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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Red Romance

For long, the Naxalite in news was recognisable by the gun. But the more insidious version of Naxalism has never needed a rifle. It has thrived in varsity classrooms and newspaper and magazine columns, fostered by men and women sympathetic to it. These academics and other members of the so-called intelligentsia have long enjoyed their status as ‘respectable dissenters’ even when their politics offered intellectual alibis for Naxals carrying guns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent...

Red Romance

For long, the Naxalite in news was recognisable by the gun. But the more insidious version of Naxalism has never needed a rifle. It has thrived in varsity classrooms and newspaper and magazine columns, fostered by men and women sympathetic to it. These academics and other members of the so-called intelligentsia have long enjoyed their status as ‘respectable dissenters’ even when their politics offered intellectual alibis for Naxals carrying guns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Independence Day warning about “dimaagi Naxals” should therefore not be dismissed as another political label. His larger point was that an insurgency does not survive on ammunition alone. It survives on ideas and people willing to make violence appear morally fashionable. The most revealing feature of India’s Maoist movement was never simply its brutality. It was the strange attraction it exercised over sections of the metropolitan Left elite. The Naxalite with an AK-47 could be transformed into a romantic revolutionary while the policeman he killed became an instrument of an oppressive state. This was not merely naïveté. At its ugliest, it was the intellectual laundering of political violence. The fantasy of the romantic revolutionary has always been seductive. In this narrative, amplified through sympathetic media priding itself on telling ‘truth to power,’ India was not a constitutional democracy struggling with inequality and corruption but an inherently illegitimate state waiting to be overthrown. In the minds of this elite Left, Maoist violence has often been recast as resistance while attacks on infrastructure as blows against capitalism. The armed overthrow of the Indian republic was the liberation they craved for. Some of India’s most celebrated intellectuals have flirted dangerously close to that moral inversion. The issue here is whether intellectual prestige can be used to sanitise an ideology whose practitioners have murdered civilians, policemen and public servants and terrorised some of India’s poorest districts. A university cannot be the place where Maoist romanticism acquires the legitimacy of a fashionable campus cause. Professors who turn armed insurgents into heroic revolutionaries are not merely exercising academic freedom. If they knowingly excuse violence, they are helping to construct the moral vocabulary that makes violence possible. Let’s be clear here. A professor who criticises the Indian state is not a Naxal while a journalist who exposes state excesses is not an enemy of India. But an intellectual who repeatedly excuses, glorifies or rationalises political violence cannot hide behind the word ‘dissent.’ India has paid an enormous price for the Maoist fantasy. Thousands have died. Entire regions were held back by fear while development was obstructed. The people supposedly being liberated were often the first to suffer. The armed Naxal is now being pushed towards extinction. But the Indian republic cannot afford to leave behind the romantic mythology that made the gun respectable. A democracy can tolerate dissent. It should never be expected to tolerate the glorification of those who seek its violent destruction.

Silicon Bonds

As global chip wars intensify, India and the Netherlands deepen ties in a critical technological frontier.

Despite Netherlands’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp’s India visit lasting barely 26 hours, it signified more than the routine diplomacy of a first-time official tour. For the Netherlands, more than just another European trading partner, is a critical player in the global semiconductor industry. It is home to ASML, the world’s only producer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, essential for making advanced chips. Against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions in the semiconductor race, India’s move to strengthen ties with the Dutch is both timely and strategic.


For decades, India and the Netherlands have shared a robust relationship, rooted in trade, investment and historical ties that date back to the 17th century when the Dutch East India Company was active in Indian ports. Today, the Netherlands is India’s fourth-largest foreign direct investor and one of its most reliable economic partners in Europe. But this visit marks a shift towards a more high-tech partnership which would position India as a major hub for semiconductor manufacturing and research.


The announcement that India and the Netherlands will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on semiconductors in 2025 signals the growing convergence of interests. India, under its ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives, has been aggressively courting semiconductor investments, keen to establish itself as an alternative to China and Taiwan in the global supply chain. The Netherlands, with its cutting-edge expertise in chipmaking machinery and microelectronics, is a natural partner in this endeavour.


The urgency of semiconductor self-reliance has never been more pronounced. The global chip war, triggered by US-China tensions, export restrictions and the quest for technological supremacy, has left nations scrambling to secure their semiconductor supply chains. The United States has imposed sweeping bans on China’s access to advanced chips and manufacturing technology, effectively cutting Beijing off from Dutch-made EUV lithography machines. Washington has lobbied its allies, including the Netherlands, to align with its stance on restricting China’s chip ambitions. In this fragmented landscape, India emerges as a stable, democratic alternative for semiconductor production.


This fact was acknowledged by Veldkamp when he called India a “safe place” for semiconductor and critical technology manufacturing.


Europe, too, is recalibrating its approach to economic and technological partnerships. The European Union’s ‘Chips Act’ aims to reduce reliance on Asian manufacturing hubs (China and Taiwan) and India, positioned as a rising semiconductor player, fits neatly into the EU’s diversification strategy.


The proposed India-Netherlands MoU aligns with the broader India-EU relationship, which has seen renewed momentum in recent years. Trade negotiations between New Delhi and Brussels have intensified, with a focus on technology transfers, digital trade and industrial cooperation.


For India, partnering with the Netherlands could be a gateway to deeper engagement with Europe’s tech ecosystem. Dutch expertise in semiconductor R&D, along with India’s growing prowess in chip design and manufacturing incentives, could create a symbiotic relationship that strengthens both nations’ positions in the global semiconductor race. ASML’s technology, though heavily restricted due to US-led controls, remains crucial for future collaborations in semiconductor innovation. While India may not yet be a player in high-end chip fabrication, strategic partnerships with Dutch firms could accelerate its ambitions to build a robust semiconductor supply chain.


However, the semiconductor industry requires substantial capital investment, skilled labour and uninterrupted access to raw materials - factors that India is still working to refine. The success of the India-Netherlands partnership will depend on New Delhi’s ability to provide a conducive environment for chipmakers, as well as the Netherlands’ willingness to deepen technological cooperation without geopolitical constraints.


The global semiconductor war today is no longer just about technology but about alliances, supply chain security and economic resilience. By forging stronger ties with the Netherlands, India is not just securing its chip future but also announcing its intent to be a key player in the world’s next industrial revolution.

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