Team of doctors from different hospitals on standby for Delhi Health Minister Jain

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June 21, 2020

A team of senior doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to ensure the best medical care for Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain who is admitted in the ICU of a private COVID-19 facility, sources said on Sunday. The condition of the 55-year-old minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, officials said.

Jain was on Saturday administered plasma therapy at the Max Hospital in Saket and his condition is stable now, they said. A team of doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to assist the doctors attending to him, if needed, sources told a news agency.

The additional team includes doctors from Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), Maulana Azad Medical College, and another leading private hospital, they said. Jain was shifted to the ICU of the Max Hospital from the RGSSH, a city government facility after his condition had deteriorated.

RGSSH is a dedicated COVID-19 facility but does not have permission to conduct plasma therapy. “We had done all the formalities for it before sending him to Max Hospital for the plasma therapy, as his condition was deteriorating,” a source at the city government hospital said.

Doctors at the RGSSH on Thursday said the minister had been diagnosed with pneumonia and his oxygen saturation level had also dipped, prompting hospital authorities to shift him to an intensive care unit. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 17, a day after he was admitted to RGSSH, after running a high-grade fever and suffering a sudden drop in oxygen levels.

Lord Ganesha to arrive in Mask

By

Afternoon Voice

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June 19, 2020

As COVID-19 pandemic engulfed Mumbai, it seems not only humans, but even gods are now wearing masks. As Maharashtra continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urged Ganesh mandals across the state to celebrate the upcoming Ganesh Charuthi festival with simplicity and keep it low-key, stating that there should be no gathering and processions. Mumbai is still battling heavily with COVID-19 cases and in such circumstances, people should follow the norms and keep safe.

To pass this message loud and clear, many Ganesha Idols would be wearing masks this year. Borivali East, Navghar Ganesh Pandal told Afternoon Voice, “If people see Idol wearing mask, it will give them a reminder that they cannot take the situation at ease, its way of spreading message”.

On the other hand, Mira Road station Ganesha would be arriving crushing the corona under its feet. This year Ganesh pandals across Mumbai would be adopting various themes related to the ongoing pandemic. As far as gathering is concerned, people would be scanning and taking safety measures before they seek darshan. Maharashtra has the highest burden of Covid-19 cases in India with over 1.13 lakh confirmed cases. As Ganeshotsav, is among Maharashtra’s most popular festivals, it will still be celebrated this August but may be devoid of its usual pomp.

“It is true that the festival will not be celebrated with much fanfare this year. Since the threat from coronavirus is not yet over, there will be no crowds and no processions. We will have to take all precautions and celebrate the festival in a very simple way”, said Thackeray, who held a review meeting on video conference on the law and order situation during upcoming Ganesh festival. Thackeray said everyone needs to think of how the festival can be celebrated more simply. “We have started ‘Mission Begin Again’ in the state. So, we will have to take all the steps cautiously. We will take care that the Ganesh festival tradition is not broken under any condition but we will also have to remember social responsibility. We should celebrate the festival in such a way that will set an example before the world”, said the chief minister further urging Ganesh mandals to exercise caution and cooperate with the government.

The 10-day festival will begin from August 22 this year. Thackeray also thanked Ganesh mandals from Pune and other places who have decided to celebrate the festival in a low-key manner. He also thanked them for their contribution to the Chief Minister Relief Fund and for organizing various social initiatives.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, senior bureaucrats, police officials and representatives of various Ganesh mandals.

COVID-19: Ganesh Chaturthi and guzzled up Mumbai

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 19, 2020

Ganesh Chaturthi, Mumbai, Lord Ganesha, Ganesha, Ganesh Pandal, Lalbaughcha Raja, Ganpati in Mumbai — Image Courtesy: PTI

Mumbai might be waiting for its famed Ganesha festival. The mighty festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals in Mumbai and India. In honor of Lord Ganesha – the lovable elephant headed God is illustrious all over India. Many Hindu families across India and abroad celebrate this festival with much grandeur in their homes. The festival is celebrated on the 4th day of the Bhadrapada month according to the Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September. People believe that the wish is always granted to those who visit the idol. The Lalbaugcha Raja in central Mumbai is the biggest draw. Although the idol in the cramped fish market remains the same each year, crores of devotee’s flock to this much-hyped pandal to seek godsends from the wish-fulfilling deity. There were many challenges to the city for accidents, blasts, heavy rain pours and demonetization but the sheen of the festival remained intact. This situation is a little different, its hazardous pandemic, people need to be careful and safe.

