INDIA NEWS
June 16-30, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 23
EDITORIAL
From the editor's desk Why a Quad line-up is a must to counter
Nupur Sharma is symptom of a deeper divide
Nupur Sharma India is presently in the middle of an intense public backlash—protests and riots, largely spearheaded by the Muslim community, along with a very displeased United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Oman, and Iraq amongst over two dozenMuslim-majority nations. At the centre of the storm is Nupur Sharma, a Bhartiya Janta Party spokesperson, and her party colleague Naveen Jindal. Reportedly, on 26 May Nupur Sharma made a comment in a heated TV debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute about Prophet Mohammad, which she claims was a quotationfrom the Quran and the Hadith which the Muslim community has deemed very offensive. Jindal also shared a tweet later. In response, though much later, the BJP suspended Nupur and expelled Jindal from the party saying, “The BJP strongly denounces insults of any religious personalities of any religion. The BJP is also against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion. The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy”.India's ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal labelled Nupur and Naveen as "fringe elements' ' who did not represent the Indian government views. Interestingly, the non-spontaneity of the public backlash, which did not start immediately after the remarks were made, but after India apparently buckled under growing protests in Qatar, UAQ, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations tells a different story. Soon protests spread across India, prompting a tough law and order response, especially in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where scores have been arrested, and many rioters have had their illegal properties bulldozed. While Nupur withdrew her comments saying that it was merely a quotation, and in response to insult being hurled at Lord Shiva, the public anger seems to have abetted little. One must bear in mind that since a Shivling has been found in the water tank of the Gyanvapi Mosque, at the orders of a local court, social media has been flooded with memes and posts by celebrities, activists, politicians and general public to mock the Shivling, one including
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the photo of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. So, one must ask are Nupur’s comments really the source of the backlash, or is there something else that meets the eye? A closer look at India’s domestic politics will demonstrate that Nupur Sharma is merely a symbol of a much deeper divide between the Narendra Modi government and the Muslim community and the opposition, since May 2014. This divide has only deepened with the passage of time as a range of policy decisions were taken by the Modi government. For starters, when Narendra Modi came to power with 282 seats in May 2014 ending the coalition era politics, his detractors were quick to dismiss the verdict saying only 31% had voted for him, therefore it is not a popular mandate. Ever since, every decision of the government has been mocked and dismissed, be it the Swatch Bharat campaign or the Jan Dhan, PM Awaas or Ujjwala schemes. His foreign visits were mocked as “hugplomacy”. Modi was being compared with Adolf Hitler. The left-liberals critics, overlooking the majority principle in a democratic polity, labelled the Modi government as Fascist and authoritarian and perpetuating majoritarianism. Calling names became the new norm in the opposition ranks as BJP’s national rise continued ridingModi’s mass appeal and a slew of the government’s policy measures. Between 2014 and 2019 the party added another ten crore voters to its party base as a large number of public welfare schemes took effect. The BJP also swept elections in numerous states including Hayyana, Jharkhand, Goa, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and of course Uttar Pradesh. But what seems to have irked his detractors and the Muslim community, particularly the most, has been the Triple Talaq Act, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, Citizenship Amendment Act, and counter terrorism operations across the LoC against terrorist camps in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Balakot. A defiant and muscular standoff with China in the Ladakh sector further augmented Modi’s leadership and national image which received a further boost in the wake of the Supreme Court judgement to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. All these policy measures proved instrumental in delivering success to the BJP in state elections and also in the 2019 general elections taking its tally from 283 to 303 further deflating Modi critics’ wits and spirits. As seen during the anti CAA/
Chinese inroads in the South Pacific? By Sankalp Gurjar
received and an important South Pacific state, Fiji, joined the initiative as the 14th member. In the context of Chinese efforts, Fiji joining IPEF is a strategic signal.
