.@ajaynewsman of @thetribunechd who first broke the story of the military clash at Tawang yesterday, has this image of the peak from where the Chinese have been trying to evict the Indian soldiers. The PLA location at the base of the peak is clearly visible.

https://twitter.com/ajaynewsman/status/1602479759644332032

Patrols coming into areas claimed by either side, and thereby clashing, is different from the PLA trying to come to a peak and evict an Indian army post from the top. Going by the reports so far, that seems to be the case in Tawang. How has the PLA been so emboldened to try this?

This does not look good at all. Arunachal is the real challenge, as many of us have been warning for some time

https://twitter.com/ajaynewsman/status/1602287662194647040

This is what I wrote in @ForeignPolicy earlier this month: "The challenge for India is becoming more concerning on the eastern part of the LAC—between the state of Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet—where China has an infrastructure and military advantage..." foreignpolicy.com/2022/12/01/chi…

In my Nov column for @thecaravanindia, I point to the dangers on the China border due to Modi's approach to Xi at Bali, if it is a resolution like the 2017 Doklam disengagement via Hamburg. And the risks exacerbated by three fault lines of G20 under India. caravanmagazine.in/politics/g20-m… Because five years is a long time, it is easy to forget what happened at the G20 summit in Hamburg and how it led to "disengagement" at Doklam. That allowed the government to declare the problem as resolved but the PLA never went away from there. It has only reinforced itself.

In today's @DeccanHerald, I write about the scenes of violent protests against Agnipath scheme. They come as the Indian State has ceded its monopoly over violence to Hindutva mobs. These angry young men have also seen violence being successfully used for political mobilisation. PM Modi boasts about the 100 unicorns creating wealth and value, but these angry aspirants for wearing the military uniform clearly disagree. Those angry with Agnipath instead see a country with high inflation, high unemployment & underemployment, with widening wealth inequality.

Have tweeted it a few times earlier but still absolutely love this @pbmehta essay on Nehru openthemagazine.com/voices/bigger-… This one for the essential thought: nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/rememb…

As expected, the government’s projections of two billion vaccines are like its promise of Achhe Din. With no basis in reality. And the global vaccine tenders are evoking no response from companies. Wasn’t it expected?

The underreporting levels are truly stunning. This is Bhaskar on Faridabad.

.@pbmehta: "each one of this government’s spectacular failures is an intended consequence of its governing philosophy. The cruelty, callousness and seeming incompetence is meant to be the feature, not the bug." magazine.outlookindia.com/story/india-ne… More @pbmehta: "How else does one explain the fact that someone as spectacularly bright and rigorous in his thinking as S. Jaishankar, intellectual heir to the great K. Subrahmanyam, now acts as a pale version of Ribbentrop doing a petulant cover-up job."

कोई छींकता तक नहीं
इस डर से
कि मगध की शांति
भंग न हो जाए,

मगध को बनाए रखना है, तो,
मगध में शांति
रहनी ही चाहिए

मगध है, तो शांति है

कोई चीखता तक नहीं
इस डर से
कि मगध की व्‍यवस्‍था में
दखल न पड़ जाए
मगध में व्‍यवस्‍था रहनी ही चाहिए

मगध में न रही
तो कहाँ रहेगी?
क्‍या कहेंगे लोग? लोगों का क्‍या?
लोग तो यह भी कहते हैं
मगध अब कहने को मगध है,

रहने को नहीं

कोई टोकता तक नहीं
इस डर से
कि मगध में

टोकने का रिवाज न बन जाए

Congratulations. Every single item used for fighting the pandemic is taxed by GST. Aapda mein avsar, as Modi peaches.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1388426053048160260

There is a 12% GST on Covid aid from abroad, which doesn't come via ICRC. There is 12% GST on medical oxygen, 5% on Covid vaccines, 28% on ambulance, 5% for PPE below Rs 1,000 and 12% for the rest; Plus 12%, 5%, 12% 18% GST on test kits, masks, ventilators & sanitisers.

Three points driven home again today, says @seemay: One, this govt's muscle, muzzle and smear routine. Two, need for independent media never greater as private TV channels are DD on steroids. And three, hollowing out of institutions forces citizens with grievances to the streets.

https://twitter.com/TheIndiaCable/status/1354016624538382337

Democratic institutions are instruments of intermediation between the state and the citizens. When the executive discredits and hollows out institutions like the Parliament, judiciary, media, bureaucracy, universities & civil society groups, it creates a situation witnessed today

We have a long history of misreading, misunderstanding and misinterpreting election results in Kashmir. That blunder should not be repeated again with DDC results which are nothing but the first public expression of Kashmiri anger against Modi govt’s actions of last August. 1/n

https://twitter.com/TheIndiaCable/status/1342057557796343808

The first point to appreciate is the nature of the Gupkar Alliance: it was not an electoral alliance for seats, like other gathbandhans but formed with the specific and forcefully stated objective of restoring the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. 2/n

First interpretation: Have done everything to avoid the situation from further escalating on the LAC.

