Best of BS Opinion: Sri Lanka & Sino-Indian rivalry, onion crisis, and more

From why Rajapaksa being Sri Lanka's president won't change much its ties with Asia's rivals to why India Inc is afraid to criticise the govt, here are few Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day

Loyalty is a virtue, but does one have to wear it on his/her sleeve all the time? Do we, as a society, handle icons far better than we handle issues? If the warehousing of onions is neither difficult nor cost-intensive, why do we face a shortage of supply and shooting up of prices year after year? Alokananda Chakraborty sums up.

It is incumbent on lenders to carry out due diligence, no matter how common the practice of pledging shares might be, argues our top edit. Read here.

Incentivise storage of onions to ensure steady availability of the staple, argues our second edit. Click here to read.

Successive governments were alleged to be quite active in browbeating their political opponents; in some cases, their allies; and select bureaucrats and industrialists. The tradition continues, writes Shyamal Majumdar. Read here.

Economically sluggish India faces tough Chinese competition in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean, writes Anita Inder Singh, founding professor of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution in New Delhi. Click here to read.

It is time policymakers left the subject of free speech and expression to lawyers and focused on what can be done to instill greater confidence in banks and financial institutions, writes Somasekhar Sundaresan. Read here.

The first strategic divestment deal by the government will clear the path for many more. It will also be the toughest to execute, writes Dhiraj Nayyar, chief economist Vedanta. Click here to read.

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"Two-faced" 

US President Donald Trump slammed Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, for allegedly mocking him at NATO summit