The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence can bring much needed clarity on India’s national security that Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget didn’t answer.

FEB 09 2021, 23:31 IST UPDATED: FEB 09 2021, 23:45 IST

Indian Army. Credit: PTI Photo
The realities of the defence budget seem to be blowing in the political wind and, despite claims to the contrary, the allotment for 2021-22 could at best be described as ‘more of the same’.

The disengagement process in Ladakh is hopefully the concluding scene of another military episode in India-China relations.

Political guidance for India’s strategic rudder is being tested by China’s Great Power ambitions. In Ladakh, disengagement and de-escalation remain on ice. An eyeball to eyeball confrontation continues, one that is pregnant with possibilities of sudden eruptions that could dwarf the Galwan incident in terms of force exchange and casualties.

The possibility of improving the quality of leadership is the redeeming feature of democracy. Declining standards in political probity, the unrepresentative character of the elected legislatures, corrupt practices like electoral bonds are major concerns and call for reform of the electoral system.

The nosedive in India-China relations in 2020 throws up the natural question: Why did we not see it coming? Strategically, China’s geopolitical ambition has been acquiring wings and sharpening its claws for nearly two decades.

Military history often knocks on contemporary doors. Galwan, Kongka La, and Pangong Tso that were areas of military contestations in 1962, with Depsang also thrown in, are emblematic of the present Sino-Indian border crisis. It was HG Wells who said, “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” India doesn’t seem to have learnt this lesson. In its signature style, China has used military power to grab control of unoccupied areas and called it as an act of self-defence.