13 July 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Egypt and India have reestablished strong ties in recent years. In this context, talk about India’s strategic relevance to Egypt.  

Paper & Topic: GS II – International Relations

• The pact opens a new chapter in India and Egypt’s long-standing friendship and expresses a common desire for greater collaboration in the fields of politics, economy, security, and culture. India and Egypt recently signed an agreement elevating their bilateral relationship to the prestigious status of a “Strategic Partnership.” The two countries may utilise synergies, capitalise on complementary capabilities, and jointly handle shared challenges by enhancing their strategic engagement.

The recent reestablishment of tighter ties between Egypt and India:

• Due to India’s support of Egypt, particularly during the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, the two countries signed a Friendship Treaty in 1955, and the Non-Aligned Movement was created in 1961 with both countries as founding members.
• India and Egypt were also crucial to the “South-South Cooperation” and G-77 alliance projects. During the Cold War, India and Egypt both had the desire to stay away from being “camp followers” of either the US or the USSR.
• India and Egypt have recently adopted positions on the Ukraine situation that are remarkably similar: they call for a diplomatic resolution while declining to denounce Russia’s activities.
• By deciding to supply wheat to Egypt last year, one of the biggest importers in the world who was negatively impacted by the ban on exports from Russia and Ukraine, India won over a lot of support in Cairo.
• India and Egypt have a memorandum of understanding in the areas of agriculture, antiquities and archaeology, and competition law. They are also attempting to increase their cooperation in the areas of green energy, pharmaceuticals, and defence.
• Ministerial-level political and diplomatic exchanges between Egypt and India have increased. Notably, senior ministers from both countries have visited one another, highlighting the increased priority placed on strengthening the bilateral relationship in many different ways.

India’s strategic dependence on Egypt:

• Egypt is an important actor in the Indo-Pacific region and a connecting link between Africa, West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Europe thanks to its strategic location. Egypt’s control over the Suez Canal and its proximity to the Red Sea, which offers a different connectivity route to Europe via the Red Sea-Mediterranean Sea, similar to Chabahar and the International North-South Transport Corridor, which connects India to Europe and Central Asian markets, support Egypt’s ability to act as a nodal link.
• Strategic defence partnership: Given that India is focusing on self-production and indigenization in the defence industry, Egypt seems to be a feasible partner as a market for Indian defence equipment. One of the 42 countries to which India now exports defence products is Egypt. Additionally, Egypt has showed interest in buying Tejas planes from India.
• India and the US have recently strengthened their diplomatic and security ties as a result of China’s rise, which is significant for multi-alignment politics. India is likely closely monitoring China’s high-level approach to the countries in the Arab Gulf. India has always supported multilateralism and multilateral institutions, and since the world has failed to address the needs and concerns of the Global South, India and other like-minded countries, including Egypt, wish to work for an emerging order that is fair and logical.
• Energy sources: Egypt provides a substantial amount of crude oil and natural gas to India. India, a significant importer of Egyptian petroleum products, views Egypt as a trustworthy partner in supplying its energy needs.
• Egypt is regarded as a moderate Islamic voice among the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members, which may help in gaining influence among other Islamic nations. With Egypt’s assistance, India and the other OIC countries may work together.
• Egypt would allocate a specific location for India as part of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) cluster. The Suez Canal is extremely dependent on trade with India. Out of the 4.8 million barrels of crude oil that are exported and transported through the canal each day, 500,000 barrels are sent to India. By joining SCZONE, India will be able to maintain its two-pronged approach in the region, perhaps strengthening its economic ties to the West and the Mediterranean.
• It is clear that India and Egypt are trying to forge a closer alliance that considers both autonomous foreign policy and future economies. This partnership is backed by old ties and tossed around by present global unrest. The relationship between Egypt and India is growing stronger, which makes the potential for growth and diversification in the future appear more and more appealing.

Q2. Caste has changed with time, and today it serves as a tool for political mobilisation. In light of this claim, look into the role that caste plays in politics.

Paper & Topic: GS II – Social issues

• A caste is a hereditary endogamous group that has a common name, a traditional occupation, and a shared culture. Castes are also distinguished by having various social standings and having some mobility restrictions. Caste, a deeply embedded institution in Indian society, has developed to fit within modern democratic politics. The politicisation of caste in India has also had a significant impact on the nature of Indian politics.

The positive role of caste in Indian politics:

• Caste as a unifying element in Indian politics: Members of the group are brought together by their shared experience with caste. In rural India, caste, for example, acts as a unifying element when the social universe of rural power is limited to a narrow area.
• Caste and the Empowerment of the Underprivileged: It has made it possible for members of disadvantaged groups to demand an equitable distribution of power. Caste politics has given people from SC/ST and Backward Castes better access to decision-making. Their safety net is caste unity, which guarantees better representation for them. Laws defending the rights of the weak and marginalised have been passed as a result of caste politics’ pervasiveness in India. Take the protection provided by the Civil Rights Act of 1976 as an example.
• Caste and electoral politics: Prior to independence, a caste succession process started among both the elite and middle-status castes. After independence, with the establishment of the adult franchise, this process accelerated. Following the election, fresh leaders from underrepresented or unrepresented castes began to emerge and inspire castes. Consider the rise of the dominant caste in rural regions following the implementation of the land reform.
• Caste organisations are how castes express their shared interests. The two sorts of organisations are caste associations and caste federations. Castes established own organisations to further their objectives, such as their need for social mobility, government employment, educational opportunities, and caste-specific participation in politics.
• Caste associations as pressure groups: Caste associations act as pressure organisations to uphold the ideologies of people from lower castes and make sure that they are fairly represented in politics.

The negative impact of Caste in on Indian politics:

• Vote bank politics: Caste is used as a pretext for voting during election campaigns. It is considered dangerous for political parties to make pledges that are particular to certain caste groups and communities in an effort to win over those groups. Critics claim that in such circumstances, parties begin to favour only specific groups that make up the core of their support, so limiting societal advancement as a whole. In turn, the “vote banks” see this as a chance to get their demands realised if the party of their choosing wins power.
• Caste as a source of division in Indian politics: Caste has frequently led to unhealthy power struggles and divided society into several caste groupings. It provides the framework for the creation of a wide range of interest groups in the Indian system, each of which vies with the others for dominance.
• Additionally, caste politics may encourage the government to prioritise caste conflict and violence above more urgent problems like poverty, development, and corruption.
• The protection of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes has been guaranteed, and as a result, there has been an increase in social instability, political unrest, and even violent acts targeted at particular caste groups.
• Government choices and policies are influenced by the caste issue, which has a propensity to favour the dominant caste groups and establish policies favouring these groups, alienating the vast majority in the process.
• Contrary to the hierarchical character of caste, which establishes a person’s rank in the social system based on birth, the democratic political system defends individual freedom and equality of status with a focus on the notion that no one is above the law.
• Caste has modified its duties and functions as a conventional social structure while keeping itself in the process. As a result, the caste system has been influenced by and changing politics in the same way that caste has been influenced by and changing politics.