Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 11 June 2018 | Page 13

AN ALIEN IN THE ASSEMBLY?
I
N Canaan of old, the
Gileadites weeded out
the fleeing Ephraimites by
asking them to pronounce
the word ‘shibboleth’; those
who said ‘sibboleth’ were
exposed as Ephraimites and
killed. Alas, the
foreigners’ tribu-
nals of Assam must
resort to more
prosaic—and per-
haps error-prone—
methods. BJP MLA
Kishor Nath, his wife, four
brothers and sister-in-law,
were recently served notices
to prove they were Indian
citizens, not Bangladeshi
migrants. A surprised Nath,
who represents Barkhola,
said he was “a son of
the soil” and “we have
been living here for
three generations”,
and intends to provide
all the required evi-
dence in court.
ORANGE STREAK ON GREEN
T
HE Orange Line Metro Train covers a 27.1
km stretch of Lahore, from Ali Town to
Dera Gujran. The service, which Punjab chief
minister Shahbaz Sharif flagged off recently
for a test run over part of its route, is the coun-
try’s first rapid transit rail system. The project,
with 27 trains, each comprising five carriages,
is part of the $50 billion China–Pakistan Eco-
nomic Corridor and will initially serve 2.5 lakh
people a day, but this is expected to expand to
5 lakh by 2025. The CM described the project
as “the manifestation of democratic resolve
to serve the common man.”
THE LONG TUNICS OF THE LAW
U
TTAR Pradesh’s
women cops are
getting a makeover. After
a 2016 National Confer-
ence of Women in Police
made recommendations
to improve the uniform,
Allahabad police head-
quarters made a specific
proposal that the govern-
ment has now approved.
Non-gazetted police­
women will now wear
tunics ending a few inches
above the knee rather
than shirts. These tunics
will be double-collared
with four pockets and will
have loops for a cloth belt
with a buckle featuring the
UP police logo. A top pol­
ice officer said the uniform
had been designed with
the convenience of the
women cops in mind, but
another officer said the
tunic looked heavier than
the old shirts.
Slip of Tongue, Sorry
M
OST Indian leaders are oblivious to neighbour’s sensi­
tivities while engaging in political rhetoric. But this is
something you don’t easily identify Sushma Swaraj with. She
is not only among the most widely experienced but perhaps
also the most matured politician in Narendra Modi’s cabinet.
As foreign minister she has been extremely careful in choos­
ing her words while conveying a message to the neighbours.
Yet, it is a remark she made recently that is threatening to
bring back fresh strains in India’s relations with Nepal.
On May 27, while holding a press conference to highlight
achievements of the Modi government at the end of its four
years, Sushma inadvertently made a comment that has
stirred up emotions in neighbouring Nepal. She said, “Modi is
the first Prime Minister of the country who has from Ameri­
ca’s Madison Square to Nepal’s Janakpur addressed lakhs of
Indians and reached out to them.”
According to Nepal’s top English
Many in Nepal
daily Kathmandu Post, that coun­
try’s foreign ministry took note of
continue to
the Indian foreign minister’s rem­
feel that India
arks on Janakpur, and described it
still considers
as “unfortunate.”
Madhesis as
The Post further pointed out
its cat’s paw.
that Sushma claimed Modi was
The ties
the first prime minister to address
between the
the Indian community at where
they are living. Her remarks come
two nations
weeks after Modi’s visit to Nepal’s
have soured
Janakpur where he addressed
over this issue.
large number of Madhesi people in
Hindi and Maithili language.
The paper quoted the Nepalese foreign ministry as saying,
“It has come to the notice of the Government of Nepal that
she has publicly admitted her mistake and apologised for the
same.... The government of Nepal sincerely thanks all those
who raised concerns over the issue.” Sushma ha d tweeted,
“This was a mistake on my part. I sincerely apologise...”
In recent years, Indo-Nepal relations had soured over
Kathmandu’s failure to give adequate voice to the Madhesi
community in its new Constitution. Delhi’s dissatisfaction
over this had also led to an economic blockade on land-locked
Nepal, leading to misery to the people of the country.
Many in Nepal continue to believe that India still considers
people of the Madhesi community as its cat’s paw.
It is therefore interesting to note the statement issued by
the Nepalese foreign ministry on the issue.
Though the foreign ministry seemed satisfied with Sush­
ma’s apology, it nevertheless reminded that “social cohesion
and harmony characterise the Nepali way of life that is
reflective of national unity among people living in all regions,
which should be respected by all.”
11 June 2018 OUTLOOK 13