While Mumbaities devotedly celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, the politicians make the most out of this to their political advantage. This year onward, the developers have backed out from giving donations to the Ganesh pandals as many redevelopment projects have been stuck in the city for over a year. Demonetization is one of the biggest reasons many shopkeepers or business groups refrained supporting Ganesh donations, after demonetization it was GST monster that has killed business opportunities to small scale industry. Somehow a Mumbai businessman overcame these challenges and now almost three month’s huge lockdown. Meeting daily needs is a big task, donating funds is just next to impossible. The pandals across Mumbai would be dependent solely on the politicians for the funds for the festival.

According to the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS), an umbrella body of Ganesh mandals in the city, there are a total of 11,400 Ganesh pandals across the city. Each pandal on an average spends around Rs 7 lakh on organizing the 10-day festival and the total turnover estimate of all pandals is over 800 crores in Mumbai during this time. The donations have been reduced by almost 50 percent given the fact that redevelopment projects in the city have been stuck for more than a year and many developers have backed out from giving huge donations. Many businesses and corporate companies got shut down and many small-scale industries suffered so the collection from all these sources has reduced to 50 percent. Also, the political leaders have avoided putting up the banners and posters which have affected the revenue of the pandals. They can now get funds only through the events organized by the pandals and sponsored by a few entities. Moreover, in recent few years, the festival has been much politicized. So, all the politicians make sure they use the platform to reach out to the public. The NGOs or other organizations controlled by the politicians are also advertised.

The celebrations’ content has changed. It is no longer a platform for gathering to and participate in discourses on nationalistic, pro-Independence issues which Tilak created. When Lokmanya Tilak was in great distress and worried about our country’s freedom. He used to sit at the bank of Girgaum Chowpatty and wondered how to collect people. While sitting on the bank of seashore he used to make idols and people used to stop by to see it. Such collective movement was not restricted by British. So, from there he got an idea to celebrate Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav. He started the tradition of Sarvajanik Ganesha Utsav by making clay idols. Tilak was the first person to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions and he was the one who established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day of the festival. Ganesh Chaturthi soon started seeing community participation and involvement, in the form of cultural events. Later on, this became an important festival during the Peshwa rule in Maharashtra. It acquired a more organized form all over India during the Swaraj movement, when Lord Ganesha was chosen as a rallying point for protest against British rule, because of his wide appeal as “the God for Everyman”. A strongest movement to evoke nationalism, through religious passions, was the organization of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra, which inspired feelings of Hindu unity in the state. Once India became Independent, it had no such use anymore. But it endured as a tradition but only in its run as an annual event. It has, of course, a political content, but rather the perverse one.

Meanwhile, the road widths are guzzled up, civic bodies and police make it a point to talk of restrictions on such pandals but it often remains mere talk. They are gaudy and loud, gauche, and they are expensive and the focus, fortunately, remains on the idol; the bigger they are, the better they get acknowledged. The self-imposed rule of keeping them less than 15 feet is not being universally followed. Electricity is not always secured in a kosher way. It may even be stolen from the nearest lamppost. The worship is limited to a bow, an aarati and the rest is gaiety. Not unsurprisingly, the change is so much that some screen ordinary Bollywood films, some even have fashion shows, some an evening dedicated to film music all under the presumption that public wohi mangta hai. A film star visiting a mandal is a photo-op and sure to catch media attention. But then, once you are hooked onto a tradition, never mind its other features, then you remain hooked. This year as the country battles coronavirus, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of positive cases and deaths. This may force organisers of the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to postpone the 2020 event. This is to minimise the infection spread since this event sees heavy public gathering across the pandals (event ground) across Mumbai, Pune and other regions. Areas like Parel, Chinchpokli and Byculla which are near Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal have several buildings and lanes identified as containment zones by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Public celebration of the Ganeshotsav which is said to have started by freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1892 has never been postponed or delayed till date.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ Faceoff: India loses Metro works tender to Chinese company

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Afternoon Voice

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June 18, 2020

Maha Vikas Aghadi’s State Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad wants the central government to cancel a tender won by a Chinese firm in the light of the aggression at Galwan Valley, but sources from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) which conducted the bidding said the contract cannot be cancelled as it is an ADB-funded one and their rules don’t allow for this. Last week, the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited (STEC) emerged as the lowest bidder – it bid Rs 1,126.9 crore versus L&T’s Rs 1,170 crore – for an underground stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. This is one of three rapid-rail corridors proposed under the project that will connect Delhi and Meerut via Ghaziabad. Other bidders included Tata Projects at Rs 1,346.3 crore and Afcons Infrastructure which bid Rs 1,400.4 crore. Indian was one of the competitors in this bidding but we lost the opportunity.

