Resetting india's China PoliCy
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HIMALAYAN COLD WAR RAjASTHAN INVESTIGATION
www.indiatoday.in july 27, 2020 `60
registered no. dl(nd)-11/6068/2018-20; U(c)-88/2018-20; FAridABAd/05/2020-22 licensed to post withoUt prepAyment
rni no. 28587/75
Resetting india’s
China PoliCy
Top experTs chalk ouT IndIa’s sTraTegIc,
economIc and dIplomaTIc opTIons afTer galwan
FROM THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
L
et China sleep; for when she wakes, she shall shake and oppression. Deng Xiaoping laid the foundation for a modern
the world.’ These portentous words often attributed economy. And Xi wants to turn China into a dominant world
to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte may be power.” The scholar Minxin Pei feels “Beijing has shot itself in the
apocryphal but they now sound prophetic. China, foot” with its current transgression. He believes they have realised
it seems, has finally woken up, two centuries later. And the their blunder and are exercising restraint in the wake of India’s
world is guaranteed never to look the same again: from the economic retaliation. Pei sees this as a watershed in Chinese-
deadly virus that spread out from a Chinese wet market to Indian relations but cautions India to tread carefully despite
trigger off a global cataclysm of a scale not seen since World having the current geopolitical environment in its favour. China’s
War II, to a trade war with the United States, a crackdown strategic focus on its eastern flank will help relieve the security
on civil protests in Hong Kong, bellicose moves in the South threat India faces from its northern neighbour. The American
China Sea, threatening Taiwan with military force and, strategy of economic decoupling with China should benefit the
closer home, an aggressive mobilisation of its troops on Indian economy while closer defence cooperation between the US
India’s frontier, culminating in the biggest border stand-off and India will substantially boost Indian military capabilities.
since the 1962 India-China war.
F
The economies of both the countries were roughly the ormer National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon
same size in 1988 when Rajiv Gandhi made his landmark believes there is no getting away from the need for India to
visit to Beijing. The trip was followed by a series of agree- impose costs on China asymmetrically and in non-border
ments over the years to keep the border dispute subdued areas like the economy. He envisages the most likely outcome to
while growing the economic relationship. China’s economy be “a no-war-no-peace scenario that sees both sides climb down
is today two and a half times the size of India’s and its mili- to the plateau of a protracted adversarial relationship, on the
tary spending is four times our own. These factors, coupled border and on economic terrain”.
with the arrival of Xi Jinping, China’s first president for life Former navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash advocates prioritis-
since Chairman Mao, signal a chal- ing a maritime thrust because it will be India’s
lenge unlike any we have faced in the ability to project influence in distant reaches
past. The incidents this year, which of the Indo-Pacific—via its maritime power,
violated all previous peace and tran- not its inventory of tanks or combat aircraft—
quility agreements with our northern that will make it an attractive partner for the
neighbour, however, signal that India’s US or the Quadrilateral and ASEAN. To build
China policy of 32 years is dead. It military muscle, one needs economic power.
needs a reset—from diplomacy to mili- And towards that end, Arvind Panagariya,
tary strategy and to the economy to economist and former vice-chairman of the
address a belligerent regional rival bent NITI Aayog, recommends sweeping reforms
upon redrawing the border by force. in land, labour, capital markets and trade pol-
India has to improve its military icy if India has to grow its medium and large
power because the loss of territory is firms and vault itself to double-digit growth
politically untenable. We also need to reduce dependence on and if it is to arrest the ascendancy of China as the topmost region-
China for trade and accelerate ties with ASEAN countries al and global power. Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings
and like-minded democracies such as Japan and Australia. Institution, says that Delhi needs to think less defensively. Instead
India needs to leverage its strategic partnership with the of thinking what the US partnership can do to India, it needs to
United States while ensuring another major partner, Russia, ask what this partnership can do for India. Kishore Mahbubani,
is not distanced. However, all these factors—military strat- former Singaporean diplomat and academician, argues that India
egy, trade and diplomacy—revolve around a robust economy. is big enough to emerge as an independent pole and provide com-
Without a strong economy, we risk becoming a North Korea mon sense and calm leadership in a geopolitically turbulent world.
or Pakistan. India has to ensure it brings in investments, As we have seen in the past three months, India has had two
expand its global reach and become a key player in the global rude awakenings almost simultaneously—the Covid-19 crisis and
value chain even as it rebuilds its Covid-19-affected economy. the border clash with the Chinese. Reading these essays by our
India is at a difficult crossroads. What is the new normal experts will make you realise that India has to make some very
with China going to look like and what are our imperatives tough choices diplomatically, militarily and, most importantly,
with the rest of the world? To unravel the multi-dimensional in the economic sphere. It is only with economic power that you
choices faced by India, we commissioned a panel of eminent have a voice in diplomacy and money for strengthening our armed
experts to expound on the theme for this week’s cover story, forces. There is no time to dither. The economy needs fundamen-
‘Resetting India’s China Policy’, curated by Managing Editor tal reforms to unleash its tremendous potential and harness the
Kai Friese. Journalist and author Bertil Lintner thinks that great entrepreneurial spirit of our people. I hope the powers that
the conflicts in the Himalayas are not about border demar- be are listening to the alarm bells.
