Daily Briefing: India’s balancing act on Israel-Palestine; Retail inflation eases; and more

🚨 Big Story

In its first official statement on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Ministry of External Affairs said that there is a “universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” and there is also a global responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

MEA also reiterated India’s traditional position on the Israel-Palestine conflict: “establishing a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel.”

The Indian Express’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy takes us through India’s diplomatic tightrope walk on the conflict, and the repatriation of Indians in Israel through Operation Ajay. 

Meanwhile, as Israel continues with its bloody retribution for the assault by Hamas, a Middle East expert weighs in on two questions that remain relevant, both for the present and the future: why did Hamas attack now and what does it say about Israeli intelligence. 

In our Opinion section today, Sanjay Srivastava writes on the ongoing war: “Attempts to discard hybridities in the Middle-East and establish a national identity in the name of a “pure” identity – enforced through military and economic might – have not led to a lasting solution.”

⚡ Only in Express

Check out our new fortnightly column, where we offer the best of both sides to inform the debate on a contemporary issue!

Today, we have Yogendra Yadav and Manish Sabharwal writing on the need, or lack thereof, of a caste census.

Yogendra Yadav: “Caste census would help break this stranglehold (of centuries of entrenched privilege), realise the constitutional promise of equality of opportunities and move towards Babasaheb’s dream of annihilation of caste.”

Manish Sabharwal: “It’s hardly time to end reservation but expanding it — the Bihar caste survey is a cynical attempt to do so — is unfair to future generations and divisive.”

📰 From the Front Page

“We can’t kill the child”: Stating that the rights of a woman “must trump” when it comes to a request for Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP), the Supreme Court said on Thursday it will also have to “balance out the rights of the unborn child”. Read our report for more

Data released by the National Statistical Office on Thursday showed that retail inflation eased to a three-month low of 5.02 per cent in September with a sharp moderation in food prices. What else does the data show? Find out here

On October 10, hearing a case regarding the alleged over-invoicing of Indonesian coal imported by the Adani Group, the Supreme Court clubbed the matter with another case related to alleged smuggling of duty-free gold by a Hyderabad-based jeweller. We take a look at the history of the case.

The ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada ceases to die down. In the latest development, the Speaker of the Canadian Senate, Raymonde Gagne, has decided not to attend the two-day G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit that begins today in New Delhi, despite initially confirming her participation to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s office.

👩‍💻 Must read

As the Telangana Assembly polls approach, the BJP, BRS, and Congress seem to have found one common ground. The state BJP chief has stated that the party would aim to secure a 10% reservation for tribals if it comes to power, aligning with a BRS government notification issued over a year ago. This raises questions about the 50% reservation limit set by SC. What are the arguments by all three parties? Find out here.

“I still have the enthusiasm to fight for Kannada and Karnataka..and that will continue for a few more decades.”

Vatal Nagaraj isn’t sure of his age. However, to those from Bengaluru, Nagaraj and his causes — from the Cauvery agitation to language protests — are as old as the city itself. He doesn’t disappoint when it comes to newer and novel ways to catch attention — toilets, donkeys, burqa, goats, a pot — there are no props that he hasn’t pulled out.  Read more about Bengaluru’s forever crusade here.

⌛ And finally..

For Javed Miandad, memories of touring India are about pyaar, mohabbat, and gup-shup. Meanwhile, Kiran More’s Lahore nostalgia includes a sumptuous meal at Miandad’s place and his bond with a Pakistan cricketer who named his daughter Kiran honouring their friendship. We examine why the 1992 World Cup More-Miandad monkey-jump clip is not an accurate depiction of bonhomie between Indian and Pakistani cricketers.

Delhi confidential: Batting for secularism, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat narrated an incident on Wednesday in which he thought his appointment with the late former President Pranab Mukherjee was canceled due to a ruckus that erupted in Parliament over ‘ghar wapsi.’

“He asked why people were talking about unity in diversity now. He said we have been secular for 5,000 years,” Bhagwat recalled. Read more in today’s Delhi Confidential.

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, Indian Express’ Diplomatic Editor Shubhajit Roy discusses the Ministry of External Affairs’ statement on the Israel-Hamas war and why it took so long to issue the statement.

Until tomorrow

Arushi Bhaskar and Gargi Nandwana