When Afternoon Voice spoke to Jitendra Awhad, he said “Modi has miserably failed on ‘Make in India’, now he came up with ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ and unfortunately allotted tenders to Chinese Company, whereas India should have been given that opportunity to fulfil the commitment towards ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’. He should practice what he preaches, this is a time for Indian business to transform and take a positive approach towards investment for building ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ but PM has failed on all fronts.”

When questioned about Maharashtra’s recently signed MoUs with 3 Chinese firms for Rs 5000 crores, Awhad said, “There is a difference between tendering and direct investments. That is the investment by the three Chinese companies is collectively worth over Rs 5,000 crore”. Losing tender means trailing an opportunity to generate that business by our own Indian firms.” He further stated, “Look at the irony, in the Galwan Valley clash and India-China faceoff no country is speaking on the issue where it is clear that the aggression is done by China. Has India’s International policy and diplomacy failed?”.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said “The need of the hour is to boycott Chinese products, stop endorsing Chinese brands, government should stop Chinese imports, Chinese investment and tenders to Chinese companies for infrastructure including proposed tender to Tunnel Eng Co. He was more reluctant to promote ‘Made in India’ products.”

An MoHUA official said the construction of the 5.6 km tunnel was an ADB-funded project – the bids were invited in November 2019 and opened on March 16, 2020 – and STEC emerged as the lowest bidder on June 12; he said that while the tender was “under process” and “yet to be finalised”, “ADB/World Bank/Multi-lateral procurement guidelines do not allow discrimination among firms/ countries”.

Whereas the MoUs signed by Maharashtra Government under the ‘Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0’, hours before the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred. All the three Chinese companies — Hengli Engineering, PMI Electro Mobility Solutions JV with Photon and Great Wall Motors — will invest in Talegaon in Pune district, the statement has said. Hengli Engineering will invest Rs 250 crore, PMI will invest Rs 1,000 crore in the auto sector, it said, adding that Great Wall Motors will set up an automobile company with an investment of Rs 3,770 crore. MoUs were also signed with companies from other countries like USA, Singapore and South Korea, from diverse sectors like automobile, logistics, banking, engineering and mobile production, the statement said.

China has a very powerful weapon called #ECONOMY

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 18, 2020

We all Indians are very emotional at this moment and want our government to ban Chinese products, but the fact is that the government has no control over it. It is just not possible to ban imports from China because we are bound by the World Trade Organization’s rules and regulations. India imports a huge list of products from China because they have the biggest manufacturing units. It includes telephone sets, automatic data processing machines, all machinery items, mineral/chemical fertilizers, maximum parts of electronic equipment, coke and semi-coke coal, steel, aluminium, daily use items and a lot more. This alone shows that India is a heavy importer of the majority of goods from China that are offered at cheaper prices. And fact cannot be ignored that Chinese products, irrespective of what one may say, are cheaper in all respects than any other products. When our country has a maximum population of poor, then obviously they would vouch for Chinese products only and naturally resort to them. If you look around, let it be your driver or house helper, let it be a street vendor or rickshaw pullers, they all possess smartphones, watches and different gadgets made in China. They get a sense of pride and somewhat equal status with others as have the opportunity to avail modern facilities.

And officially even if you ban Chinese products, they will illegally enter India. Else India must have the capability to produce things cheaper and quality wise so that it can counter Chinese products. Just bullying citizens in the name of “Atma Nirbhar” is not enough. We have seen how Make-In-India initiative is a super flop and crores of rupees have been spent on its campaign. All the public money which was invested is wasted on this futile campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now he coined the new term, ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’, which is next to impossible in a country where poverty is never ending and youth are jobless. Where the government spends more money on publicity and hardly any on public welfare.

We have to build that capacity to come up with world class Indian made products, which is never going to happen while the world over vouches for Chinese products, so how are you going to ban it? Secondly, all along though the majority of Indians would show their unlikeliness towards Chinese products, they would be the ones to buy foreign goods if not specifically chinese and invariably still not prefer country made products. And whatever you may say about China or dislike them, their products are much more superior than Indian products on all parameters. Hence, the banning of Chinese products is not a solution. Today unfortunately, we cannot manufacture products worth $57.4 billion in a moment’s notice as India does not yield such a large scale of production. Still if you want to ban their products, then replace Chinese imports gradually to some other country like Taiwan. If we analyze the breakdown of products that are imported from China, we will see that 41% of the products that India imports from China has mechanical and electrical equipment which includes television, washing machines, cell phones etc. Can all these products be replaced by countries like Japan, Germany, South Korea?? Big question. The initiative of replacing Chinese products needs to be taken by companies and trades, because neither the government nor the citizens as a consumer can do much in this issue. Presently 80-90% of the market is flooded with Made in China products.

