Daily Briefing: Indian, Chinese soldiers engage in Tawang face-off; industrial output at a 26-month low; and more

On December 9, Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, beating each other up with sticks and canes in their closest encounter since the deadly Galwan incident in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. 

🔴 The clash comes when tensions in the northern sector of Ladakh are yet to be fully resolved. Moreover, New Delhi has kicked off a series of events as part of its presidency of the G-20, a grouping of the world’s leading economies that includes China.

🔴 A top source in the government told The Indian Express that this time the PLA had “pre-planned” the transgression for an “opportune” time.

Only in the Express

In an interview with The Indian Express, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw talks about how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political philosophy centres on the common man and not just winning elections. He also speaks about the good governance model and BJP’s pitch for a double engine government.

From the Front Page

Industrial output slumped to a 26-month low of (-) 4 per cent in October on the back of a contraction in manufacturing and consumer goods, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed — indicating weak exports and sluggish consumption demand, alongside the continuing weakness of small and medium enterprises.

Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi is joining his father’s Cabinet as minister. An MLA and movie star, who heads one of South India’s most influential film companies, the 45-year-old will be sworn in on December 14.

Must Read

The Congress party has announced a 75-day roadmap to kickstart its campaign to defeat the BJP in the Assembly elections next year. With a yatra covering all 224 Assembly seats and a focus on Dalits and water-sharing, here’s what the roadmap looks like.

Revanth Reddy, the Congress MP from Telangana, irked the treasury benches during Question Hour on Monday by citing the “Rupee is in ICU” comment made by PM Modi during his tenure as Gujarat CM. In a chat with The Indian Express, Reddy speaks about his heated exchange with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the House over economy, language and caste.

Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Raja Pateria has triggered a controversy after he called on people to “kill” Modi to save the Constitution. On Tuesday morning, Pateria was detained by the police from his house. While the BJP has lashed out at the Congress, Pateria has claimed he had been misunderstood.

In our Opinion section today, two experts analyse the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the Indian economy. “When GST was launched five years ago, the question was ‘Is the country completely ready for single tax?’ While this question remains relevant, there is a need to ask another: We have transitioned to ‘One nation, one tax’, but at what cost?”

A massive rally by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dhaka has signalled that the main opposition party has reorganised on the ground despite a severe government crackdown against it. We explain how the BNP has managed to channel economic grievances and popular resentment against the perceived authoritarian style of PM Hasina, and why India needs to keep watch.

And Finally..

Express At FIFA World Cup: Argentina has come a long way after Saudi Arabia defeated it 2-1 in their Group C opener. Now that the team is one step away from final, we take a look at the factors, including manager Lionel Scaloni’s strategic change following the defeat, that helped Lionel Messi’s Argentina march forward.

Delhi Confidential: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in the Rajya Sabha, corrected some MPs with what he deemed appropriate language. When RJD MP Manoj Jha asked him about policies on slum demolition and rehabilitation, Puri said he did not like the word “slum” as it was pejorative and also “points in the direction of failure of policy”. Instead, he pointed out, the phrase “informal settlements” should be used, adding that he had been urging the Delhi government too to use this term.

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we talk about the government’s subsidy bill in Parliament, and a private member Bill seeking the formation of a high-level committee headed by the Prime Minister to select the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners.

Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta and Anandu Suresh