cation but about hegemony, and it is crucial that India call
China’s bluff. “President Xi,” he says, “sees himself as the
third great leader in modern Chinese history. Mao Zedong
destroyed the old order and liberated China from feudalism (Aroon Purie)
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Volume XLV Number 30; For the week
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UPFRONT
BOLLYWOOD: THE CHINESE
THE BACHCHAN HAND IN NEPAL
EFFECT PG 8 PG 9
THE LONG ARM OF TELANGANA: KCR’S
VIKAS DUBEY DREAM CAPITAL
PG 10 PG 12
A NEW NORMAL
Healthcare workers
on a door-to-door
Covid-19 test drive in
Malegaon, July 14
MILIND SHELTE
T H E C OV I D - 1 9 B AT T L E
MALEGAON SHOWS THE WAY
By Kiran D. Tare
O
n July 14, Malegaon’s Moha to contain the pandemic. As of July 15, 2.2 days in April to 112 days on July 15—
mmad Ali Road, the city’s the state had 107,963 active cases, with the best in Maharashtra. At 82 per cent,
main commercial street, was 10,695 deaths. the rate of recovery in Malegaon is also
full of shoppers, mirroring Malegaon’s return to normalcy is much better than the state average (54
the sort of normalcy seen in days before striking and worthy of note because, till per cent). The turnaround was so hard
the national lockdown in March, and recently, the city was one of the state’s to miss that, in the first week of July,
presenting a stark contrast to the fearful five Covid hotspots, alongside Mumbai, the Indian Council of Medical Research
retreat from public spaces seen in many Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Until (ICMR) sent a confidential letter to the
areas of Maharashtra. The shops were May, the city had seen a daily average of state government, asking for permission
open, selling everything from cutlery five deaths due to Covid19, and report to study the ‘Malegaon model’.
to electronics, and the restaurants and ed about 200 fresh cases in the early Malegaon is a Muslimmajority city
street food vendors were busy serving part of that month. Today, there are just (80 per cent residents are from the mi
crowds of customers. Burqaclad wom 60 active cases in the city, most of them nority community), with a population
en thronged the ladies’ market. Life in nonresidents of Malegaon, with no of 750,000. The city administration’s
Malegaon appears to have returned to coronaviruslinked deaths since May 25. success in controlling the pandemic
normal, even as Maharashtra struggles The doubling period has improved from is especially laudable given that the
J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 5
UPFRONT
average population density here is help, especially the influential Mufti kadha, with claimed immunity-boost-
19,000 per sq. km, the state’s highest. and local MLA Mohammad Ismail. ing properties, prepared by the local
In areas like Kamanipura, this goes Leaders like Ismail made appeals at Mohammadia Tibbia College, also
up to 72,000 per sq. km, second only mosques for people to stay at home played a bit role; the trust that runs the
to Mumbai’s Dharavi, where 800,000 and to cooperate with the MMC health college has received requests for some
live in a 2.1 sq. km area. Maintaining workers. As a result, people increasing- 250,000 packets. The MMC also made
physical distance, the standard-format ly came to see that the administration’s short informational videos and up-
safety protocol to avoid infection, is then efforts were genuine, leading to more loaded them on YouTube, aiming to im-
practically impossible. The Malegaon and more coming forward for testing. prove awareness about the coronavirus
Municipal Corporation (MMC) was also The success of the appeals to stay home among Malegaon’s younger residents,
working with severe limitations—it still was clearly visible on Eid-ul-Fitr (May especially women. Also important were
does not have a single ventilator. 25). Malegaon’s Idgah Maidan was the MMC’s efforts to give vulnerable
deserted—normally around 300,000 households the resources they needed
M
unicipal commissioner people gather here to offer prayers on for home isolation. “We provided oxygen
Deepak Kasar says the MMC the holy day. cylinders, though the police department
was struggling on two fronts. Another initiative was to enlist was against the move,” says Kasar.
First, it had to tackle a staff shortage, community members for outreach, to Maulana Imtiaz Ahmed Iqbal
with many workers refusing to report spread information about the virus. Ahmed, secretary of the Jamiat
to work for fear of being infected. This Kasar roped in students of Ayurvedic Ulema-e-Hind in Malegaon, says
even led to the MMC being unable to and Unani medicine, aware that they the community “scored over the fear
make use of the ambulances provided were trusted within the communities. factor...the mohalla clinics were the
by the Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, an A Unani concoction called mansura game-changer”. Kasar also points
NGO focused on disaster response. out that the success did not come at a
Second, Kasar says convincing people major financial cost. “We did not send
to come forward for screening, testing any patients to private hospitals, so the
and quarantine was a Herculean task,
REMARKABLE treatment bill was zero. We also spent
especially since a communally sensitive RECOVERY less than Rs 20 lakh in the past two
environment had been created in the 45 / 5 months on arrangements for quar-
initial days of the pandemic. antine and treatment,” he says. This
The MMC’s task was made much NEW stands in stark contrast to the efforts
POSITIVE
more complicated by rumours on CASES AND of other municipal corporations in
social media, one of which was that the DEATHS the state; Pune has budgeted Rs 294
coronavirus screening efforts were a crore to fight Covid-19 for a population
conspiracy against Muslims. This led of about 4 million. Kasar says Male-
11 / 0
to people refusing to be tested and even 5/1 6/0 gaon has not only shown a decrease in
attacks on MMC health workers who 3/0 Covid-19 cases but also other diseases,
were conducting screening tests. In the April 8 April 30 May 30 June 30 July 15 including those affecting the heart,
last week of April and the first week New positive cases New deaths
lungs and kidneys. The ICMR study,
of May, six ASHA (accredited social once completed, will be submitted to a
health activist) workers suffered burns committee headed by Prime Minister
after being attacked with boiling water. RATE OF Narendra Modi.
Many residents also reportedly refused RECOVERY The MMC’s efforts have not only im-
to give their real names and symptoms AND DOUBLING
120 82 / 112 proved the health of Malegaon’s citizens,
PERIOD
to health workers. Superstition played 100 it has also rehabilitated the city’s reputa-
70 / 84
its part—for instance, many believe the tion. Home to a local film industry and
80
dead will not reach heaven if their eyes 58 / 45 a textile cluster with around 125,000
are open, leading to people touching 60 power looms, Malegaon attracted some
infected bodies and increasing the risk 40 bad press in the noughties for being
of transmission. Another tradition 23 / 10 communally charged—a riot in 2001
20
requires women from households in 0 / 2.2 and bomb blasts in 2006 and 2008
which a death has taken place to isolate 0 seemed to lend credence to its reputa-
April 8 April 30 May 30 June 30 July 15
themselves for four months and eight tion for being volatile. But it has moved
days—this complicated contact tracing. Doubling period in days on since, and now with the success of
To address these problems, Kasar Rate of recovery in per cent the ‘Malegaon model’, it has built a case
appealed to community leaders for for an image makeover. n
Graphic by ASIT ROY
6 INDIA TODAY J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0
GL ASSHOUSE
PAGING ALL
DOCTORS
M
aharashtra chief minister Uddhav
Thackeray is still waiting for a
response to his June 22 Covid SOS
to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, requesting
that a second batch of doctors and nurses be
sent to Mumbai. Word on the street is that while
Kerala’s LDF-led government is willing, the op-
position Congress is against the move, saying all
doctors are needed in the state, and the LDF is
wary of the Congress making it a political issue
ahead of the civic polls in October. Thackeray’s
attempts to get Maharashtra Congress leaders to
reach out to their Kerala counterparts have not
helped either, and now even their phone calls are
going unanswered. Is it time for Wayanad MP
Rahul Gandhi to step in?
