The world can see what’s going on

Iran recently seized one SCI oil tanker, the MT Desh Shanti, on the alleged grounds of spilling oil in the sea. The allegation may not be without basis, but the seizure of the tanker in the first go is not very courteous. The Gorkhas of Darjeeling are basically all Nepali immigrants. Now armed Nepalese Maoists are entering into Darjeeling to perpetuate unrest in the area. At least in this case, they are not non-state actors (an expression conveniently coined by Pakistan), since in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu itself , in front of the Indian High Commissioner’s office, there were pro-Gorkhaland demonstrations. Sri Lanka compelled India to delete portions in the UN resolution which were critical of its army’s role in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna. The Pakistani PM prevailed over Manmohon Singh to refer to Balochistan to stop helping Baloch separatists. Even the tiny Maldives could afford to do away with India’s role in the resolving their own crisis. The US dollar is racing towards Rs 70 and important coal block files have been lost in the midst of an ongoing investigation. The submission of a chargesheet against the former Telecom Minister D Maran is being delayed on untenable grounds. Do the Congress leaders believe that the other countries cannot observe all this? They have observed and given weightage to India commensurately.

N K Das Gupta