Second interpretation: Acceptance of the new status quo on the LAC as on September 21, 2020, by "refrain(ing) from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground" etc.

https://twitter.com/shreyadhoundial/status/1308433679153160200

The missing bit is even an indirect reference to the situation on the ground as on April 2020, and India's stated objective of restoration of status quo ante as of April 2020. The fact that China has denied access to 1000 sq km of territory makes the new status quo untenable.

"Democracies can die with a coup d'etat - or they can die slowly. This happens most deceptively when in piecemeal fashion, with the election of an authoritarian leader, the abuse of governmental power and the complete repression of opposition." “This is how elected autocrats subvert democracy—packing and “weaponizing” the courts and other neutral agencies, buying off the media and the private sector (or bullying them into silence), and rewriting the rules of politics to tilt the playing field against opponents."

A detailed and well-fleshed out news report from the reliable @shreyadhoundial provides valuable updated information about the ground situation in Ladakh and the assessments of top security brass on tensions with PLA.

https://twitter.com/shreyadhoundial/status/1303720085832388608

1. At South bank, India is dominating strategic heights, but Black Top is not one of them. Top official has clarified to @shreyadhoundial that Black Top has always been with the Chinese. This runs contrary to some of the early reportage about the important feature.

India and China are sitting on a tinderbox in Ladakh, which could go off with any move that is misunderstood or misinterpreted by either side. Everything that has happened over the past few days, including statements by both sides, are highly escalatory.
indianexpress.com/article/india/… 1 - PLA has attempted to move into southern bank, knowing fully well that Indians are deployed in good strength there, unlike the northern bank. It is evidently trying to change the status quo in areas upto Chinese perception of the LAC by asserting its physical control.

With little hopes of any breakthrough in the next round of military talks and rivers and nalas in spate now, Army preparing for all contingencies in Ladakh, including any possible Chinese military move as waters subside in the month of October. My report: indianexpress.com/article/india/… "The rivers and nalas are currently in full spate in eastern Ladakh, and with the tracks located in the valleys, they become unusable and inaccessible. That rules out any military action. But as the water subsides, October is a campaigning season in the area..."

Despite previous rounds of talks failing to achieve any progress due to rigid Chinese stance, Government decides to continue with more military-level talks with the Chinese on Ladakh border issue. Dates of these talks yet to be finalised. My report indianexpress.com/article/india/… Five rounds of talks at the level of the Corps Commander have been held so far, with no progress on the ground after the fourth round on July 14. The fifth round of talks was held on August 2 where discussions were around the Chinese ingress of around 8 km at Pangong Tso area.

Certain Chinese bodies identified as "entities of concern" and will be placed under the “requirement of prior screening/ clearance” for any visa sponsored by them. My report on the govt note of last month about Chinese think-tanks, business fora & groups. indianexpress.com/article/india/… The note, received by the MEA in late July, states that the “Chinese government has built an outreach system comprising think tanks and business fora all over the world with an objective to influence sections in countries on strategic interest”.

Another WMCC meet between India and China to resolve Ladakh border issues today, but hopes of any breakthrough are low after the rigid Chinese stance in the past month that has pushed a new status quo by PLA troops on the LAC. My report indianexpress.com/article/india/… Since the border issue erupted in Ladakh more than 100 days ago, there have been 3 WMCC meets (June 24, July 10, July 24), 5 Corps Commander meets, 1 Special Representative talks, 2 top-level interactions by Indian Ambassador to Beijing, and many lower military commander talks.

Today is 100th day of tensions between India and China on the LAC in Ladakh (if May 5 is the start when soldiers of both the armies clashed on Pangong Tso). China remains on the Indian side of the LAC at some places as New Delhi looks at another WMCC meet. indianexpress.com/article/india/… Doklam lasted 73 days and was resolved after 13 days of diplomatic talks. Chumar and Depsang lasted even lesser. Only Wangdung in Somdurong Chu in 1986 lasted longer.

But the current crisis, unlike these, is at multiple places and has already seen 20 Indian soldiers dead.