Illustration by SIDDHANT JUMDE
ANI
When the Political MASKED
Becomes Personal CAMPAIGNING
M amata Banerjee has placed orders
for 3 million masks with various self-
help groups (SHGs) working in collaboration
with the MSME sector. The masks will feature
a map of the state with the words ‘Bangla
Amar Ma, Paschim Banga Sarkar (Bengal, my
mother, West Bengal government)’ on them.
These will be distributed free—in lieu of
political goodwill, no doubt. The state has also launched a scheme to put cash in the
T wo persons-in-laws find hands of SHGs, which should also win Didi some brownie points in the run-up to elections.
themselves in charge of the
same department as cabinet
ministers, albeit in different
states and representing warring
Flight Services
parties. In Chhattisgarh, T.S.
Singh Deo (left) is minister for
rural development and panchay-
A mid the political stand-off in Rajasthan, a Vande
Bharat flight on July 13 for Indian students in
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Jaipur was delayed by 24
ats, and, as of July 13, his neph- hours. A total of 6,000 students have to be flown
ew’s father-in-law, Mahendra from the former Soviet republic in nearly 40 Vande
Singh Sisodia, holds the same Bharat flights. The Rajasthan government had not
portfolio in neighbouring Madhya issued the necessary clearances to Bishkek authori-
Pradesh. Sisodia, a member
ties, which delayed the permission granted by Kyr-
of the Congress till recently,
gyzstan to Air India to fly around 150 students home.
defected to the BJP along with
Jyotiraditya Scindia; the Singh
Ministry of external affairs officials reached out to
Deos, on the other hand, are a Congress leader Manish Tewari to intervene and pull
loyal Congress family. Will the some strings in the Congress government in Rajas-
in-laws be able to separate the than to expedite the process. Tewari came through
personal from the political? and the students made it back home on July 14.
VIKRAM SHARMA
—Sandeep Unnithan with Kiran D. Tare, Romita Datta,
Anilesh S. Mahajan and Rahul Noronha
UPFRONT
B O L LY WO O D & C OV I D step out to dub again despite her wari-
A Show of Confidence
ness about Covid.
The small screen industry seems
to have found its feet, though here too
there have been stumbles. Shoots of two
shows, Kausatii Zindagii Kay 2 (Star
Plus) and Mere Sai (Sony), were paused
By Suhani Singh
after an actor and crew member, respec-
tively, tested positive. Some other shows
N
ot even a month into a wary, SonyLiv, among others, have used the have incorporated face shields, gloves
tentative resumption of disruption in the TV and film seg- and sanitisers into plotlines, as was seen
operations, the Mumbai ments to their advantage by gradu- in a now-viral sequence from Star Plus’s
entertainment industry has ally releasing shows shot before the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.
already hit a few obstacles. When the lockdown began. The post production Some, like actor Maniesh Paul,
Bachchans, barring Jaya, tested posi- for many has been done from home, are back at work despite their families’
tive for Covid, Abhishek had begun to including for Netflix’s upcoming show misgivings, “especially after news of
dub for his streaming debut, Breathe: Bombay Begums. Last week, actors of the Bachchans broke”. Paul, who has
Into the Shadows. Bachchan Sr was the hit Amazon Prime show, Mirza- begun hosting the Zee TV talent show
to shoot for Kaun Banega Crorepati pur, stepped out to dub for the latest Sa Re Ga Ma Li’l Champs, says: “A lot of
Season 12 in September, but we’ll season. Cast member Rasika Dugal people will suffer if we don’t get back to
have to wait and see how that goes. wore a shower cap while in the studio work.” He has reduced the size of his en-
Meanwhile, producers of Abhishek’s to ensure there was no contact with tourage while paying their full salaries
two films, The Big Bull and Bob the headphones. “They scheduled it in and carries his own mic and earphones
Biswas, have had to factor in delays in a studio closer home because I wasn’t to speak with the crew.
the shooting schedule, given that the comfortable using the restroom,” she For Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, con-
actor will be required to quarantine says. “It made me feel safe.” Dugal will tent, digital, gaming, at Reliance En-
for two weeks after being discharged tertainment and a Covid survivor, the
from Nanavati Hospital, where he is film industry will take the longest to
currently recuperating. The case of the THE BACHCHANS’ bounce back. “Unlike TV, which is cov-
Bachchans is a rude reminder that the ENCOUNTER WITH ered by broadcasters, and web shows,
industry’s road to recovery is fraught which are covered by OTT platforms,
COVID HAS BEEN
with challenges—and risks that not a film producer will be reluctant to
all might embrace with a ready smile.
MET WITH A WARY invest money in a fresh project because
This, when film shoots have not even
DETERMINATION there is ambiguity [about] revenues,”
begun and theatres remain shut. TO CARRY ON says Sarkar, adding that he doesn’t see
OTT platforms, such as Netflix, NEVERTHELESS big projects resuming before October.
Amazon Prime, AltBalaji, Zee5 and The Bachchans’ case, he says, will serve
as a reminder for people to be cautious.
