Swati Deb
Patna/New Delhi: Months ahead of Bihar assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the first 'virtual rally' in Patna and said the state has traversed from "jungle raj to janta raj" during the NDA rule. "Loot and order sey law and order tak ki Yatra hamne ki hae (The state has also moved from Loot era to the era of law and order)," Shah said and exuded confidence that the alliance will get a two-third majority in the state assembly polls under the leadership of JD(U) leader and state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He also said about 1.25 crore migrant workers have been helped and reached their respective homes during the Corona crisis and nationwide lockdown. Shah also pointed out that a sum of Rs 11,000 crore was granted to the states during this period to help migrantworkers and also carry out other works.
Shah, however, said the virtual rally was only part of an exercise to mobilise party workers to establish contact with people during the time of Corona crisis and not merely linked to the ensuing polls.
In 2015, the BJP had contested Bihar polls on its own and was humbled in the battle after JD(U) had decided to go together with the Congress and the RJD.
However, at later stage, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) parted ways with RJD and Congress and is at present heading a NDA government with BJP as its key partner. JD(U) has, however, in May 2019 decided not to join the Modi Govt 2.0.
Shah said under the opposition RJD, the state's growth rate was just 3.9 percent and it has now risen upto 11.3 percent.
Targeting RJD, he also sought to remind all stakeholders about the 'lawlessness' in the eastern state.
"Under PM Modi's leadership, we have traveled from an era of Bahubal se Vikas bas tak, Chara Ghotala sey Direct Bank Benefit," the Home Minister said.
He also said the rally is aimed at connecting people with 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' campaign and the saffron party will have 75 such meetings.
Amit Shah applauded both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, saying they were working for the people though they might lack in publicising it.
He said though the opposition leaders dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to unite the country in the fight against COVID-9 as political propaganda, the nation stood with him and followed his appeals.
Citing various steps for the welfare of the poor and the needy taken by the Modi government amidst the fight against the pandemic, Shan asked what the opposition did for them besides doing politics.
At a time when 'migrants' word is the flavour of the town, Shah saw the scent of Bihari workers' hard work can be experienced in Mumbai, parts of Gujarat and other places.
Border talks with China 'cordial', more engagements on cards: India
Nirendra Dev
New Delhi: India on Sunday, June 7 said that the much talked about Army Commanders meeting on June 6 with China was held in a "cordial" atmosphere and that more such engagements will continue to end the border escalation between two Asian giants.
"....the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas," an MEA statement said here.
The statement said in recent weeks, both the countries China have maintained communications through "established diplomatic and military channels" to address the situation in areas along the India-China border.
It said - "A meeting was held between the Corps Commander based in Leh and the Chinese Commander on 6 June 2020 in the Chushul-Moldo region. It took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere. Both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements".
This will be done - "keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquility in the India-China border regions is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations".
"Both sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship," the statement said.
During the meeting - that was keenly watched by all stakeholders and international media and the United States - Indian delegation led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh told the Chinese side that there is need for reduced mobilisation near the Galwan valley and that the troops must be sent to their original location, sources said.
The Army top brass including Northern Army Commander Lt General Y K Joshi, Director Military Operation and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane were also briefed about the details of the discussions.
The Chinese side was headed by Major General Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
India has been defending its stance and recent road construction works saying the construction is taking place inside the Line of Actual Control.
Four places in Ladakh emerged as flashpoints lately. These included the Pangong Lake and three other places in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.
The Pangong lake remains the biggest flashpoint as the Chinese attempted to change the status quo.
The border standoff has wide geopolitical ramifications and these are also linked with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and China getting cornered globally on the same.
Observers say Indian and Chinese soldiers have tried to stop each other’s movements since May 5 in the disputed border area, particularly in Ladakh on the foothills of the Himalayas.
The troop build-up escalated in recent weeks when the Chinese army reportedly brought in trucks with arms and ammunition and intruded on the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between the countries. Indian troops also responded with similar mobilization.
The standoff hit international headlines and US President Donald Trump on May 27 offered to negotiate between two Asian powers.
