L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Stop being ‘soft’, counter China’s claims now

China’s arrogance and refusal to discuss the South China Sea issue at the recent ASEAN summit held in Phnom Penh speaks volumes of its aggressiveness and highhandedness in dealing with contentious international disputes (Harsh V Pant’s article “All Over South China Sea”, July 25). Much to the chagrin of South Asian countries including India, China lays its exclusive claim over the entire South China Sea with the sole aim of asserting its hegemony in the region. This is bound to harm their economic and strategic interests and disturb the regional balance of power.

The problem with China is that it is not tolerant to the growing economic and military might of India and wants to contain it, at all costs. The blatant border violations in Arunachal Pradesh and the strategic encirclement of India by arming neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, are a part of the Chinese grand gameplan.

In the prevailing scenario, India should discard its tag of being a “soft state” and assert itself as a major power in the East and southeastern Asia, in particular. Unlike the past, India is now in a position to comfortably defend its vital national interests and territorial integrity. But first, with the help and cooperation of other Asian countries and the US, it should make concerted diplomatic efforts to solve the South China Sea tangle amicably according to the principles of international law. Given the Chinese mindset, it should also be fully prepared for a possible conflict between the two. South China Sea may be a potential flashpoint and India should have no qualms about adopting a proactive approach.

D S KANG, Hoshiarpur

‘Demoralising’ blog

Octogenarian BJP leader L K Advani surprised his party by his blogpost that a non-Congress, non-BJP Prime Minister “supported by one of these two principal parties” was feasible after the 2014 elections. Interestingly, Advani’s blog came when Nitish Kumar has sought an assurance from the BJP that his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi will not be NDA’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections.

No doubt, the Congress is ecstatic, choosing to read this as Advani conceding defeat in 2014, two years ahead of elections, whereas the supporters of Narendra Modi seem to be shocked. Advani’s view may be a correct insight into the diminishing utility of the two major political parties, though it is too early to comment on this subject as lot of permutations and combinations may take place by then.

BIDYUT KUMAR CHATTERJEE, Faridabad

Coming full circle

Small states, of late, have been turning into hotbed of petty political squabbles. Due to their leaders indulging in dirty politics, political parties are riddled with furious infightings. So, often the law of the jungle i.e. survival of the fittest, comes into play (editorial “Down, but not out”, July 30).

In the recent years Himachal has witnessed bipolar politics revolving around the Congress and the BJP. In every election, they have been alternatively forming governments in the state. Being a small state, shrewd politicians are bound to edge out their opponents to make space for themselves within the small limits available to them.

If the crusaders in the medieval times could eliminate the inconvenients by declaring them heretic, today’s informed politicos are armed with legal knowledge to frame up opponents so that they keep languishing in a quagmire of unending labyrinth legal system. The leaders should always keep in mind the old adage, “As you sow, so shall you reap”.

TEK CHAND, Una

Giving space

The apex court’s decision to create buffer zones around all the tiger inhabitations is appropriate for the safety of tigers. When the promoters of tiger tourism floated the idea of running through the tiger lands, it provoked violent reaction. Their contention that such type of tourism will scare away the poachers carried no conviction.

Peace in the tiger reserves was the only concern which the Apex Court could not allow to be disturbed, and rightly so. No doubt we shall miss the spectacle of the tigers in their varied moods which is the most alive drama of nature, but it would be for the welfare of the felines that we forgo the spectacle.

The tiger is a fighter. He cannot be made a fugitive in his own sanctuary under the garb of curbing poaching. Despite his indomitable nature and venturesome prowling habits, he cannot be left uncared for in the woods. The onus of protecting the tigers falls squarely on the tiger protection force. Unless this force confronts and eliminates the poachers outrightly, the tiger cannot live in peace.

HM SAROJ, Chandigarh

Sikh institutions

The tragedy of most Sikh educational institutions is that they are managed by trustees who have no or little academic achievement. Their only concern is to get plum postings for their near and dear ones, get admissions to their kith and kin in the best stream and gratification of favours taken from somebody. It is very painful that merit has taken a back seat.

Dr SHIVCHARAN SINGH DHILLON, Tarn Taran

An arrow from Almighty’s bow Rajbir Deswal’s middle ‘Tears apart’ (Tribune, July 28) made interesting reading. Tears, the saline drops of liquid, that ordinarily moisten and wash the eyes, sometimes fall from them or come cascading in grief. This is caused by “an arrow from the Almighty’s bow”, as William Blake believes. It is succinctly explained to Nargis by Prem Nath in Raj Kapoor’s maiden venture, “Aag”, when he says: “Khushi jab had se guzarti hai to aansoo ban jaati hai”. An Urdu poet maintains: “Aansoo jo kabhi aankh ki dehleez se nikla/phir uss pe had-e-arz-o-sama tang rahegi”. The significance of tears is, however, very well explained by Shakespeare, when he says: “But those tears are pearls which thy love sheds/ And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds”. DEEPAK TANDON, Panchkula