80 crore people to get free ration for 5 more months: Modi

NEW DELHI, June 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the key central scheme to help the poor during the coronavirus crisis.

“PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) will be extended till the end of November in which free ration will be provided to the poor. The extension will cost over Rs 90 thousand crore,” Modi said in his address to the nation.

The prime minister said that 80 crore people will get free ration for five more months. He also highlighted the work done by the Centre since the lockdown came into force.

“Under the PMGKAY, we announced a package of Rs 1.75 lakh crore. In the last three months, Rs 31,000 crore have been deposited in the bank accounts of 20 crore poor families. Also, Rs 18,000 crore deposited in bank accounts of more than nine crore farmers,” Modi said.

His short address, sixth since the pandemic began in March, entirely focussed on India’s coronavirus battle and the steps the government took to minimise the impact of the crisis.

Modi also reiterated the fact that India has a low fatality rate as compared to the world, a fact which he attributed to the government’s decision to impose an early lockdown.

He also hailed farmers and honest tax payers for their contribution in making the welfare scheme successful.

PMGKAY is a Rs 1.7-lakh crore financial package announced by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to minimise the impact of lockdown on economy and poor.

The existing National Food Security Act provides 5kg of foodgrain per person monthly at a subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg to the country’s poor. Under the PMGKY, the ration quota was enhanced by another 5 kg for free for the next three months in March.

The lockdown announced on March 24 shuttered shops, factories, and construction sites, rendering millions of migrant workers jobless.

Bihar cancels tender of mega bridge project involving Chinese companies

PATNA, June 28: The Bihar government on Sunday announced the cancellation of a tender awarded for construction of a new mega bridge parallel to Patna’s iconic Mahatma Gandhi Setu because two of the four contractors selected for the project had Chinese partners, said state minister for road construction Nand Kishore Yadav.

“2 of the 4 contractors who were selected for construction of a new bridge parallel to Mahatma Gandhi Setu, had Chinese partners. We asked them to change their partners but they didn’t, so we cancelled their tender. We have called for applications again,” Yadav was quoted as saying.

China Harbour Engineering Company and Shaanxi Road Bridge Group Company (JV) were among the bidders for the project, which was cleared by the Union government’s cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year.

Bihar government’s decision comes in the wake of outrage against Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian Army soldiers on June 15. This has led to calls for boycott of Chinese products and business entities.

Earlier this week, Maharashtra government had temporarily put on hold the memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 5,020 crore recently signed with three Chinese companies and demanded the Centre to come up with a clear policy on the matter in the context of the “boycott everything Chinese” call.

The MoUs with three Chinese firms are worth Rs 5,020 crore, including Hengli Group (Rs 250 crore), Great Wall Motors (Rs 3,770 crore) and PMI Electro Mobility Solutions, a joint venture with Foton (Rs 1,000 crore).

The 14.500 km long project in Bihar includes the construction of a 5.634 km bridge which runs parallel to the existing four-lane Mahatma Gandhi Setu across the Ganga river on NH-19 at Patna. It also includes four vehicular underpasses, one rail-over- bridge (RoB), 1,580 mtr long one viaduct, four minor bridges, five bus shelters and 13 road junctions. The capital cost of this was estimated at Rs 29.26 billion initially and it was supposed to be completed in 3.5 years.

A confederation of Indian traders, CAIT had recently released a list of over 500 Chinese products and called for their boycott in India.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliated with the RSS had also demanded that the Central government cancelled a tender for construction of an underground stretch of Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited (STEC). Government officials had then clarified that it was not possible to cancel the contract as the project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and was against the rules.

BJP Faces 10 Questions On China Links In Congress Counter-Offensive

NEW DELHI, June 27: Singed by the BJP's allegations of corruption and subversive dealings with China, the Congress party on Saturday hit back at the ruling party with 10 pointed questions on its relationships with the Chinese Communist Party and Beijing.

Facing increasing questions over the clash in Ladakh with Chinese troops that left 20 Indian soldiers dead last week, the BJP has mounted accusations on the Congress leadership over the past few days.

Taking on BJP chief JP Nadda for "his flailing attempts at distraction and diversion from the issues of national security and territorial integrity", Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the party itself is "scared of the questions being asked on its deep-rooted Chinese connections".

He released a list of 10 questions that include the BJP's links to the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) and its interactions with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"What is the connection of the BJP to the Communist Party of China (CCP)? What is the historical relationship between BJP and CCP spoken about by the then BJP President Rajnath Singh during the visit of a CCP delegation on January 30th, 2007 and reiterated by him during the meeting with members of Politburo of the CCP on October 17th, 2008?" the Congress asked

"Why did the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ('RSS') go to China in January 2009 on an invite from the CCP? Why was a delegation of RSS invited by the CCP despite it not being a political party and what discussions were held on our sensitive state of Arunachal Pradesh as also Tibet?" it asked.

"Why did the then BJP President Nitin Gadkari go to China on a five-day visit on January 19th, 2011 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China ('CCP')?" it said.

The questions also included those on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's several visits to China, hosting the country's leadership with grand events in India and much-talked about photo op Chinese President Xi Jinping on a swing.

"Why did the then BJP President Amit Shah send a delegation of MP's/MLA's in November 2014 to China for a week-long study in "The Party School" of the Chinese Communist Party ('CCP')?" the Congress asked.

It also dared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - the ideological mentor of the BJP - to declare its donors including foreign like the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation which has been the subject of many of the party's accusations this week.

"Will the BJP declare the name of donors from whom it has received thousands of crores in donations through electoral bonds?" the Congress said, along with other questions on funding of the party, the RSS and other associated organisations.

The questions came in response the BJP's sharp attack on the Gandhi family, which leads the Congress, and allegations of impropriety in the transfer of Rs 20 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) in 2005, during the Congress-led Manmohan Singh government.

On Friday the BJP followed up its claims with party chief JP Nadda releasing papers he said were proof the Congress had pushed for a regional trade agreement favourable to China, referring to this as "economic surrender" after Rahul Gandhi, last week, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "Surender" Modi.

Rahul Gandhi asks Modi to speak the truth on Chinese intrusion

NEW DELHI, June 26: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday kept up with his attack on the government over the border standoff with China in Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh earlier this month and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak up about the violence.

The Congress party, led by its former president Rahul Gandhi, has been taking jibes at the Centre since the June 15 violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley, which resulted in the killing of 20 Indian Army soldiers, including the commanding officer of the Bihar regiment.

It has also been questioning the government whether Indian land has been occupied by China.

“A few days ago, our Prime Minister had said that not a single inch of Indian land has been taken by anyone, no one entered inside India’s borders. But we have heard, people are talking about it, satellite images show, Ladakh’s residents and retired generals of the army are saying that China has snatched away our land. China has taken away our land not just at one place but in three areas,” Rahul Gandhi said during a virtual address.

The Congress leader was referring to PM Modi’s comments at the all-party meeting that “no one has entered our territory, no one is at present within our territory and no one has occupied our posts”.

“Prime Minister ji, you will have to speak the truth and tell the country. There is no need to get flustered. If you say no land was taken away and the truth is otherwise, it will be China’s gain,” he said.

“We need to put up a fight together and throw them away. You will have to speak the truth without getting flustered and getting scared that yes China has taken over our land and we are going to take action. The entire country will stand by you,” he said.

Gandhi’s next question was about soldiers on the border.

“Who sent our brave soldiers without weapons and why?” he asked.

Rahul Gandhi’s comments came almost at the same time as Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s address about the border issue.

“The Prime Minister says China didn’t infiltrate but, on the other hand, the defence ministry and external affairs ministry keep discussing the large presence of and intrusions by the Chinese…,” Sonia Gandhi said.

“Today, when we’re paying tribute to our martyrs, the country wants to know if China has not captured our land in Ladakh, as claimed by PM, then why and how were our 20 soldiers martyred,” she said.

Chinese commanding officer was among several dead along LAC

NEW DELHI, June 22: A commanding officer (CO) of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) unit was among the scores of fatal casualties that China suffered in the June 15 Galwan Valley skirmish along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), people familiar with developments said on Monday.

The death of the Chinese commander was confirmed to the Indian side through diplomatic and military channels last week, said one of the persons cited above, asking not to be named.

The brutal clash at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh resulted in 20 Indian deaths, including that of a CO, and the Chinese army possibly suffered more than twice the casualties, as stated by union minister General VK Singh (retd) on Saturday). It was the first deadly conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the contested LAC in 45 years.

The Chinese CO’s body was among the bodies exchanged by the two sides after the clash was over on June 16, said the second person cited above.

The moment the Indian soldiers realised that their CO, Colonel B Santosh Babu, had fallen they fought against the Chinese soldiers with all their might and killed 16 of them and inflicted life-threatening injuries on scores of others in a fearsome counter attack.

The seven-hour deadly conflict involved three staggered clashes and saw the Indian soldiers put up a fierce fight against Chinese troops who had been pulled out of another sector and freshly deployed on the disputed border to carry out the premeditated attack. The Indian and Chinese COs were killed in the second and the most fierce round of fighting.

The clash involved 600 soldiers from both sides, with the Indians badly outnumbered.

Details from the debriefing of Indian soldiers involved in the skirmish reveal the heroism of the Indian troops who fought off numerically superior rivals and the tactics of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The Indian soldiers were carrying weapons and ammunition but did not open fire as they were following border agreements between the two countries, the government said last week following a political controversy erupted over whether the Indian soldiers were carrying weapons that could have been used to defend themselves.

PM Must Be Mindful Of Implications Of Words: Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI, June 22: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a statement today on the Ladakh clash in which 20 soldiers were killed, said the Prime Minister must "always be mindful of the implications of his words" -- an apparent reference to the controversy over PM Narendra Modi's comments at an all-party meeting on Friday.

The former PM also said the Prime Minister and the government must "rise to the occasion to ensure justice for Colonel B. Santosh Babu and our jawans who have made the ultimate sacrifice and resolutely defended our territorial integrity."

To do any less "would be a historic betrayal of the people's faith," said Manmohan Singh, in his first response to the deadly face-off on June 15 at Galwan Valley.

"At this moment, we stand at historic cross-roads. Our government's decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how the future generations perceive us. Those who lead us bear the weight of a solemn duty. And in our democracy that responsibility rests with the office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must always be mindful of the implications of his words and declarations on our Nation's security as also strategic and territorial interests," Manmohan Singh said.

On Friday, at an all-party meeting, Modi had said: "Neither is anyone inside our territory nor are any of our posts captured".

The Congress seized on the statement and questioned whether the Prime Minister meant Indian Territory had been ceded to China. The PM's office said on Saturday that an attempt was being made to give a "mischievous interpretation" to Modi's remarks.

PM has surrendered Indian territory to China: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI, June 21: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sharpened his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley last week, pointing to satellite images to claim that China had "captured Indian territory near Pangong Lake".

This comes shortly after he called the Prime Minister "Surender Modi" with reference to an opinion piece in The Japan Times that questioned the government's "appeasement policy towards China".

In today's tweet Mr Gandhi said the photos "clearly" contradicted the Prime Minister who, during Friday's all-party meeting on the India-China tension, was quoted as saying that "neither is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured".

"The Prime Minister said - neither has anyone entered the country nor has anyone captured our territory. But satellite images clearly show that China has captured Indian territory near Pangong Lake," the Congress MP said in a tweet posted Sunday evening.

Pangong Lake, also in eastern Ladakh, was the site of skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops on May 5 and 6, following which tension between the two sides escalated swiftly. Top-level military talks had appeared to defuse the situation before violence late on the night of June 15 led to 20 Indian soldiers dying for their country.

On Friday, three days after the clash, Prime Minister Modi told a virtual meeting of several opposition parties that "neither is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured".

The comment met with a swift retort from several Congress leaders, with Rahul Gandhi tweeting Saturday that the PM had "surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression".

Satellite images show that China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) moved over 200 trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles, bulldozers and earth-moving equipment into the Galwan region in the week leading up to Monday's violence.

Satellite images from June 9 show no Chinese vehicles near LAC in the Galwan region. A week later, there are at least 79 vehicles here, mostly trucks. This is 1.3 km from the LAC.

In addition to vehicular movement and the shifting of accommodation, the images show two key areas of concern - debris at the likely site of the clash, which took place a day before the most recent satellite images were taken and a new angle to reinforce the point made earlier that China was looking to disturb, and perhaps even obstruct, the flow of the Galwan River.

The clash itself took place at a point called PP-14 or Patrolling Point 14 a few km from the LAC, the de-facto border between India and China.

Troops from this area likely surged to India's areas in the Galwan Valley, where hundreds of soldiers clashed at a height of 15,000 feet up in the Himalayas.

How did 20 soldiers die if no one entered Indian territory?: Congress asks Modi

NEW DELHI, June 21: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday posed five questions for the Centre to answer on government’s position on the Indo-China border conflict over the past 6 weeks that peaked with a deadly clash in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley along the LAC on June 15, resulting in 20 casualties among Indian Army soldiers and an unverified number of deaths on the Chinese side .

Among other questions, Sibal alleged that the government was in denial of Chinese “intrusions” as “confirmed” by army generals and satellite imagery and sought to know the reason for the denials.

“Despite statements of experts, army generals & satellite imagery depicting Chinese intrusion into Pangong Tso Lake up to 8 kms, construction of 60 permanent structures & occupation up to Finger 4, why is the Govt denying Chinese transgression?,” Sibal asked in of the five questions.

Sibal’s question alleging India was in denial of Chinese transgressions come a day after the government issued a clarification on the controversy and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that “no one has entered our territory, no one is at present within our territory and no one has occupied our posts”, referred to the situation after Indian Army’s brave action to thwart Chinese attempts to erect a structure on the Indian side of the LAC on June 15.

The government’s clarification was necessitated after some commentators in general and opposition leaders in particular claimed that PM’s above mentioned statement, given during the all party meet called on the issue, amounted to a “surrender” to China and was tantamount to “appeasement” of the communist country’s leadership.

Sibal said several security experts, retired army generals and veterans, along with satellite imagery have spoken about Chinese-designed incursions into our territories along the LAC. He also cited statements made by the defence and external affairs minister along with statements by the external affairs ministry on June 17 and 20, to say that government had itself referred to the Chinese incursions on multiple occasions between April-May 2020 till date in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso Lake Area and Hot Springs. Sibal said that the government should not even appear to have ceded any part of these territories to the Chinese.

“Until the Chinese retreat and status quo ante is restored, our Government should not let up or appear to cede any part of these territories to the Chinese,” he said, before adding that China’s “brazen transgressions” into India’s territory cannot be accepted and India’s territorial integrity cannot be allowed to be compromised in any circumstances.

In one of his other four questions directed at the government and the prime minister, Sibal asked, “Isn’t the statement of the PM an affront to the valour & supreme sacrifice of Col B.Santosh Babu and 19 Jawans who sought to evict the Chinese from our territory in Galwan Valley? Does the Govt mean that their sacrifice was in vain?”

In his next question he wanted to know why China had now advanced its claim on the Galwan Valley after having never made a similar claim in the past.

“Is it not correct that China has never claimed Galwan Valley as its territory? Is it also not correct that China has now committed brazen transgressions into Galwan Valley,” Sibal asked

In his penultimate question, he wanted to know from PM Modi that if no one entered Indian territory, then how did India’s 20 soldiers die?

“Why did the PM tell the All-Party Meeting that “no one intruded into our territory”? Why did PMO delete these words from the official statement? And if ‘no one intruded into our territory’, how did our 20 soldiers die?” he asked.

The government’s clarification on the matter had answered some of these issues on Saturday and said that the PM statement was being misinterpreted and that it didn’t amount to a denial of Chinese incursions. It also referred to MEA’s statements over the past few days accusing China of attempting to change the status quo at the LAC as the primary cause for the violent clash between soldiers of the two sides.

Sibal’s last question wanted to know the reason for an alleged “contradiction” between Modi and external affairs ministry’s statement dated June 20.

Kapil Sibal also asked the prime minister why US president Donald Trump had not come out in India’s support despite the friendship the PM enjoys with the US president.

India again rejects China’s claim over Galwan Valley in Ladakh

NEW DELHI, June 20: India on Saturday again rejected China’s claim on Galwan Valley in Ladakh and reiterated that the violent clash of June 15 was triggered by Chinese efforts to build structures on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The external affairs ministry dismissed claims made by China’s foreign ministry in a statement issued late on Friday night regarding both sovereignty over Galwan Valley and the genesis of the clash on Monday night that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the position with regard to Galwan Valley was “historically clear”. He added, “Attempts by the Chinese side to now advance exaggerated and untenable claims with regard to Line of Actual Control (LAC) there are not acceptable. They are not in accordance with China’s own position in the past.”

Srivastava further said the brawl of June 15 was the result of “violent actions” by Chinese troops after they were prevented by Indian soldiers from building structures on the Indian side of the LAC. He noted senior military commanders of the two sides had agreed during a meeting on June 6 on a process for de-escalation and disengagement along the LAC that “involved reciprocal actions”.

“Both sides had agreed to respect and abide by the LAC and not undertake any activity to alter the status quo. However, the Chinese side departed from these understandings in respect of the LAC in the Galwan Valley area and sought to erect structures just across the LAC. When this attempt was foiled, Chinese troops took violent actions on June 15, 2020 that directly resulted in casualties,” he said.

People familiar with developments said the term “just across the LAC” meant an intrusion into the Indian side of the disputed border but not at great depth.

During his phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on June 17, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had conveyed India’s strong protest on “the events leading up to and on the violent face-off” on June 15.

“He firmly rejected the unfounded allegations made by the Chinese side and the misrepresentation of the understandings reached between the senior [military] commanders. [Jaishankar] also underlined that it was for China to reassess its actions and take corrective steps,” Srivastava said.

The two ministers agreed the overall situation would be “handled in a responsible manner” and both sides would “sincerely” implement the disengagement understanding of June 6.

Srivastava said the two sides are in regular touch and early meetings of military and diplomatic mechanisms are currently being discussed. “We expect that the Chinese side will sincerely follow the understanding reached between the foreign ministers to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which is so essential for the overall development of our bilateral relations,” he added.

The spokesperson reiterated that Indian troops scrupulously abide by the alignment of the LAC in all sectors, including in Galwan Valley, and the Indian side has “never undertaken any actions across the LAC”. He added Indian troops “have been patrolling” Galwan Valley for a long time without any incident and all infrastructure built by the Indian side is on its side of the LAC.

However, Srivastava said that since early May, the Chinese side had hindered India’s normal and traditional patrolling pattern in Galwan Valley and this resulted in a face-off that was addressed by ground commanders in line with bilateral agreements and protocols. “We do not accept the contention that India was unilaterally changing the status quo. On the contrary, we were maintaining it,” he said.

In mid-May, the Chinese side “attempted to transgress the LAC in other areas of the Western Sector” of border areas and these attempts were “invariably met with an appropriate response” from the Indian side. The two sides then engaged in discussions through diplomatic and military channels to address the situation.

Late on Friday, China claimed Galwan Valley was on the Chinese side of the LAC and had been patrolled by its troops for “many years”. The claim was made in what was described as a “step by step account of the Galwan clash” by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

China’s People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) western command had in a statement issued on Tuesday initially claimed the region, saying: “The sovereignty of the Galwan River Valley has always been ours.”

On Thursday, Srivastava had dismissed the PLA’s claim as “exaggerated and untenable”.

The so-called “step by step account” by Zhao had further claimed that since April, Indian troops had “unilaterally and continuously built roads, bridges and other facilities at the LAC in the Galwan Valley”. He added that “India has gone even further to cross the LAC and make provocations”.

Zhao claimed that on June 15, Indian troops “once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for deliberate provocation…and even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties”.

Air Vice Marshal (retired) Manmohan Bahadur, additional director general of the Centre for Air Power Studies and a helicopter pilot with extensive experience of operations along the LAC, said: “When I first flew in that area in 1978, the maps clearly showed the Galwan Valley as Indian territory. The LAC was well east of the confluence of the Shyok and Galwan rivers.

“There was never any question about the Galwan Valley and China’s claim on this region is untenable. There was no Chinese activity in the area, or we would have been briefed accordingly. It was well inside our side of the LAC.”

PMO says PM’s comments interpreted mischievously

NEW DELHI, June 20: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday that PM Narendra Modi’s remarks at an all-party meeting the previous day that no intruder was on Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and that no Indian military post had been captured were being given a “mischievous interpretation”.

The PMO’s statement was a riposte to a Congress attack that Modi surrendered Indian territory in the face of Chinese aggression across the LAC and that his comments flew in the face of previous claims by defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

“Attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to remarks by the Prime Minister at the all-party meeting yesterday. The Prime Minister was clear that India would respond firmly to any attempts to transgress the LAC,” the statement said.

The PMO said that Modi specifically emphasised that in contrast to the past neglect of such challenges, Indian forces now decisively counter any violations of the LAC (“unhe rokte hain, unhe tokte hain”).

“Because of the improved patrolling, our vigilance has gone up and the military gets to know what is happening on the borders at the right time,” Modi said at the all-party meeting, pointing out that Indian soldiers were able to intercept the Chinese forces who earlier had a free run. “If you keep on intercepting them, it is obvious that tensions will rise,” he said.

The all-party meeting on Friday was called to discuss the situation along the LAC following the brutal June 15 brawl between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian personnel were killed. It was the first time since 1975 that India suffered combat fatalities in a skirmish with Chinese troops. Ten Indian soldiers detained by the Chinese side were later released after intense negotiations through diplomatic and military channels. China has so far not acknowledged any casualties among its troops.

“As regards transgression at the LAC, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan on June 15 arose because Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions,” the PMO said in the statement.

It also went on to add that the PM’s observation that there was no Chinese presence on the Indian side of the LAC pertained to the situation consequent to the bravery of the armed forces. “The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day,” it said.

“Those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil,” the Prime Minister said, according to the PMO statement. And these words “succinctly summed up the ethos and the values of our armed forces”, the statement said.

The government said an unnecessary controversy was being created to lower the morale of the soldiers for defending the borders. “What is Indian territory is clear from the map of India. This government is strongly and resolutely committed to that,” it added.

Any unilateral change of the LAC will not be allowed, the government added.

The government said all parties extended support to the government and the armed forces at Friday’s meeting. “The predominant sentiment at the meeting was of unequivocal support to the government and the armed forces at a time of national crisis. We are confident that the unity of the Indian people will not be undermined by motivated propaganda,” said the government.

The PM assured opposition parties at the meeting that whether it was deployment, action or counter-action, Indian forces — be it on land, in the air or on the ocean — were doing everything to protect India’s borders.

Lame attempt to obfuscate the truth, says Congress’

NEW DELHI, June 20: Hours after the Prime Minister’s Office issued a clarification regarding Narendra Modi’s concluding remarks at the all-party meeting on the border issue with China, the Congress stated that the PMO’s statement was “clearly a lame attempt to obfuscate the truth”.

In its rejoinder to the PMO statement, the Congress posed several questions before the government, asking to state its position on the Galwan Valley, the site in Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers were killed and 76 others injured in a violent face-off with Chinese troops on the night of June 15-16.

“First of all, PMO and the Government need to clearly state their position on the Galwan Valley. Is Galwan Valley not part of Indian territory? Why is Government not coming forward and strongly rebutting the Chinese claim over Galwan Valley? If Chinese troops are present there, does it not amount to intrusion into and occupation of Indian territory? Also, why is the Government silent on intrusions in the Pangong Tso area?,” asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Earlier in the day, veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the PM’s remark that “no outsider was inside Indian territory” had practically left everyone “baffled and bewildered”. He said even after the PM’s statement on Friday, China had blamed India for the clashes and had reasserted its claim on the entire Galwan Valley. “What is the government’s answer to this claim? Now that China is claiming the entire Galwan Valley, will the Government of India reject this claim,” he asked.

Stating that the PMO’s statement “belittles the gravity of the situation” on the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC), Surjewala then pointed out that security experts, Army Generals and satellite imagery have confirmed not only one intrusion on June 15 but several intrusions into and occupation of Indian territory in the Ladakh area.

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“In the fourth paragraph, PMO’s statement says that with reference to the “events of 15 June at Galwan” the armed forces “repulsed the designs of the Chinese there. The Prime Minister’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces.” Clearly, the implication is that there was one intrusion on June 15 and it was repulsed,” Surjewala said, asking: “But what about the intrusions between May 5 and June 15?”

“We refer to several statements of the Defence Minister admitting to the presence of Chinese forces “in large numbers” and the statement of the Chief of Army Staff on “disengagement”. The Government has consistently demanded “restoration of status quo ante”. We also refer to the statement of MEA dated June 7 that both sides agreed to “resolve the situation in the border areas” and called for an “early resolution”. If there was no other intrusion into Indian territory, how were the Chinese present “in large numbers” or why was restoration of “status quo ante” being demanded or “disengagement” and “early resolution” being sought?,” he further asked.

“We also refer to the statement of MEA dated June 17, 2020 that referred to the agreement reached on June 6 on “disengagement” and “de-escalation”. The June 17 statement also said “the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan Valley on our side of the LAC.” If Chinese troops are not present in Indian territory, why is the MEA harping on disengagement and de-escalation as late as on June 17, 2020?,” Surjewala continued.

All these, the Congress said, unmistakably point to the presence of Chinese troops at several places in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Area that have to be brought under “disengagement” and “de-escalation”.

“Our information is that no such disengagement has been completed by the Chinese and, in view of their illegal claim to the whole of Galwan Valley, the onus lies on the Government to protect our territorial integrity,” Surjewala added.

China did not enter our territory, no posts taken: Modi

NEW DELHI, June 19: The Chinese neither entered our territory nor has any post been taken over by them, underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all-party meet to discuss the border incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

“Neither have they intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them (China). Twenty of our jawans were martyred, but those who dared Bharat Mata, they were taught a lesson,” said Modi.

Underlining India’s might, the Prime Minister said no one can take even an “inch of the land”.

“Today, we possess the capability that no one can eye even one inch of our land. India’s armed forces have the capability to move into multiple sectors at one go,” he said.

Congress’ Sonia Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K Chandrasekhar Rao, Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin, YSR Congress Party’s YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray were among those who attended the meeting.

Assuring the opposition parties, he said be it deployment, action or counter-action our forces - be it on land in air or water - are doing everything to protect our borders.

The infrastructure development in border areas has gained in pace over the past years, said the PM, adding that it has strengthened our patrolling capacity.

The immediate cause for the conflict at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh isn’t known, although it could have been about Chinese soldiers dragging their feet about removing some of the installations they erected in May in an area India claims as its own. The troops have since disengaged, the Indian Army said in a statement confirming the number of dead at 20.

Indian Army officials claimed 43 Chinese were killed or seriously injured, citing radio intercepts and other intelligence. HT couldn’t independently verify this.

These were the first Indian casualties in a border skirmish with the PLA Army since October 1975 when Chinese troops ambushed an Indian patrol in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tulung La sector and shot four soldiers dead.

No compromise on borders: Modi

NEW DELHI, June 17: India wants peace but is capable of giving a befitting reply if provoked, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, his first remarks on the border clash between soldiers of the Indian and Chinese army in eastern Ladakh on Monday evening.

Modi’s sharply-worded statement was aimed not just at reassuring the country that the government was taking steps to protect India’s sovereignty but was also designed to deliver a stern message to Beijing.

India has always promoted peace among nations, Modi said on Wednesday afternoon.

Modi, who was meeting chief ministers via video conference on the Covid-19 pandemic, started with a reference to the border clash in Galwan Valley that cost 20 lives on the Indian side.

Over the next five minutes, Modi summarised his government’s stand on the clash and his determination not to let anyone stop India from retaliation if someone does target the country’s sovereignty.

In our neighbourhood, India’s constant effort has been that differences should not become disputes, Modi said a throwback to one of the principles that India and China had pledged themselves to at his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

India has blamed China for the border clash that New Delhi says could have been avoided had the Chinese soldiers scrupulously followed the agreement and not tried to unilaterally change the status quo in the Galwan region.

Colonel Santosh Babu and his men were outnumbered by the Chinese troops who attacked the Indian soldiers, but they still struck back at their adversary. In the process, Col Santosh, according to one estimate by the army, killed or critically injured over 40 Chinese soldiers including a commander of the People’s Liberation Army.

the Prime Minister referred to the extraordinary courage that they displayed.

“The country will be proud to know that they died after they killed their adversaries (Desh ko Is baat par garv hoga ki vae maarte, maarte, maren hai)," he said.

The Chinese military or the foreign office has not made public the casualties suffered by the PLA.

Officials said Modi’s statement had omitted any reference to dialogue to signal that the government was not looking for a way out. To the contrary, he underscored that no one could stop India from hitting back if its sovereignty was targeted.

“I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our jawans will not be in vain. For us, India’s unity and sovereignty is the most important and no one can stop us from protecting it. No one should have a doubt on this point. India wants peace but is capable of a befitting reply in every circumstance,” Modi said.

This clear message comes against the backdrop of Chinese PLA’s introducing a fresh claim over the Galwan Valley. This was one of the few areas along the Line of Actual Control where the difference in perception between the two sides was minimal. In New Delhi, the Chinese statement is seen as an effort to create fresh areas of differences even as older differences turn into disputes.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was also present at the chief minister’s conference along with Home Minister Amit Shah, had earlier in the day described the loss of soldiers “deeply disturbing and painful”.

“The nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s bravehearts,” the defence minister tweeted.

Shortly after the prime minister’s intervention, Amit Shah also paid rich tributes to the fallen soldiers.

“The pain of losing our brave soldiers while protecting our motherland at Ladakh’s Galwan can not be put in words. Nation salutes our immortal heroes who sacrificed their lives to keep Indian territory safe and secure. Their bravery reflects India’s commitment towards her land,” Shah said.

How dare China kill our soldiers: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI, June 17: A day after his measured response to the violent confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan Valley, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi turned up the heat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning his silence on the issue. “Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened,” he tweeted on Wednesday.

He was equally combative in taking on China for its violent border transgressions. “How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?” he added.

On Tuesday, the Wayanad MP condoled the deaths of the 20 Indian Army personnel who died in violent clashes with the Chinese troops. “Words cannot describe the pain I feel for the officers and men who sacrificed their lives for our country. My condolences to all their loved ones. We stand with you in this difficult time,” he tweeted.

His mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi also said she was “deeply anguish and pained” after de-escalation efforts at the Indo-China border took an unprecedented turn.

“My tributes to their undaunting courage and condolences to the bereaved families. We stand together in defending our security and territorial integrity,” she said in a statement.

“Deeply anguished and pained by the reports of martyrdom of the brave officer and jawans of our Army in Galwan Valley, Ladakh,” she said.

Incompetence leading to fall of nation: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI, June 13: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday used a quote, often misattributed to Albert Einstein, to hit out at the government over its lockdown strategy to point out that the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has not been halted because of the restrictions.

The former Congress president also used graphs showing the rise in Covid-19 cases during the last four phases of the national lockdown.

”Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Gandhi tweeted.

His tweet came on a day India reported 11,455 new Covid-19 cases and 386 deaths, taking its infection tally to 308,993 and its toll to 8,884.

On Friday, he had criticised the government’s Covid-19 containment efforts and alleged that India’s fast rise among the nations worst-affected by the coronavirus pandemic across the world was due to a “lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence”.

Rahul Gandhi had also used a graph to show India overtaking other badly-affected countries with a rapid rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

“India is firmly on it’s (sic) way to winning the wrong race. A horrific tragedy, resulting from a lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence,” he had tweeted on Friday.

Rahul Gandhi has been questioning the Centre’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

He has alleged that the lockdown imposed to contain the rise of Covid-19 cases and the subsequent phase-wise unlocking to revive economic activity in the country was ill-timed.

He had posted graphs to back up his claim that some of the other worst-hit countries in the west had timed their lockdowns and its easing and their strategy was much better than India’s.

DNA Of Tolerance Gone In India, US: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI, June 12: The "open DNA" and tolerance that India and the US were known for has disappeared, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a conversation with former US diplomat Nicholas Burns on the coronavirus crisis reshaping the world order.

The Congress leader also noted that the India-US relationship, which "used to be very broad", is now "episodic" and focused mainly on defence.

"I think why our (India and US) partnership works is because we are tolerant systems. You mentioned you are an immigrant nation. We are a very tolerant nation. Our DNA is supposed to be tolerant," Rahul Gandhi said in the video chat shared by the Congress on Friday morning.

"We are supposed to accept new ideas. We are supposed to be open. But the surprising thing is, that open DNA has sort of disappeared. I say this with sadness that I don't see that level of tolerance that I used to see. I don't see it in the US and I don't see it in India," he said to the former American diplomat against the backdrop of fierce protests in the US over the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of the police.

"Those who divide African-Americans in US, Hindus-Muslims-Sikhs in India weaken their countries, but call themselves nationalists," added the former Congress president.

He also remarked that the India-US relationship "used to be a partnership earlier", but now seems to have become "very transactional" and "episodic".

"A relationship that used to be very broad - education, defence, healthcare and multiple fronts - has sort of focused mainly on defence," Gandhi said, asking Burns where he saw the relationship between India and the US going.

Burns said India and US can work together not to fight an "authoritarian" China but to make it observe the rule of law.

The US and Indian governments should combine forces, he said, to promote human freedom, democracy and rule of people in the world. "I think that is a powerful idea that Indians and Americans can bring together to the rest of the world. Again, you know, we are not looking for a conflict with China, but we are waging, in a way, a battle of ideas with China," Burns said.

The former envoy is currently the Professor of Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard's John F Kennedy School of Government.

Burns was US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and chief negotiator of the India-US nuclear deal signed when the Congress government of Manmohan Singh was in power.

In his series of conversations with experts since the virus crisis began, Gandhi has also spoken to Raghuram Rajan, Abhijit Banerjee, epidemiologist Johann Giesceke and industrialist Rajiv Bajaj.

India eases travel restrictions for certain foreigners, OCI card holders

NEW DELHI, June 12: The Home Ministry on Friday eased restrictions on entry of foreign nationals into the country norms, allowing a larger number of Overseas Citizen of India cardholders and foreign nationals related to OCI cardholders or citizens to enter India.

The specific categories who have been issued permit to travel to India include minors who the OCI Card and whose parents are Indian nationals.

OCI card holders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies like critical medical conditions of immediate family members or death have also been granted permission to travel to India.

Government has also allowed married couples, where one spouse is an OCI card holder and the other is an Indian national, to enter the country.

Students who are OCI card holders, where at least one of their parents is an Indian citizen or an OCI card holder, can also travel to India.

9 terrorists killed in two encounters in J-K

SRINAGAR, June 8: Four terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Pinjora area of Shopian district of Jammu-Kashmir on Monday morning, police said.

Three soldiers have also been injured in the encounter, according to sources.

Security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation after receiving specific information about the presence of militants in the area.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants fired upon a search party of the forces, who retaliated.

Pinjora is around 12kms from Reban village where five militants were killed on Sunday. Two houses were also damaged.

A joint operation of army, CRPF and police was launched early in the morning after a tip off about the presence of terrorists at Reban village. The militants were killed after a 12 hour encounter.

Mild earthquake shakes Delhi, Noida

NEW DELHI, June 3: Mild earthquake strikes Gautam Buddha Nagar, epicentred in Greater Noida

A low intensity earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale struck Noida in Uttar Pradesh late Wednesday night according to information released by the National Centre for Seismology. The earthquake, recorded at 42 minutes past 10 pm, struck 19 km south east of Noida at a depth of around 3.8 km, said NCS.

The earthquake’s epicenter was close to Greater Noida in Gautam Budha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh and its latitude and longitude was recorded as 28.4015 and 77.5185 respectively.

This is the latest in a series of earthquakes to hit the NCR region recently. On May 30, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake had hit Haryana’s Rohtak, around 65 km from Delhi, with its epicentre at a depth of 5 km and two earthquakes had hit Delhi on two consecutive days on April 13 and 12.

The tremor on April 13 was described as mild with 2.7 magnitude. It was epicentred at a depth of 5 km in northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar. The jolt on April 12 was also epicentred at the same location at a depth of 8 km and measured 3.5 on the Richter scale. Another temblor of 3.4 magnitude had hit Delhi on May 10.