Blog

PTI

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned why Indian soldiers were sent “unarmed to martyrdom” in Ladakh and how dare China kill them, a day after asking the defence minister why he did not name China in his tweet and why it took him two days to condole the deaths of 20 Army personnel.

Gandhi also shared on Twitter an interview of a retired Army officer who has worked in the area where the India-China violent stand-off took place on Monday night.

The former Congress president has been questioning the government over the martyrdom of Indian soldiers and has demanded answers from the prime minister. On Wednesday, he asked Defence Minister Rajnath Singh why did he “insult” the Army by not naming China over the killing of Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.

“If it was so painful: Why insult Indian Army by not naming China in your tweet? Why take 2 days to condole? Why address rallies as soldiers were being martyred,” he said.

On Thursday, he added, “How dare China kill our UNARMED soldiers? Why were our soldiers sent UNARMED to martyrdom.”

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region.

The clash in Galwan Valley on Monday night is the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.

On Wednesday morning, the defence minister tweeted, “The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.

‘Make full use of testing capacity, expand health infrastructure’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday indicated that the lockdowns of the kind that India underwent between April and May were unlikely to be repeated. He asked the Chief Ministers of 14 States and the Lieutenant-Governor of a Union Territory to prepare for Unlock 2, following the graded opening of economic activities under Unlock 1 since June 1.

He made these remarks in the second part of his two-day video-conference with the Chief Ministers and the Lieutenant-Governors on COVID-19. “We need to fight against rumours of lockdown since the country is now in the phase of unlocking. We need to think about Phase-II of Unlock and how to minimise harm to our people,” he said in his concluding remarks.

In his opening remarks, he said that while the country was in a vastly better position now with regard to testing of samples, supply of personal protective equipment and quarantine, there was a need to utilise the testing capacity to the full and make sure that whoever contracted the disease had appropriate quarantine and isolation facilities. He pointed to the supply of ventilators using the PM CARES Fund and the beds and quarantine centres made available as part of the efforts to increase capacity. “Our priority should be increasing health infrastructure,” he said.

Mr. Modi noted that with the reduction in restrictions, indicators of economic performance were showing signs of revival. He asked the States to boost infrastructure and take steps to revive construction-related activities.

He emphasised that the emotional aspect of the battle against the virus, including the fight against the fear of being infected and the stigma attached to it, could be handled by underscoring the fact that the number of people who had recovered from the disease was far larger than those who died of it.

The Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, and the Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir took part at the meeting.

With inputs from The Hindu

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

India and China on Wednesday agreed not to escalate matters along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), following a conversation between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Stark differences, however, remained in how both sides described the unprecedented events of June 15, and the clash that claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian soldiers in the worst violence along the border since 1967.

Following the call, it was agreed that both sides would deal with the situation in a “responsible manner” and “neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocols,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quoted Mr. Jaishankar as saying.

A statement issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Beijing said both sides agreed “to cool down the situation”. “The two sides agreed to deal fairly with the serious events caused by the conflict in the Galwan Valley, jointly abide by the consensus reached at the military-level meetings of the two sides, cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible, and maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas in accordance with the agreement reached so far between the two countries,” said the statement.

Monday’s clash was reported to have been triggered by a dispute over the disengagement process that had been agreed to on June 6.

The two statements also underlined serious differences remain over what happened on June 15. The MEA said Mr. Jaishankar “conveyed the protest of the Government of India in the strongest terms” and “underlined that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship”.

The Indian Minister said Chinese forces continued building activities in the Indian side of the LAC in violation of the agreement reached at the Corps Commander talks on June 6, and attacked Indian soldiers in a planned manner. He told Mr. Wang the Chinese forces went back on a commitment despite continuing dialogue throughout last week.

“The Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan Valley on our side of the LAC,” he said. “While this became a source of dispute, the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties.”

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Minister accused India of “deliberately provoking” the clash and “openly breaking the consensus” of June 6.

“Once the situation in the Galwan Valley had calmed down, the Indian front-line troops crossed the LAC again, and deliberately provoked and violently attacked the officers and soldiers who negotiated on the spot, leading to fierce physical clashes, resulting in casualties. This dangerous act of the Indian Army seriously violated the agreement reached between the two countries on the border issue and seriously violated the basic norms of international relations,” he said.

The MFA said he conveyed China’s “strong protest” and “demanded that the Indian side conduct a thorough investigation, severely punish those responsible for the incident, strictly control the frontline troops, and immediately stop all provocative actions to ensure that such incidents cannot occur again.”

He also called on both sides to “strengthen the communication and coordination on the proper handling of the border situation through the existing channels such as the meeting mechanism between the special representatives of the Sino-Indian border and the meeting mechanism of the border defence force, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area.”

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian declined to provide details of Chinese casualties from Monday’s clash, although reports have confirmed there were casualties on both sides.

Asked about China’s casualties, Mr. Zhao said, “I have stated that the Chinese and Indian border troops are now jointly dealing with relevant matters on the ground. I have nothing to add at the moment.” Asked about the likelihood of further escalation, he said, “From the Chinese side, we do not wish to see more clashes.”

China was unlikely to confirm the number of dead and injured, said M. Taylor Fravel, an expert on the Chinese military at MIT. “I can think of no armed conflict involving China where it has released casualty figures publicly at the time of the conflict,” he said. “Usually, they are published years or decades later,” he noted on Twitter, pointing out that casualties from the 1962 were only revealed for the first time in an internal history published in 1994.