In the past two decades, China has built a large market in almost every sector of the world because of that China has a very strong economy as compared to India. China has been strategically planned on this front and they have made very strong efforts to conquer and ensure their economical growth. This growth did not happen by chance. China has given top priority to Business and economy and with well-planned strategies and long-term vision, they have actively anchored themselves powerfully on all fronts for a successful and truly “Atma Nirbhar” survival. Also, China is using bad tricks to make countries get into debts. China gives loans to developing or remote developing countries like Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, South Africa to build skyscrapers and infrastructures and when they can’t pay back to China these countries have to give them their part of the land. Same trick with India somewhat flopped and both the countries invariably strained guns at each other.

In the year 2018, India’s trade deficit with China is $57.4 billion. How can India ban the import of goods from any country totally since it is a member of WTO and declaring a ban will impact not only our economy but also disturb our foreign relations with other members as undoubtedly everyone will support China. Moreover, China can find an alternative for its imports, but comparatively considering India and other countries, the cost of import will increase and spiral out of control. India will find it difficult to catch up as the country is already under heavy economical stress where such decisions will further add to its load. We cannot just blindly act on some jingoism and deal with neighbors or any other country. China has a well-planned, strategic and strongly emerging economy and this is a very big problem for India. Both countries have a trading relationship in which China clearly dominates India. The only way to solve this problem is to spread awareness between the Indian people to convince the consumer in the Indian market not to buy the Chinese company products, but also give them alternative choices too. The trade deficit had crossed $52 billion in 2017 with China. Imports is $ 68.10 billion and Exports is $ 16.44 billion, this is because of high demand of Chinese smartphones in the Indian market. Some of the top Chinese companies in India are Xiaomi, Oppo, One plus, Lenovo, Vivo, Huawei, Gionee, Honor and others. The interesting fact is that many of these companies have very bad customer service after sales but still users love these brands because of their cheap price and features ignoring the fact the cheap products provide cheaper experience. You can see how the trade war is going on between China and America and America is such a powerful country they are also finding it hard to ban products from China and increasing import duties on Chinese products. If the intention behind the ban is to make China suffer by cutting the trade, that very idea could be a disaster. China is important not just to India but the world where even the super nation USA cannot afford to cut trade ties with China.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

COVID-19: SC rejects plea for directing centre to drag China to ICJ for compensation

By

Afternoon Voice

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June 18, 2020

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition for directions to the Central government to drag China to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking compensation to the tune of USD 600 billion for spreading coronavirus.

A bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde rejected the plea filed by a Madurai resident KK Ramesh.

As coronavirus emerged from China’s Wuhan city, there have been speculations that the deadly coronavirus might have been produced by the country in attempts to develop biological weapons of mega destruction.

This comes as the lockdown, induced in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus for over two months now, has severely affected India’s economy and forced various small businesses to close shop across the country.

Give strong message to China, stop kneeling down: Priyanka to Centre

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Afternoon Voice

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June 18, 2020

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took a pot shot at the Narendra Modi government accusing it of adopting a weak strategy and kneeling down before China by “handing over” a rail contract to a Chinese firm and demanded the government give a strong message to the neighbouring country.

“Our 20 soldiers have been killed. In such a situation, the central government should give a strong message, but the government has adopted the strategy of kneeling by handing over the contract of Delhi-Meerut Semi-High-Speed Rail Corridor to a Chinese company. All Indian companies are also capable of building this corridor,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

हमारे 20 जवान शहीद हुए हैं।

ऐसे में केंद्र सरकार को मजबूत संदेश देना चाहिए लेकिन सरकार ने दिल्ली-मेरठ सेमी हाईस्पीड रेल कॉरिडोर का ठेका चीनी कम्पनी को सौंप कर घुटने टेकने जैसी रणनीति अपनाई है।

तमाम भारतीय कंपनियां भी इस कॉरिडोर को बनाने के काबिल हैं।https://t.co/mZafLpEzU5

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 18, 2020

Her remarks came a day after the central government clarified that the tender for constructing 5.6 km long tunnel between New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad is in “process” and “yet to be finalised”.

