Rising partnership

Prakash Nanda, in an article in the Organiser, places India8217;s engagement with Japan in the context of the Japan-China-India triangular relations.

Prakash Nanda, in an article in the Organiser, places India8217;s engagement with Japan in the context of the Japan-China-India triangular relations. Despite the fact that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe8217;s visit took place at a time when both he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have uncertain political futures ahead of them, 8220;strategic partnership with Japan is crucial in regional geopolitics,8221; he writes.

8220;Japanese investors, who want to gradually shift many of their operations to India from China, thanks to that country8217;s hegemonistic ambitions, growing anti-Japanese riots and escalating labour costs, find Indian infrastructure 8212; roads, railway lines, ports, and power situation 8212; highly inadequate,8221; he laments, adding that the CPM must have made their Chinese masters very unhappy because they were unable to prevent Abe from addressing both houses of Indian Parliament, like they had done with George Bush in March 2006.

Friends, foes

M S.N. Menon answers the question 8212; do we know America and China well enough? 8212; in the negative, adding that is why we have serial crises in our relations with them.

The pro-US lobby in India mainly serves American interests, while the anti-US lobby mainly the Left serves Chinese interests. He writes, 8220;But we did pay a heavy price for our non-alignment. And got no thanks for our sacrifices.8221;

He adds, 8220;Let us be clear on this: China can never be a friend of India, nor can it allow India to emerge as a great power. But America can be a friend8221;.

Elections?

The RSS editorial believes that amid serious divergence of opinion on the nuclear deal, 8220;the UPA is trying all tricks to avoid an election.8221; It says that Manmohan Singh could have avoided the confrontation with the Left but lacks political savvy.

It then adds, 8220;Whatever be the explanation for the Congress Party8217;s new-found arrogance, the Left is justified in its posturing. There is no mention about the deal in the Common Minimum Programme, under which this bizarre government was formed. There was no need for the UPA to take forward the deal compromising national interest.8221;

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It also says that the suggestion that the NDA should bail out the government so as to show the Left its place is dangerous and vain. It concludes, 8220;the most honourable course for the Left was to withdraw support to the UPA. But the party is hugely confused; confounded by the fear of going to the people. The pro-deal lobby is planting stories that the CPM will meet its Waterloo in an election. 8220;

Compiled by Varghese K. George