On Wednesday, both the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, and the PLA Daily, the Army’s official paper, made no mention of the clash, although it marked the first combat casualties for the PLA possibly since a 1989 clash with Vietnam.

The clash was, however, discussed widely on Chinese social media. On the Twitter equivalent Sina Weibo, the China-India border clash topic had 1.05 billion views and 1,10,000 comments as of Wednesday evening.

With inputs from The Hindu

There were 192 Member States present for voting and the 2/3 required majority was 128. India garnered 184 votes.

PTI

India was elected as non-permanent member of the powerful United Nations Security Council for a two-year term on June 17, winning 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly.

Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the Security Council elections held on June 17.

There were 192 Member States present for voting and the 2/3 required majority was 128. India garnered 184 votes. Canada lost the elections.

Member States elect India to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2021-22 with overwhelming support. India gets 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled, India’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. tweeted.

India will sit in the most powerful U.N. organ, for two years beginning on January 1, along with the five permanent members China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. as well as non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.

India was a candidate for a non-permanent seat from the Asia-Pacific category for the 2021-22 term. Its victory was a given since it was the sole candidate vying for the lone seat from the grouping.

New Delhi’s candidature was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping, including China and Pakistan, in June last year.

Previously, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012.

The U.N. General Assembly on June 17 conducted elections for President of the 75th session of the Assembly, five non-permanent members of the Security Council and members of the Economic and Social Council under special voting arrangements put in place here due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

Turkish diplomat and politician Volkan Bozkir was elected as President of the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly. He was the endorsed candidate from among the Western European and other States.

The elections began at 9 a.m. on June 17 and unlike previous years, when the sprawling General Assembly hall would be packed with U.N. envoys, diplomats and staff during the ballot, this year presence in the UNGA hall was sparse due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

U.N. diplomats, staff and other personnel arrived at the General Assembly hall wearing masks and immediately left the venue after casting their ballots.

In adherence to social distancing guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 193 U.N. Member States were allotted different time slots to cast their votes in the General Assembly Hall for the crucial elections.

Eight time slots were allocated to Member States to cast their ballots starting at 9 a.m., in adherence to social distancing guidelines. The voting continued well in the afternoon, with an additional 30 minute time slot for voters who were unable to visit the General Assembly hall during the specific time slot communicated to them. The time slot for India to cast its ballot was 11:30 a.m.-12 noon.

President of the U.N. General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande oversaw the proceedings in the General Assembly Hall and the tellers also observed the whole process.

For the two vacant seats from among the African and Asia-Pacific States, Djibouti, India and Kenya were the three candidates. For the one vacant seat from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, one endorsed candidate was Mexico. For the two vacant seats from among the Western European and other States, Canada, Ireland and Norway were the three candidates.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members — the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia and China — and 10 non-permanent.

Each year the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term. The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows: five for African and Asian States; one for Eastern European States; two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and two for Western European and other States. To be elected to the Council, candidate countries need a two-thirds majority of ballots of Member States that are present and voting in the Assembly.

India received overwhelming support: Tirumurti

India received overwhelming support in its election to the UN Security Council and it will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti said.

“I am truly delighted that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2021-22. We have received overwhelming support and I’m deeply humbled by the tremendous confidence which the member states of the United Nations have reposed in India,” Mr. Tirumurti said in a video message after the election results were announced.

Mr. Tirumurti said India’s election to the Security Council is a “testament” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vision, and his inspiring global leadership, particularly in the time of COVID-19”.

“India will become a member of the Security Council at a critical juncture and we are confident that in the COVID, and the post COVID world, India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system,” Mr. Tirumurti said.

“India’s journey with the United Nations is quite a remarkable one. As a founding member of the United Nations, India’s contribution to implementing the goals of the United Nations Charter and to the evolution of U.N. specialised agencies and programmes has been substantial. In many ways, quite extraordinary,” Mr. Tirumurti had said in a video message ahead of the elections.

“I’m confident that at a time when we are poised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and later the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022, India’s presence in the Security Council will help bring to the world our ethos that the world is one family — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” he had said.

India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council, saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.

The Telecom Ministry has ordered BSNL, MTNL and other private companies to ban all Chinese deals and equipment. Old tenders will be cancelled and China won’t be allowed to participate, sources said.

The Telecom Ministry has ordered BSNL, MTNL and other private companies to ban all Chinese deals and equipment. Old tenders will be cancelled and China won’t be allowed to participate, sources said.

The move comes amid anger in the country after killing of 20 Indian soldiers at the LAC in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night. The relations between India and China have further soured after the incident this week. Anger has been simmering in the country ever since, with many calling for boycott of Chinese products and apps.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) called for boycott of Chinese goods, listing 450 imported items including cosmetics, bags, toys, furniture, footweara dn watches. The objective is to reduce the import of Chinese finished goods by $13 billion or about Rs 1 lakh crore by December 2021, CAIT said.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch today demanded that Chinese companies be banned from participation in the tender process in the country. It also demanded the cancellation of the lowest bid made by China’s Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co Ltd for the construction of an underground stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project.

Earlier on Wednesday, India delivered a strong message to China that the “unprecedented” incident at the Galwan Valley will have a “serious impact” on the bilateral relationship. It also held the “premeditated” action by Chinese army directly responsible for the violence.

With inputs from India TV News Desk