ANI
Many production houses are hiring
‘Covid officers’. “I call them class moni-
tors,” says Siddharth Anand Kumar of
Yoodlee Films, which released Axone
and Chaman Bahaar on Netflix during
the lockdown. “They can’t be too polite.”
Yoodlee will be among the first studios
to begin shooting features—one begin-
ning in Mumbai and another in Latur.
With only 35 members per project, Ku-
mar anticipates a “10-12 per cent” dip
in productivity. The studio has rented
a hotel in Mumbai for those who don’t
have their own vehicles. “We have to
form a sort of quarantine bubble. There
IN THEIR PRAYERS is insurance for treatment, but none for
Fans of Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan in Varanasi pray for their quick recovery interrupted shoots,” he adds. n
8 INDIA TODAY J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0
ENVOY EXTRAORDINAIRE Chinese ambassador to
Nepal Hou Yanqi (left) with Nepali prime minister K.P. Oli
Nepali public. But the last three ambassadors have spoken in
English,” says Upadhyay “They want to send out a clear mes-
sage to both Nepal and the world that China is now a power
to reckon with.”
China has become the largest source of FDI in Nepal,
with more than half its new investments in the tourism sec-
tor. Over 170,000 Chinese visited Nepal in 2019; only India
D I P L O M AC Y
sends more tourists. Although India remains Nepal’s largest
THE CHINESE
trading partner, trade with China has grown to $1.5 billion,
and China ranks first among Nepal’s foreign aid partners.
The key infrastructure projects currently under devel-
HAND opment by Chinese companies are the $215 million
Pokhara international airport, the Bheri-Babai Diversion
Multipurpose irrigation project and the Rasuwagadhi hydro-
By Amish Raj Mulmi power project. However, none of the nine projects listed under
China’s Belt and Road Initiative have seen much headway.
U
ntil May, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Hou One example of China’s new approach came in February
Yanqi, was mostly known for her ‘social media 2019, when the US deputy assistant secretary of defense
diplomacy’. Wishing success for the proposed ‘Visit for South and Southeast Asia, Joe Felter, said that Chinese
Nepal Year 2020’ tourism campaign, Hou posted investments in Nepal should serve “the interests of Nepal and
pictures of herself on Twitter visiting the country’s heritage not just China”. Hou countered such critiques about Nepal
spots, winning herself tremendous goodwill from Nepalis. falling into China’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ in a press confer-
However, things changed in May when Hou met three ence, saying, “The support...China has offered has no political
leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP)—Prime strings attached and [China] does not interfere in [Nepal’s]
Minister K.P. Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal domestic affairs.”
and Madhav Kumar Nepal—in a bid Hou’s new-found interest in Nepali
to stave off a possible split in the party. Hou’s meetings with politics is now underscored by party-
Since then, she has come under scru- Nepali politicians at to-party ties between the NCP and
tiny in Nepal, especially since she met a time when the the Communist Party of China (CPC).
with the three leaders again after the
NCP’s internal power struggle erupted
government is unstable A virtual meeting with the CPC in
June, at a time of heightened tensions
earlier this month. “China wants the has raised eyebrows between India and China, drew flak for
NCP to remain united since it has put its timing.
in a lot of political capital to unify the In February this year, Hou faced
[leftist] parties,” says Akhilesh Upadhyay, former editor of criticism from the Nepali media after the Chinese embas-
The Kathmandu Post, and senior fellow at the Institute for sy issued a statement castigating The Kathmandu Post for
Integrated Development Studies, a think-tank in Kathmandu. republishing an opinion piece blaming ‘China’s secrecy’ for
Before Kathmandu, Hou was deputy director general making the pandemic ‘worse’, and called the editor-in-chief “a
of the department of Asian affairs of the ministry of foreign parrot of some anti-China forces”. It was the first time China
affairs in Beijing and the focal person for South Asian affairs. had issued a public statement against the Nepali media.
She has previously served at the Los Angeles consulate and in Hou’s activities have provoked comparisons with the
Pakistan. NCP insiders point out that foreign ambassadors, overt involvement of Indian ambassadors in Nepali politics,
including Indian ones, have always been interested in Nepali from the political transition of 2008 to the 2015 blockade.
politics. “But that does not mean ambassador Hou is directing The Indian media’s sensationalist and sexist coverage of
policies. Like all other envoys, she wants stability in Nepal,” Hou aside, her meetings with Nepali leaders confirm China’s
says Bishnu Rijal, deputy chief of the foreign relations depart- proactive interest in Nepal. “China had been a non-meddling
ment of the NCP. power in Nepal, unlike India,” says Upadhyay. “Now, it clearly
Nonetheless, Hou’s meetings with Nepali politicians wants to project its power.” n
at a time when the government is unstable has raised eye-
brows, especially since China has only recently begun to Amish Raj Mulmi has written for Al Jazeera, Roads and
display an active interest in Nepal. “There was a time when Kingdoms and Himal Southasian, among others. He is
Chinese ambassadors used interpreters to speak with the currently working on a book on Nepal-China relations.
J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 9
MANEESH AGNIHOTRI
END OF THE ROAD The
encounter site in Bhauti near
Kanpur where the car carry-
ing Dubey (inset) overturned
and he was shot dead
THE BA DL A NDS OF UP
THE LONG ARM
local Shivli and Chaubeypur police sta-
tions (where allegedly Dubey’s writ ran)
and has taken possession of all docu-
OF VIKAS DUBEY
ments related to the dead ganglord.
