisions like goods and services tax and demonetisation has failed because the BJP has won all the nine seats from Surat, which is a traders’ hub.
It is not to be forgotten that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ( pictured) himself has said that he is ready to bear the political consequences of these bold decisions. But voters of Gujarat has shown the faith in his leadership once again. It was also heartening to see the prime minister in his speech say that he would forget the past and work for development with unity, clearly targetting the Patels and Patidars who were unhappy with the BJP. The Congress didn’t gain much from its alliances with Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakore, as their impact was limited to certain pockets. Though the Patidars went with the Congress it was compensated by the tribals who rallied behind the BJP.
The BJP will have to address the concerns of rural voters as they are dissatisfied with its policies — it may be better minimum support price or farm loan waiver. They need to be heard patiently and worked upon. It was sad that questions were raised against the constitutional body of Election Commission, after poll dates in Gujarat were differed from Himachal Pradesh and a showcause notice was issued to Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
One lesson for the BJP is that despite its Himachal Pradesh win its chief ministerial candidate, Prem Kumar Dhumal, lost his seat. Thus, it needs to nurture more regional leaders and strengthen its bench. Rahul Gandhi needs to work hard to save one of Congress’ last bastions, Karnataka, where elections are due early next year.
Bal Govind Noida With reference to “A new Cold War in the Indian Ocean” (December 17), in China’s struggle to rise to its perceived natural place at the “centre of the earth”, its key competitor is not the US but India. Of its neighbours, only India can challenge China as a regional power. In recent years China has shown an undue interest in the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The maritime Silk Road scheme is linked to its plans to secure bases for its navy through harbour improvement projects like Gwadar in Pakistan or the Hambantota in Sri Lanka, not forgetting the Djibouti on the African horn.
Hambantota sits in a very strategic location, just a few miles north of the vital Indian Ocean shipping lane over which more than 80 per cent of China’s imported oil travels. This confirms the “string of pearls” concept along with Maldives that China is assembling all along the so-called Maritime Silk Road. The Indian Ocean is emerging as China’s next major option under the proposal of “Reviving the Maritime Silk” route. It is well known that the Indian Ocean forms one of the world’s most important maritime routes and is the global system’s centre of gravity. The Malacca Strait is a 550 mile-long passage between Sumatra and Malaysia through which passes over 50,000 ships a year. The maritime Silk Road scheme is inseparably linked to China’s efforts to secure footholds for its navy through infrastructure and harbour improvement projects.
As an economic powerhouse of this century, it is paradoxical that China is waging a psychological war often reminding India of how weak it is, which to say the least is insensitive. India needs to be alert about China’s plans to beef up the country’s global economic muscle. India should take calculated view of this developing issue as its own economic rights to transit through the Indian Ocean and seas will be challenged. India has limited options to take the right steps in the larger interests of its security and safety. India desires cordial, harmonious, fraternal and business relationships with China, but it is up to the latter to reciprocate and inspire this confidence in India if progress is to be achieved on all shared interests.
H N Ramakrishna Bengaluru