The South Pacific region consists of many smaller Island states that enjoy vast exclusive economic zones (EEZs). The region is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Due to its strategic location, it is emerging as a key theatre in the great power politics. The South Pacific has traditionally been dominated by Australia. France maintains control over some territories (like New Caledonia) in the region and is an important player in regional geopolitics. The United States (US) too holds considerable interest in the strategic affairs of this region. Now, China is making efforts to gain a foothold in the South Pacific. The growing Chinese interest has forced Australia and the US into action. As some regional states flirt with China, the great power politics is sharpening in the South Pacific. Three recent developments help us understand the intensifying strategic rivalries: first, Solomon Islands signed an agreement with China. The leaked draft of the agreement suggests that China has been granted an important role in the security-related matters in the Solomon Islands. More importantly, the increasing presence in the Solomon Islands will facilitate the greater Chinese role in the South Pacific. The South Pacific has long been a focal point of competition for recognition between China and Taiwan as well. Slowly but steadily, China has managed to persuade some regional states to switch the recognition. The Solomon Islands has switched the recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019. Therefore, the increasing forays by China in the region are designed to not only expand its own influence but undercut Taiwan's presence. Second, in the last week of May, the US along with three Quad partners (India, Japan, Australia) and other nine countries (including seven from ASEAN) unveiled the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). So far, the IPEF has been wellNRC protests in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and other parts of IndiaMuslim majority countries have continued to add fuel to the fire and supported public protests in India against the government. Many outfits such as the Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India at the
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The IPEF is significant as the Indo-Pacific strategies of the four Quad countries lacked an economic dimension. In fact, the US had withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership whereas India refused to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The IPEF signals the willingness of these countries to work together in shaping the economic future of the region as well. And finally, China's foreign minister Wang Yi visited the South Pacific region. During the visit, he sought to persuade the South Pacific Island states to sign a wide-ranging, new agreement. The agreement would have dramatically expanded the Chinese presence and influence in the region, especially in the domain of defence and security. However, many Island States refused to go along. As per reports, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Samoa were concerned about the Chinese proposals. All three developments have received considerable attention in the strategic circles across the Indo-Pacific region. The newlyelected Australian government, led by Anthony Albanese of the Labour Party, has been hard-pressed into action as the rising challenge of China in the backyard poses difficult questions for the Australian foreign and security policy. Some strategic analysts have argued that China's willingness to expand its strategic presence in the South Pacific is a direct response to the new, trilateral defence partnership between Australia, United Kingdom (UK) and the US, known as the AUKUS. The AUKUS will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. It entails a longterm defence relationship which has bound the three countries tightly together. However, ChinaAustralia relationship has been deteriorating before the signing of AUKUS. For now, China's efforts have not succeeded due to the lack of consensus among the South Pacific countries. China has released a position paper. China's foreign ministry spokesperson
forefront of anti-government protests have been labelled as “Extremist organisations” by the Kerala High Court. Today, Nupur Sharma lives under a strong police protection given the constant threat for rape and life to her and her family from a large number of groups
has said that "China will continue to maintain close communication with relevant parties, give full play to the China-PICs [Pacific Island Countries] Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and build an even closer community of shared future between China and PICs." It is clear that China will continue to make efforts to expand its presence and persuade the South Pacific states to agree on Chinese proposals. However, what is surprising is that, despite the known concerns about the strategic implications of China's growing presence, some states in the South Pacific are willing to consider Chinese proposals. Perhaps, just like Island states of the Indian Ocean, South Pacific countries are also playing one major player off against the other to obtain maximum benefits. The growing Chinese presence has already alerted Australia and the US to pay greater attention to the region. The joint statement released after the Tokyo Quad summit in May contains a paragraph outlining the approach of Quad countries towards the Pacific Island countries. The statement notes that, "we will further strengthen our cooperation with Pacific Island countries, to enhance their economic well-being, strengthen health infrastructure and environmental resilience, to improve their maritime security and sustain their fisheries, to provide sustainable infrastructure, to bolster educational opportunities, and to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, which pose especially serious challenges for this region." The Quad countries are "committed to working together to address the needs of Pacific Island partners. We reaffirmed our support for Pacific Islands Forum unity and for Pacific regional security frameworks." It is clear that to contain the expanding Chinese power, Quad countries would be necessitated to work together, individually and collectively, in the South Pacific. (Sankalp Gurjar is a strategic analyst based in Delhi. Views are personal and exclusive to India Narrative. The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
and individuals from India and abroad. Therefore, in the context of the last eight years of domestic politics, seeing the current protests and backlash in isolation will be misplaced and shortsighted.
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