The commission’s work is sensitive
as there are enough and more com-
plaints and court cases against the UP
By Ashish Misra police’s trigger-happy ways. According
to UP Police headquarters data, 122
alleged criminals had been killed (till
K
anpur’s dreaded don Vikas high court judge Shashikant Aggarwal. July 13) since the Yogi Adityanath
Dubey has become more The SIT will investigate Dubey’s government assumed office in March
of a nuisance dead than he political and police links, with a report 2017. Dubey was No. 119 on the list. So
was alive, at least for the expected by the month-end, while the far, there have been 6,237 encounters
Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar commission will probe the spate of and some 15,500 alleged criminals
Pradesh. It has been under attack from encounters since July 2 in which various have been brought to book. The num-
all corners since the morning of July 3 Dubey gang members were killed. bers were so alarmingly high that the
when news spread that the gangster had The Opposition, however, remains Supreme Court decided to look into
massacred eight policemen in his village unimpressed by the flurry of activity. the People’s Union for Civil Liberties’s
Bikru. Almost two weeks later, allega- Samajwadi Party (SP) president and (PUCL) PIL in July 2018 flagging the
tions of political patronage and Dubey’s former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav ‘encounter culture’ in the state. The
links with the police have still not died says, “With Dubey’s encounter, the BJP PUCL had alleged in its PIL that the
down, even though he is gone, killed in a government has also killed off any pos- UP Police was targeting the minorities.
police encounter on July 10. sibility of exposing the unholy nexus The state government, in its defence,
Amid increasing political pressure, between the gangster, police officials filed a status report clarifying that of
Chief Minister Adityanath formed a and his political guardians in power.” the 48 criminals killed in encounters
Special Investigation Team (SIT) on The SIT, headed by additional in the one year till March 2018, only
July 11, and then, a day later, a one-man chief secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy, has 18 were from the minority community.
judicial commission headed by retired already visited Bikru village and the The case is pending in the apex court.
10 INDIA TODAY J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0UPFRONT
As expected, the twin investigations where many plots were allocated to
have caused a flutter in Lucknow and “The arrest of police personnel.”
Kanpur, especially among political lead- Shashikant Pandey, Dubey’s foreign trips—he travelled
ers and police personnel who patronised who had a bounty abroad 11 times in the past three years—
Dubey. A CD of the STF (Special Task of Rs 50,000 on his are also being looked into. Most of his
Force) interrogation of Dubey on July foreign trips were to Thailand and the
9 in Ujjain, MP, where he was arrested,
head, led us to the United Arab Emirates. Police sources
has been submitted to the state home weapons. The AK-47 say Dubey and Bajpai had purchased
department and the Enforcement was recovered from penthouses in both places. A bungalow
Directorate (ED). Speaking on condi- Vikas Dubey’s house” in Arya Nagar, Lucknow, for a reported
tion of anonymity, a police officer posted Rs 20 crore was another indulgence.
in Kanpur, said, “Dubey has named four PRASHANT KUMAR The Vikas Dubey saga has also
businessmen, 11 political leaders and ADG, Law & order thrown into relief caste divisions in
many government officials including Uttar Pradesh, which will no doubt be
five top police officers.” It has also been exploited for everything they are politi-
learnt that more than 50 police officers
used to frequent his house and that he
was in regular touch with two IPS and
122 KILLED
cally worth. A fanpage on Facebook,
which described him as ‘Brahmin shi-
romani (supreme Brahmin)’ had over
three SP rank officers. in encounters (till July 13) with 1,000 likes in a matter of days. After his
Dubey spilled the beans on his politi- the UP Police since the Yogi encounter, even BSP chief Mayawati
government took over in March
cal connections, which included leaders 2017; Vikas Dubey was no. 119 tweeted that the Yogi government
from several states. An old video clip “should not do anything that will make
where he boasts of his proximity to the the Brahmin samaj feel scared, terro-
6,237
president of a political party has also rised and insecure”. Analysts say it’s part
been recovered. Meanwhile, the police of the BSP’s new Brahmin-Dalit social
are trying to connect the dots by inter- ENCOUNTERS
engineering strategy before the 2022
rogating the arrested members of his till July 13 during CM Yogi’s assembly election. For the first time,
gang. The search for the gang’s no. 2, tenure in office; the BSP also has two Brahmins lead-
Vishnupal alias Jiledar Singh, has been 13,381 surrendered ing the party in Parliament—MP from
intensified. Dubey used his clout to get Ambedkar Nagar Ritesh Pandey in the
Vishnupal elected (unopposed) as prad- Lok Sabha, and the party’s long-time
han of Dhauthi gram panchayat in 2015. Brahmin face, Satish Mishra, in the
Police records say there are 17 cases reg- Upper House. Mayawati’s designs aside,
istered against him in the local police zonal office in Lucknow. Joint direc- there are efforts now to show Dubey
stations. Vishnupal has been absconding tor at ED headquarters, Lucknow, as a fallen hero of the community. BJP
since July 2 and the police worry he may Rajeshwar Singh, says, “We have asked state spokesperson Manoj Misra, who
be the new kingpin of the Dubey gang. the Kanpur police for case details is from Kanpur, affects indignation:
Senior criminal lawyer in Kanpur, involving Dubey and his associates, “The Brahmin community was afraid of
Amit Vaishya, says, “The first priority and documents regarding his assets, Dubey. Bikru and its adjoining villages
of the police should be to recover the bank account details and other relevant are dominated by Brahmins. Dubey
arms looted from the slain policemen information.” The gangster had close had illegally occupied the land of many
and other illegal weapons in the gang’s ties with two leading businessmen of them and was involved in the mur-
possession. Whoever gets control of the of Kanpur, one a soap manufacturer, der of at least three Brahmins. Now to
weapons will be the next gang leader.” and the other realtor Jai Bajpai, who play the Brahmin card over his death is
Two of the looted weapons, an AK-47 is currently in police custody. The SIT sheer opportunism.”
