Best of BS Opinion: Chinese chequers on the LAC, women on boards, and more

Notwithstanding the government’s insistence that all is well on the Line of Actual Control, locals and politicians refute New Delhi’s claims that Chinese and Indian military commanders have negotiated a mutual and equal troop disengagement and created buffer zones. The result of this sustained land-grab by the Chinese since April 2020 is that the grazier community is being blocked from accessing its traditional pasturelands and army units are doing nothing to protect them even as China is swiftly moving to set up villages and settlements in disputed zones The Indian military needs to be backed by similar political resolve to be able to push back against these creeping encroachments, says Ajai Shukla. Read it here

In other views

The top edit says that with evolving economic and geopolitical conditions dampening global trade, India will need to calibrate policy responses to adjust to the slowdown. Read it here

The second edit points out that despite the air force chief’s publicly stated reservations about the joint theatre command, the process has gone too far down the road to stop or turn around now. Read it here

Ajay Tyagi & CKG Nair explain why women’s representation on Indian corporate boards has a long way to go despite a regulatory mandate. Read it here

QUOTE OF THE DAY

‘In the past six months, the number of love letters that the L-G has written to me, my wife hasn’t written to me in my whole life.

L-G sahib, chill a little. And please tell your super boss to chill a little as well’

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal