China is planning to build a ‘passageway’ between Tibet and South Asia.
The National People’s Congress opened in Beijing on Friday. Three thousand selected delegates packed the hall. Each one wearing a black suit and tie. The delegates do not speak. They listen and vote for resolutions drafted by the seven-member Politburo, which are unanimously adopted.
The Congress was inaugurated by lifetime President Xi Jinping. He announced a new and stringent Hong Kong policy. The “democracy” party in Hong Kong will not participate in elections. Beijing would decide the membership of the territory’s Election Committee, which chooses the Chief Executive. Candidates will be vetted before being “elected” to various elective positions. This is dictatorship by the backdoor.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang announced that China’s growth rate has been decided. It will be 6% for 2021. The defence budget will increase to 6.8%. Defence spending to dollars 209 billion.
The main state controlled news agency, Xinhua wrote that China’s defence budget was a quarter of that of the United States. The agency (Xinhua) also reported that China was planning to build a “passageway” between Tibet and South Asia. This is a part of the 14th Five-Year Plan which was announced.
This is, for India, a sinister decision. It will dramatically increase China’s influence in South West Asia. China has the fastest growing economy and can afford such undertakings. It has already started building a highway which passes through Pakistan. We must in no case lower our guard and keep our powder dry, without being belligerent.
***
Altering names of cities, roads, buildings, stadiums, airliners, railway stations, airports, markets, is not a recent development.
A few days ago, a member of the University of Singapore, Ranjoy Sen, wrote a fascinating article in one of our most prestigious daily newspapers.
According to Sen, “While every respectable city has at least one road named after Mahatma Gandhi, the Nehru Gandhi family has reigned supreme. Why? Because, twelve central and fifty two state schemes, twenty eight sports tournaments and trophies, nineteen stadiums, five airports and ports, ninety eight educational institutions, fifty one awards, fifteen fellowships, fifteen national sanctuaries and parks, thirty nine hospitals and medical institutions, thirty seven other institutions, chairs and festivals and seventy four roads and buildings and places are named after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.” I might add that one university is named after Sanjay Gandhi and there is a Sonia Vihar in Delhi.
Soon after Independence, Kings Way became Rajpath. Queens Way, Janpath’ Viceregal Lodge, Rastrapati Bhavan; former British Commander-in-Chief’s residence became Teen Murti House. Clive Road became Thayagraj Marg; Lady Irwin Hospital became Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital; a road is named after Jayaprakash Narayan between New and Old Delhi; a hospital after Maulana Azad; King Edward Road became Rajaji Marg; the road leading to the airport became Sardar Patel Marg. I was responsible for Lytton Road being named Copernicus Marg; Mani Shankar Aiyar took the initiative for renaming Connaught Place to Rajiv Chownk. How has India Gate retained its original name? May be in years to come it could be incongruously be named Bharat Darwaza!
Outside Delhi, Calcutta is Kolkata; Madras, Chennai; Bombay, Mumbai; Trivandrum is now Thiruvananthapuram; Trichnapolly, Tiruchirappalli.
Outside India, Southern Africa has seen many colonial names of countries changed. Northern Rhodesia is now Zambia; Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe; Tanganyika, Tanzania; Basutoland is Lesotho; Bechuanaland, Botswana; Gold Coast became Ghana; and South West Africa is Namibia.
***
The Parliament compound has the brilliantly made statue of Mahatma Gandhi sitting cross-legged. Inside are the oversized statues of Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Jayaprakash Narayan. These should have been half their size.
***
The following had appeared in a Zambian newspaper some years ago. Last week I pulled out a book on Zambia from my library and found a clipping inside it. “Zambia is to recall all unmarried women from its missions abroad because their sexual habits are damaging the country’s reputation. Foreign Minister Siteke Mwale said the women were flirting and becoming pregnant and was misbehaving with foreigners. These were all recalled.”