and an INSAS rifle, have been recovered investigation has unearthed regular That said, media reports on his
so far. ADG, law and order, Prashant bank transactions between Dubey and ‘Robin Hood’ image in these same vill-
Kumar says, “The arrest of accused Bajpai’s family. An officer in the team ages and the comments on social media
Shashikant Pandey, who had a bounty investigating Dubey’s land deals says, seem to suggest that there is anger in
of Rs 50,000 on his head, led us to the “We have discovered properties worth the Brahmin community over how the
weapons. The AK-47 was recovered crores of rupees, including schools, col- incident played out. That a gangster’s
from Dubey’s house on July 14.” leges as well as commercial and resi- death could bring out such sentiments
The investigation into Dubey’s dential plots. The duo also launched shows how fraught caste equations still
‘business activities’ is with the ED’s several residential schemes in Kanpur are in Uttar Pradesh. n
J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 11UPFRONT
TEL A NGA NA
POLITICAL
CAPITAL
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s ambitious new
secretariat complex raises a cloud of controversy
By Amarnath K. Menon
O
n July 7, bulldozers and Reddy, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy,
earthmovers began P.V. Narasimha Rao, Jalagam Vengala
demolishing the 25.5 acre Rao and N.T. Rama Rao. To permit its
Telangana state secretariat demolition, it was removed from the
complex, raising a cloud of dust and list of the state’s heritage buildings. SYMBOLS OF
debris—and with it yet another contro- Detractors of the ruling Telangana THE PAST A view of the
versy over Chief Minister Rashtra Samithi (TRS) say KCR’s old secretariat complex
K. Chandrashekar Rao’s priorities push for a new secretariat, in the time
in governance. of a raging pandemic, is mistimed to
KCR’s plan to build a spanking say the least. They also lampoon as
new secretariat over the next two years, unscientific his assertion that the exist- hospital, with many opposition mem-
before the 2023 legislative assembly ing secretariat has ‘bad vaastu’, and bers echoing similar demands.
poll in the state, has met with fierce allege that the project is really about Ignoring these protests, the CM
opposition. On June 29 this year, the his desire to be seen as the ‘builder of ensured that the demolition work last
Telangana High Court dismissed a modern Telangana’. Capt. N. Uttam week proceeded on a war footing. A
batch of PILs (public interest litiga- Kumar Reddy, the Telangana Pradesh temple and a mosque on the premises
tion) filed between 2016 and 2019, Congress Committee president, says, were damaged by falling debris, to add
opposing both the construction of a “The administration has demolished another controversial dimension to
new secretariat complex and the demo- the buildings only to satisfy the super- the saga. KCR has offered an apology
lition of the old one. The demolition stitious beliefs of an individual.” The and an assurance that these structures
work began a week later, on July 7, state BJP president, Bandi Sanjay will be rebuilt. “The government will
but was stalled on July 10, following a Kumar, goes even further, saying, not mind spending crores of rupees
court order on a fresh PIL, asking if the “What we have is a monarchy in the for the construction of a mosque and
state cabinet had met and resolved to state.” He suggests the money would a temple larger than the present struc-
demolish the complex and whether the have been better spent on building a tures,” he said. Perhaps as a result, the
Construction and Waste Management Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC)
Rules, 2016, were being followed. is now asking for a church also to be
At the time of writing, the court had
Among the older built in the new complex. “There is a
issued a third stay order on the blocks being razed is long-pending request with the gov-
demolition till July 16. Saifabad Palace, which ernment for allotment of land in the
Of the 10 office blocks of the exist- was built in 1888 by secretariat premises for a church,”
ing secretariat, four are less than 25 the sixth Nizam of says FTC executive secretary, Father
years old. One of the older blocks— Anthoniraj Thumma.
G block, also known as the Sarvahitha
Hyderabad and has Regarding the new secretariat, the
block—was constructed as the Saifabad served as the office of chief minister argues that a break from
Palace in 1888 by the sixth Nizam of many former the past is needed for the fledgling
Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan, and chief ministers state to grow vibrantly, and that tear-
has served as the office of several chief ing down buildings that stand as sym-
ministers, including Neelam Sanjiva bols of an earlier era are vital to that
12 INDIA TODAY J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0`
500
CRORE
Estimated cost
of building the new
secretariat
700,000 SQ. FT
Built-up area of
the new secretariat,
over six storeys
131
YEARS
Age of the Saifabad
Palace, one of the old
secretariat blocks
being demolished
MOHAMMED ALEEMUDDIN
aim. The proposed new secretariat, Corridors and other spaces have been circulated among the officials con-
with a built-up area of 700,000 sq. ft, designed to keep the structure cool and cerned, from section officers to depart-
is to come up as a six-storey structure allow air to circulate naturally, mak- ment secretaries. This will also ensure
on three acres of the site, leaving the ing it energy efficient. Inspired by the that approvals come within
remaining for landscaping and utility Palace of Versailles in France, the com- stipulated periods.
buildings. Chennai-based architects plex will have two major lawns in the The manner in which the demoli-
Oscar G. Concessao and wife Ponni M. northeast and southeast corners of the tion has proceeded—with the entire
Concessao, who designed the building, main building, with a water body and area cordoned off as a high security
say it is based on vaastu principles and reflecting pool in front, which will also zone—has also triggered mocking,
the elevation is in the Deccan Kakatiya serve as a rainwater harvesting facility. light-hearted speculation that the chief
style. The domes and allied features, The complex will include a childcare minister is looking for buried trea-
they say, are inspired by Shiva temples. centre and places of worship, along sure. (Some historians do claim that
“The complex is designed to allow with a canteen and a fire station. riches lie buried in the precincts of the
natural light and air and incorporates The building will house the offices Saifabad Palace.) That, most likely,
many green building principles,” says of all state-level department heads, is palace apocrypha but the treasure
Oscar Concessao. The new complex and will have an administration com- KCR is really after is a certain stature,
will meet the latest fire-safety norms mand-and-control system connected a larger-than-life projection of self in
(many of the buildings that were razed to all district collectorates. Even before the popular imagination. As political
did not meet these norms), as well as the new building is constructed, the commentator C. Narasimha Rao puts
those relating to eco-friendly construc- state secretariat (in its temporary tran- it: “[The CM] went to the secretariat
tion, disaster management and other sit facility) is working to usher in an only 22 times during his first five years.
mandatory regulations. e-office system by next month. This He is now building a new one only to
The secretariat building itself is is to improve the mechanism to track erase the memories of past rulers and
to be ultra-modern: smart lighting file movement—currently, there is no to establish himself as the father of the
controls, motion sensors, automatic such mechanism to track the move- Telangana state. He will not go to the
switches and other features to reduce ment of paperwork among govern- new secretariat more than 10 times
energy consumption. Its terrace ment departments. The new system during the next four years. He wishes,
and parking areas will incorporate will ensure that digital copies of every perhaps, that he alone is remembered
solar panels to power the complex. file and document are created and after the Nizam in Telangana.” n
J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 13UPFRONT
BOOKS
INDIA’S TRYST
with more cursorily, ending by linking
Narendra Modi with Madan Mohan
WITH TECHNOLOGY
Malaviya: ‘...it is from the blueprint
that Malaviya drew for India’s mod-
ernisation that the essence of Make in
By Srinath Perur India can be distilled.’
This larger narrative has, on occa-
sion, intriguing assertions that aren’t
always substantiated: after the Bofors
scandal, technology became ‘the Great
Corruptor’ and ‘a decade’s struggle to
bring machines closer to the citizen
had been undone’. Or, Indira Gandhi’s
championing of ‘appropriate tech-
nologies’ led ‘an entire generation of
MIDNIGHT’S MACHINES
A Political History of researchers and businesses to believe
Technology in India that small was, indeed, beautiful’.
By Arun Mohan Sukumar Major sectors, such as power,
PENGUIN biotech and telecom, are only touched
` 599; 236 pages
upon briefly. And while decisions
are often critiqued with the benefit
of hindsight, an alternative is not
A
newspaper report in early cold’—NandanNilekani. always evident. It would be good to
1952, we learn from Mid- Nehru’s embrace of technology is know what other countries in similar
night’s Machines, described seen by Sukumar as cautious, trying to situations ended up doing, and how it
Jawaharlal Nehru’s dinner: reconcile the necessary development worked out for them.
vegetables, steamed in a solar cooker. required by a newly independent India Midnight’s Machines is particu-
The cooker, made by the National but with a Gandhian wariness. With larly absorbing and insightful when it
Physical Laboratory, was, for a while, a his definition of technology as the deals with certain episodes in detail:
sensation, a sign of independent India’s ‘latest technique applied to the condi- the Colombo Plan of the 1950s; India’s
scientists coming forward to meet the tions that prevail in a certain country’, refusal to participate in the Human
country’s needs. But it soon became Nehru was in no rush, even asking Genome Project; the software services
clear that the cooker was impractical for limited machinery to be used for a industry emerging from the Y2K prob-
for any real use and the project lost dam project so that unskilled work- lem; technocrats like Sanjoy Dasgupta
steam. Early embarrassments such as ers could have jobs. Shastri’s short or N. Seshagiri pioneering the use of
this led scientists to avoid mass-use time in office is marked by the Green technology for better governance and
products and, author Arun Mohan Su- Revolution, which Sukumar says for development projects.
kumar writes, ‘The distance between might have been ‘the first instance Sukumar is very good with ex-
citizen and technology grew.’ of new technologies interacting with plaining the complex manoeuvring
The relationship of citizen to tech- Indian masses in a direct and conse- around trade treaties, geopolitical
nology in independent India has been quential manner’. Indira Gandhi, we dynamics, and local political consider-
almost entirely through the state, are told, repeated Nehru’s mistakes, ations that shape the trajectories along
and Midnight’s Machines presents resorting to the narrative of low-cost which science and technology evolve.
an account of that mediation. For the ‘appropriate technologies’ for far If the Indian embrace of technology
book’s purposes, the state is largely longer than required to cover up for was tentative in the years after inde-
personified by prime ministers, who, an economic inability to industrialise pendence, now it feels anything but.
until fairly recently, have tended more intensively. And this while sup- While not a comprehensive history,
to hold the portfolio of science and porting relatively large space, nuclear Midnight’s Machines offers an enjoy-
technology. And by energetic and in- and defence programmes and, in the able and opinionated account of this
fluential technocrats, three of whom early 1980s, laying the foundations for particular tryst with destiny. n
from different generations are briefly international collaborations that were
profiled near the end of the book—M. consolidated by the technocratically- Srinath Perur is the author of If It’s
Visvesvaraya, Vikram Sarabhai and, minded Rajiv Gandhi. The contribu- Monday It Must Be Madurai and
‘the technocrat who came in from the tions of later prime ministers are dealt translator of Ghachar Ghochar
14 INDIA TODAY J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0THE BIG STORY RAJASTHAN CLIFFHANGER By KAUSHIK DEKA, ROHIT PARIHAR & UDAY MAHURKAR VISHAL BHATNAGAR/AFP
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot secures his party’s backing
to cut challenger Sachin Pilot to size, but the threat to
his government is far from over
O
N DECEMBER 14, 2018, a little past
2 pm, then Congress president Rahul
Gandhi and his party’s two stalwarts
in Rajasthan—Ashok Gehlot and
Sachin Pilot—came out of a huddle in
a corner room of Gandhi’s residence
at New Delhi’s 12, Tughlaq Lane. A
decision had been taken that Gehlot
would be the next chief minister of
Rajasthan and Pilot his deputy. The
Congress had just won 100 seats in
the 200-member Rajasthan
assembly and was set to form the
government. Before leaving the room,
Rahul told the two leaders: “There
must be an equitable distribution of
power. Gehlot-ji, you will take care of
your young colleague.” The leaders exchanged smiles and
posed for a photograph, which Rahul tweeted with the
caption “United colours of Rajasthan”.
Exactly 19 months later, the Congress, now headed by
Rahul’s mother Sonia Gandhi, sacked Pilot as president of
the state party unit while Gehlot removed him from his cabi-
net, marking yet another watershed in a power struggle that
began right after that tweet by Rahul. Gehlot and the Con-
gress’s communication in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala
levelled a serious charge against Pilot—that he had been
hobnobbing with the BJP to topple the Congress government
in Rajasthan. Pilot, who, along with his 18 loyalist MLAs,
had declined to attend the July 13 Congress legislature party
(CLP) meeting convened by Gehlot at his residence, claimed
in an exclusive interview to india today that “equitable divi-
sion of power never happened” and instead he was “humili-
ated and not allowed to fulfill the commitments made to the
voters”. He did take pains, though, to emphasise—“I’m not
joining the BJP.” But contrary to Pilot’s claim, multiple audio
tapes of MLAs in his camp purportedly discussing the topp-
ling of the Gehlot government have now gone viral on social
media. In the tapes, tourism minister Vishvendra Singh (now
UNEASY SMILES? sacked), MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma and others can be heard
Ashok Gehlot with Congress discussing monetary transactions with BJP leaders, includ-
leaders Randeep Singh ing, allegedly, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union minis-
Surjewala, Avinash Pandey,
ter for Jal Shakti. Also on tape are claims that 30 MLAs will
Ajay Maken and K.C.
Venugopal in Jaipur on July 13 support Pilot. The Congress has sought Shekhawat’s arrest
and an investigation is on into the money transactions.
Another indication of Pilot’s proximity to the BJP came
J U LY 2 7, 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 19THE BIG STORY RAJASTHAN
WHY THEY
on July 16 when two of the party’s go-to
lawyers—Mukul Rohatgi and Harish
Salve—appeared for Pilot in the Rajast-
Not surprisingly, Gehlot has gone
hammer and tongs at Pilot, claiming
he has evidence of his former deputy’s
DIDN’T SEE
han High Court and challenged the dis-
qualification notice sent to him and his
18 acolytes by state assembly speaker C.P.
involvement in horse-trading with
the BJP. “Gehlot waited, at least for
six months, for some evidence against
EYE TO EYE
Joshi. The BJP, for now, has been watch- Pilot’s direct involvement. Once he got In January 2014, then
ing the developments from the sidelines. it from the state agencies, he gave it to Congress president Rahul
However, the July 13 income-tax raids the Congress high command—and that Gandhi made Sachin Pilot,
against businesspersons close to Gehlot made Pilot realise his game was up,” then 36, the Rajasthan chief of
in Jaipur, Kota, Mumbai and Delhi have claims a close aide of the chief minister. the party and tasked him with
prompted the Congress to allege the Whether the game is over or has reviving it. In the 2018 assem-
involvement of the BJP-ruled Centre in just begun, the allegations and counter- bly poll, Pilot led the Congress
the Rajasthan crisis. “The income-tax allegations indicate a pattern that to victory and staked claim
department, Enforcement Directorate is perceived to have built up in the to chief ministership. But the
and CBI are the BJP’s frontal depart- Congress in the past decade or so—the post went to his rival, the
ments, but such raids will not topple our party high command’s failure to ad- veteran Ashok Gehlot, on
government,” declared Surjewala. dress disgruntlement or infighting and grounds that he enjoyed the
BJP insiders say Pilot has been in allowing crisis situations to degrade support of most MLAs. Gehlot
touch with their party through two beyond repair. Whether it was the exit of had also promised a good tally
leaders who crossed over in the past one Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh for the party from Rajasthan
in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.
year—Jyotiraditya Scindia, his former in 2010, of Himanta Biswa Sarma in
colleague in the Congress; and Jay Assam in 2015, Jyotiraditya Scindia in Pilot was made deputy chief
Panda, who was earlier with the Biju MP this March, or the banner of revolt minister, but he projected him-
Janata Dal. There’s even the theory that now raised by Pilot, a common thread self as a CM-in-waiting, much
the reason why Scindia loyalists got plum runs through—the Gandhis, the first to Gehlot’s annoyance
portfolios in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet family of the Congress where power is
Under Gehlot, the Congress
expansion earlier this month was that the concentrated, either turned a deaf ear failed to win a single Lok
BJP leadership wanted to lure the Pilot to the problem at hand or did too little, Sabha seat from Rajasthan in
camp in Rajasthan and potentially even too late. In the process, they lost crucial 2019; Pilot upped his demand
MLAs supporting the Uddhav Thacker- leaders, who either formed new political to be made chief minister
ay-led coalition government of the Shiv outfits or joined the BJP to eventually
Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and bring down Congress governments in With Rahul resigning as
Congress in Maharashtra. their respective states. Political observ- Congress president after the
ers feel the Rajasthan crisis will most party’s Lok Sabha debacle,
C
ongress leaders as well as likely end with Pilot’s exit from the Con- Gehlot seized the opportunity
to turn up the heat on Pilot,
sources in the BJP claim that gress. However, the bitter feud between
giving him little say in adminis-
the rooms at the Manesar Gehlot, 69, and Pilot, 42, is unique in its
trative affairs
resort, where Pilot’s 18 MLAs own ways; it started, ironically, with a
are staying, were booked at the politically correct move six years ago. Increasingly marginalised,
behest of the BJP-ruled Pilot started openly criticis-
Haryana government. More THE BEGINNING OF A CRISIS ing Gehlot, who retorted with
than 30 rooms had been booked in In January 2014, a month after the snide remarks against him.
anticipation of that many MLAs following Gehlot-led ruling Congress had been Matters came to a head in July
Pilot. BJP president J.P. Nadda reportedly clobbered by the BJP in the assembly 2020, when Pilot received
spent anxious moments on July 12 over election—the party won just 21 seats a notice from Rajasthan’s
how many MLAs Pilot would bring in out of 200—Pilot, then a Union minis- Special Operations Group
tow, and when the numbers turned out to ter, was appointed president of the state (SOG) in connection with the
be much less than the expected figure of unit. His task was to revive the party arrest of two BJP leaders for
30, the party developed cold feet—at least in Rajasthan. It was a brave decision in their alleged attempt to topple
the Gehlot government. Citing
for the moment. Three BJP leaders—Ra- Indian politics to entrust a young leader
public humiliation, Pilot openly
jya Sabha MPs from Rajasthan Om with such a big responsibility.
revolted against Gehlot.
Mathur and Bhupender Yadav and Union Pilot began on a disastrous note. In
minister Shekhawat—have been monitor- the Lok Sabha election held a couple of
ing the entire exercise on behalf of Nadda. months later, the Congress—drowned
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