Morning Brief: Gandhi’s Temple Run To Continue In Karnataka; Emergency In Maldives; Infra Status For Affordable Housing

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.

Rahul Gandhi’s Temple Run To Continue

Rahul Gandhi is likely to continue his Gujarat-style election campaign in poll-bound Karnataka and will reportedly visit religious places like Huligemma Temple, the Gavi Siddeshwara Mutt, Anubhava Mantapa to woo the state’s Lingayat community. To fragment the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) support in the community, believed to be the largest in Karnataka, the Congress has reignited the issue of a separate religion status for the Lingayat.

To influence the BJP’s traditional base, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders have also started speaking of their Hindu identity. During his four-day tour beginning on 10 February, Gandhi will visit at least four districts in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and is likely to address four public meetings, one tribal rally, and two interactions with farmer unions.

India Remains Fastest Growing Domestic Aviation Market

For the third year in a row, India remained the world's fastest growing domestic aviation market as economic and network expansion boosted the sector, global airline body International Air Transport Association has said. The domestic Indian aviation market, the body’s analysis says, grew the fastest at 17.5 per cent. China, the second fastest growing market, expanded at a rate of 13.3 per cent in 2017. Global average growth remained around 7.6 per cent. Lower airfares since late 2014 have helped in boosting passenger growth in India. As the aviation sector continues to see high growth, many Indian carriers have embarked on ambitious expansion plans and have placed orders for over 900 aircraft.

Emergency Declared In The Maldives

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has declared a 15-day state of emergency, deepening a crisis in the country that began to unfold following last week’s Supreme Court order which directed the government to release all political prisoners. Mohamed Nasheed, the country's exiled former president and Yameen’s rival, was one of the political prisoners set free by the Supreme Court.

Yameen’s government has refused to comply with the order, and has accused the top court of conspiring to oust him and has arrested the Chief Justice of the country along with prominent political leaders following the declaration of emergency. Under Yameen, who has been increasingly dictatorial in his conduct since he came to power in 2013, Chinese influence in the country has grown drastically, and Beijing has invested in multiple infrastructure projects on the strategically located atolls. As the political crisis in the island nation deepens further, New Delhi is considering all its options - including tough ones - to restore democracy in the Indian Ocean nation.

Affordable Housing Gets Infra Status

To promote investment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs awarded infrastructure status to affordable housing on Monday. The new infrastructure status, experts say, will simplify approval process for affordable projects, create clear guidelines, promoted transparency and increase competition by adding private players to the affordable housing market. To understand why India’s Next economic boom will be led by a surge in affordable housing, read our explainer here.

Chinese Incursions On The Rise

The number of Chinese incursions into Indian territory rose to 426 this year from 273 reported in 2016, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told the Rajya Sabha on Monday, adding that the government has taken up the issue with the Chinese side through an established mechanism. While transgressions usually occur due to the differing perception of the Line of Actual Control, such incidents are sometimes deliberate and meant to convey a message.

India has been tough in dealing with Chinese transgressions in recent years, as seen during the confrontation in Ladakh's Chumur sector during President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014. Last year, India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam, a piece of mountainous land which both Beijing and Thimphu claim. India, using a combination of military and diplomatic resources, forced China to stop the construction of a road in the area that it believed would have changed the status quo in the region in violation of an understanding between the three countries.

Tytler’s ‘Confessional’ Video

A video of former Congress MP Jagdish Tytler, where he has allegedly admitted to killing over 100 Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has been released by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. Shiromani Akali Dal national spokesperson Manjit Singh G K, who heads the committee, has said that the clip was handed over in an envelope to his security guards on 3 February. Singh has demanded that a case be registered against Tytler and the Gandhi family for “engineering the massacre” of Sikhs in Delhi. Backed by the committee, Singh has warned that he will launch protests against the police and other government agencies if they fail to act.

Elon Musk's Tesla Ready For Mars Mission

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is all set to carry Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster into outer space. The Roadster will be acting as a mock payload for the highly anticipated debut test the Falcon Heavy, which is capable of sending larger payloads deeper into space than the current Falcon 9 rocket. Musk recently shared an animated video of what it will look like when the rocket releases the Roadster into space.

MUST READ OPINIONS AND COLUMNS

The Capex Conundrum: To increase investment demand, savings and capital formation in the household sector needs to improve, and a revival in the real estate and construction sectors is needed.

A Criminal Breach Of Trust: All the cloak and mirrors that governments over time have engaged in, and continue to do, can be traced to the total lack of accountability for outcomes.

New Edginess Amongst Baloch Diaspora: Even as Pakistan alleges external involvement as an excuse to cover up its atrocities against the Baloch, targeted state action against them is assuming the form of a genocide that the international community cannot ignore.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Jaitley’s Import Tariffs Are A China Tax: Less About Protection, More About Self-Defence: The tariff changes should be seen as India’s China tax and a response to its aggression on our borders and indulgence in predatory trading practices. It would also be naive to run an easy import regime when the rest of the world is slamming their doors shut.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

SUBSCRIBE NOW: The January issue of our magazine is out now. The cover story focuses on the strategy for 2018 that will confront Narendra Modi in April-May 2019, and at the same time focus on a strong economic and governance agenda in the final year of his tenure – Do The Right Things. For more insights and detailed analysis get a copy home and enjoy reading Swarajya in print. Subscribe here to start receiving your copies for just Rs 349.

Swarajya Apps: Enjoy reading morning brief and all other articles from Swarajya on your mobile. Download our app here on Android and iOS.