India has, however, virtually rejected the offer for negotiations between New Delhi and Beijing from US President and said - "we are fully engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve the issue".
On the diplomatic front too on June 5, the two sides had met.
Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) and Wu Jianghao, Director General in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting through video conference.
"The two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations including the current developments. In this context they recalled the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, that peaceful, stable and balanced relations between India and China will be a positive factor for stability in the current global situation," the MEA said.
Both sides also agreed that in accordance with the guidance provided by the leadership, the two sides should handle their differences through peaceful discussion bearing in mind the importance of respecting each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations and not allow them to become disputes, the statement added.
Commentary in Ucan News - May 29, 2020
Aggressive China tries to keep India in check
The India-China standoff on their disputed border threatens to kill peace in the region, causing protracted geopolitical repercussions affecting millions of ordinary people.
Indian and Chinese soldiers have tried to stop each other’s movements since May 5 in the disputed border area, particularly in Ladakh, a Buddhist-majority area at high altitude on the foothills of the Himalayas.
The troop build-up escalated in recent weeks when the Chinese army reportedly brought in trucks with arms and ammunition and intruded on the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between the countries. Indian troops responded with similar mobilization, reports said.
The standoff hit international headlines as Asia's most massive armies stood eyeball to eyeball. It forced US President Donald Trump on May 27 to offer to negotiate.
"We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!" Trump tweeted.
Skirmishes on the India-China border, which stretches for a whopping 3,480 kilometers, are nothing new as much of it has been disputed and undemarcated ever since India was formed in 1947 from British India.
Why is this latest clash significant? It has wider geopolitical ramifications mainly linked with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and the criticism China has faced over its handling of the virus, experts say.
New Delhi has been growing close to the United States. With the Covid-19 crisis affecting geopolitics and the global economy, Beijing fears India will attract investments from global corporations at the expense of China.
China's problems are truly complex. It is running out of money and patience over the US monopoly on trade and politics. World Health Organization (WHO) developments have shown it could be left isolated, licking its wounds.
The latest adventure comes as the World Health Assembly — the WHO's highest policy-making body — was about to take up a global resolution for a probe into the underlying reasons that led to the rise of the coronavirus pandemic.
India is among the 190 member states of the WHO. It has backed the resolution for an international investigation into the origin of the pandemic, which was first reported last December in China's Wuhan city. Besides India, those supporting the resolution include the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
"In all this, we count on China to play its full role, in line with its global weight and responsibilities," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
The Indian government has never officially blamed China for Covid-19. But among Indian leaders, federal minister Nitin Gadkari said in a television interview that the virus came out of a laboratory.
"This virus is not natural. It is an artificial virus," Gadkari said in a comment that was seen as a veiled attack on Beijing. Gadkari, the minister for road transport and highways, is a former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the federal government.
While the international WHO move has piled the pressure on China, the other issue bothering Beijing is purely business.
India is trying to win over international companies who are moving out of China following the Covid-19 crisis. India is developing a land pool twice the size of Luxembourg to host companies leaving China, according to a Bloomberg report.
Officials said an area of 461,589 hectares had been identified across the country, including states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
Moreover, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has tightened investment rules for companies sharing a land border with India. The move is largely targeted at China.
China's domestic compulsions also guide some of its actions. In the 1970s, China faced severe domestic political turmoil in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. Thus, according to security analysts, the Chinese leadership is not ruling out a similar revolt now despite the bravado.
China's foreign policy is guided by its policy towards India and Pakistan, and it would make absolute sense to say that Beijing is motivated by its strategic interests, not ideology.
Relations between China and India have been characterized by border disputes resulting in military conflict, including the Sino-Indian War of 1962 when India was humbled.
In early 2017, the countries clashed at the Doklam plateau along the disputed Sino-Bhutanese border. However, relations later improved, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping holding two informal summits at Wuhan in 2018 and near Chennai in 2019.
In 2008, China became India's largest trading partner, but in 2019 India walked away from the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement, largely because of the China factor.
For China, military strategies are a way to keep India in check.
Border standoff has geopolitical ramifications mainly linked with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic
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