New Delhi
BJP national vice president M Chuba Ao on Thursday, May 5, sought to dismiss the recent defection of 21 NPF MLAs into NDPP as a 'natural political development' and maintained that the saffron party should think big and stay away from any seat sharing in 2023 polls.
"Personally, I don't want seat sharing. You can say, we want to contest all 60 seats. Why not ? In 2018, we had gone for seat sharing but in 2023 we should have a different approach," Chuba told this journalist in a brief telephonic interview.
"Look, when we declare seat sharing, many good candidates will not come to us. In fact, if you ask me, in politics there is no harm in contesting against each other even if you have an alliance with one party or the other," he said.
He said, "Now many aspirants are there to contest elections on NDPP tickets, but everyone will not get tickets and some may come to us. Even BJP people when denied tickets can go that side. This is a natural phenomenon".
Answering questions, a party veteran that he is among the Naga leaders, Chuba said, " I am in BJP
and associated with it for many years. I got into BJP when nobody used to come to us in Nagaland.
According to me, today, the BJP should think big and highlight major initiatives like Atmanirbhar India
as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. This is for self reliance both at the national and state level".
"In fact, if proper planning is done and everyone works hard; with a mere 20 lakh population, Nagaland
can emerge as a Model State under BJP," said Chuba.
The theme of 'Atmanirbhar India' has become more relevant in the context of 75 years of India's independence
and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav the country is celebrating, he said, adding, "During the country's independence and
after, the scenario in agricultural production and industrial production were different. Then came the service sector.
Then also came people's dependence on government jobs. This must change. Here lies the relevance
of Atmanirbhar Bharat".
To another question, he said, "Therefore, I am advocating that the BJP in Nagaland should prepare a 25-year Vision
Document. We have so many good ideas, those should be highlighted. Our state unit president Temjen Imna Along,
who is also a Minister; and women wing chief Pangnon Konyak, who is now a Rajya Sabha member; all should
work".
"I think, one should not focus only on self-centric politics. Why everytime talk only about my survival, my own
election....We should not think that I should get elected all the time. New people should also get opportunities".
Moreover, he said, "economic experts, market experts and fund management experts should be encouraged.
If we do not have enough people, we should outsource. This outsourcing does not mean extra expenditures.
We simply have to prove a platform. This will change things on ground".
"My point is BJP in Nagaland like elsewhere should not confine itself to small areas and mere politicking.
It should come out, think big and act big. The message should be loud and clear that the BJP is really committed to
Development and changing people's lives".
ends
“We remain on the side of peace, do not patronize us..." - India tells Netherlands
New Delhi
“Kindly don’t patronize us Ambassador. We know what to do," asserted
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T S Tirumurti in responst to
a tweet from Dutch Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland, Karel van Oosterom.
In a tweet late Thursday, Oosterom said: “You (India) should not have abstained in the GA. Respect the UN Charter.”
To this, Tirumurti shot back - “Kindly don’t patronize us Ambassador".
He asserted that the Indian government and nation "know what to do".
The Twitter spat came hours after Tirumurti addressed the UN Security Council meet
where he reiterated New Delhi’s neutral stance and said: “India remains on the side of peace and
therefore believes that there will be no winning side in this conflict and while those impacted by this
conflict will continue to suffer, diplomacy will be a lasting casualty.”
Tirumurti said also India “has strongly condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and supported the
call for an independent investigation”.
The envoy praised the UN evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol and
said: “We hope these efforts will extend to other areas as well.”
The latest abstentation from India came on April 7 when the UN General Assembly voted to suspend
Russia from the Human Rights Council.
This was in fact India’s eighth abstention on actions at the UN related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
India still refuses to publicly condemn Russia over the Ukraine war.
Even during recent European tour Prime Minister Narendra Modi only repeated his mantra of
ceasefire and talks as “the only way to resolve” the Ukraine crisis.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also articuated his views last month.
"..... this is a wake-up call for Europe to start looking at Asia. This is a part of the world with
unsettled boundaries, terrorism, and continuous challenges to the rules-based order. The rest of the world
has to recognise that problems are not 'going to happen', but that they are happening."
New Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has underlined it clearly - "I think insofar as India's position on Ukraine
is concerned, it has been amplified, made clear, enunciated in great detail in multiple fora".
ends
New Delhi
India has flagged off the food and energy security challenges emerging as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
On Thursday at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India's permanent representative to the UN, T S Tirumurti, spoke at length about the "disproportionate impact on the Global South and developing countries" of the ongoing disruptions.
"The conflict is having a destabilizing effect with broader regional and global implications," he said adding,
"Oil prices are skyrocketing and there is a shortage of food grains and fertilizers. This has had a
disproportionate impact on the Global South and developing countries".
"The food security challenges emanating from the conflict requires us to respond by going
beyond constraints that bind us presently. Energy security is equally a serious concern and needs to
be addressed through cooperative efforts," he emphasised.
He pointed out that India has been sending humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, which include
medicines and essential relief materials. "We are also providing more medical supplies. We hope
the international community will continue to respond positively to evolving humanitarian requirements".
Tirumurti reiterated India's consistent calls for "complete cessation of hostilities (in Ukraine) and
for pursuing the path of dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out".
"However, the conflict has resulted in loss of lives and countless miseries for its peoples,
particularly for women, children and elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to take
shelter in neighbouring countries," he said.
"India has strongly condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and supported the call for an
independent investigation," Tirumurti noted.
The Indian envoy also welcomed the presence and remarks of the UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres during the briefing.
"
We acknowledge the efforts made by the Secretary-General, particularly the findings of the Global Crisis
Response Group Task Team. We welcome their recommendation for exempting purchases of food by
WFP (World Food Programme) for humanitarian assistance from food export restrictions with
immediate effect," Tirumurti said.
“Humanitarian action must always be guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance, i.e., humanity,
neutrality, impartiality, and independence. These measures should never be politicized,”
he said.
“Let me conclude by reaffirming that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter,
international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states,” Tirumurti said.
India also welcomed the recent visit of UN Secretary General Guterres to Moscow and Ukraine capital Kyiv
ends
India 'disappointed' with WHO figures on high death reports on Covid
New Delhi
India has expressed disappointment with the WHO figures on deaths in India due to Covid in2020 and 2021.
"You may apply that where the systems are poor. But to apply assumptions, based on a subset of states, based on reports that come from the websites and media reports and then you come out with an exorbitant number is not tenable. We are disappointed by what WHO has done," said Dr VK Paul, member,
NITI Aayog.
He said, "Unfortunately, in spite of our emphatic writing, rational communication at the ministerial level, they have chosen to use the number that are based on modelling assumptions - one size fits all kind of assumptions":
AIIMS Director R Guleria also endorsed Dr Paul's views and said-"Even if there were excessive deaths that were COVID related, they would have been recorded because people would have come forward, their relatives would have come forward for compensation. This has not been the case as far as the numbers that WHO is predicting".
The reactions came as the WHO 'estimated' that there have been 47.4 lakh Covid-related deaths in India in 2020 and 2021.
Notably, the government sources said that an estimated 81.2 lakh people died in the country in 2020 due to all causes. "This is consistent with past data that shows that, on an average, about 83.5 lakh people die in the country every year in the last decade and a half".
In 2019, India recorded 92 per cent of these deaths. The level of death registrations has seen a sharp rise in the last few years, from 79 per cent in 2017, to 86 per cent in 2018, to 92 per cent in 2019.
In its statement, the government also says that 99.95 per cent of all deaths were recorded in 2020.
Interestingly, WHO estimates say that 39.1 lakh Covid-19 deaths happened in 2021. This is at least 4 lakh more than what the entire world, put together, reported that year.
"So, prediction seems to be way beyond what actual numbers are and is based on data that is not substantiated. That is why I think that this is something which we, as a country, should object to and we need to present our data which is scientific and more on evidence basis," Guleria said.
Dr V K Paul in reference to WHO's claim on COVID deaths in India, further said -
"India has been telling WHO via diplomatic channels with data that we don't agree with methodology followed for us".
With regard to compensation claims on Covid related deaths, it may be pointed out the Supreme Court has already warned people against filing fake claims, and a state like Maharashtra has rejected over 60,000 applications that were found fake.
ends
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