On June 12, the Chinese firm Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Ltd (STEC) was the lowest bidder for the 5.6 km long tunnel to be built as a part of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS. In a statement, the Union Urban Development Ministry said that the 82-km long RRTS being undertaken by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is an Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project for design and construction of 5.6 km tunnel through TBM & 1 RRTS station.

It said that bids were invited on November 9 last year and the technical bid was opened on March 16 this year. The ministry further said that five companies submitted bids and qualified for financial bid opening including SKEC (Korea) and Tata, STEC, China, L&T, Afcons and Gulermakgir, Turkey.

It said that on June 12 financial bids were opened and STEC, China emerged as lowest bidder. “The tender is under process and yet to be finalised,” it said, adding that the project is funded under Asian Development Bank (ADB)/World Bank/Multi-lateral procurement guidelines do not allow discrimination among firms/countries.

The NCRTC which is undertaking the construction work of the first RRTS at semi-high-speed Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut 82 km corridor is supposed to have 5.6 km long tunnel between New Ashok Nagar in Delhi to Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh and an underground station at Anand Vihar.

LOC to LAC: India lost many brave soldiers

By

Afternoon Voice

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June 17, 2020

After the first fatal clash between India and China since 1975, almost after 40 years At least 20 soldiers have died in fighting along the disputed Himalayan border, Doyens observe that the current hostilities mark the beginning of China entering into a more ‘volatile chapter’ concerning the LAC. Despite attempts at the high level for a harmonious resolution through exchanges between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Chinese counterparts, and the commander-level talks, nothing could abate the border row. However, Beijing’s choice of time for its power projection at New Delhi’s Himalayan border is miscalculated.

foreign ministry spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava made statement that the “India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control. We expect the same of the Chinese side,”

Earlier on Tuesday, China claimed Indian troops had “crossed the border illegally twice and carried out provocative attacks”. Saying it had lodged “strong protests and solemn complaints” with India, the Chinese foreign ministry asked New Delhi to “restrain” its frontline troops and “not cross the border” and “provoke”. Meanwhile, Beijing has refused to confirm any deaths on its side, but accused India of crossing the border twice and “provoking and attacking Chinese personnel”.

Fighting broke out on Monday evening when an Indian patrol came across Chinese forces on a narrow ridge. During the confrontation an Indian commanding officer was pushed and fell into the river gorge. Hundreds of troops from both sides were called in and fought with rocks and clubs. Several fell to their deaths.

An army statement confirmed the death of a Colonel and two jawans and spoke of “casualties on both sides”. In another statement last evening, the army added that 17 more critically injured were “exposed to sub-zero temperatures… (and) succumbed to their injuries”. The army statement opened by saying Indian and Chinese troops “have disengaged” at the Galwan area where they earlier clashed on the night of June 15/16. The soldiers threw punches and stones at each other and the Chinese troops allegedly used rods and nail-studded clubs during the fight that lasted for hours until midnight on Monday.

India & China both have sought to establish their claims to territory

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 17, 2020

Bite by bite and in kilometers, China is encroaching India’s Himalayan borderlands. It’s been decades, Asia’s these two giants have fought a bullet less war for territory along their high-altitude border. Recently, though, China has become more forceful, underlining the need for a new Indian containment strategy. The strategy underlying China’s actions is more remarkable than their scope. On land, like at sea, China uses civilian resources—herders, farmers and grazers—as the tip of the spear. Once civilians settle on contested land, army troops gain control of the disputed area, paving the way for the establishment of more permanent campsites or observation posts. Similarly, in the South China Sea, China’s naval forces follow fishermen to carve out space for the reclamation of rocks or reefs. In both theatres, China has deployed no missiles, drones or bullets to advance its objectives. China maintained its modus operandi in a non-violent belligerence and garnered less opposition than its blue-water ambition, which has been challenged by the US under international law. Interestingly after the COVID19 suffering and spread, all the other powerful nations strained their guns towards China. Most of the time, Indian government and its leaders even overlook China’s actions. During a recent panel discussion in Russia, for example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that although China and India are at odds over borders, it was remarkable that “in the last 40 years, not a single bullet has been fired because of [it].” Yes, what the PM said is right, there was no blood shed or killings, it was life getting in and thrown out. All was done very quietly. On average, China launches one slyness invasion into India every 24 hours. BJP’s Kiren Rijiju, India’s minister of state for home affairs previously spoke about it. He time and again maintained that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is actively intruding into vacant border space with the objective of occupying it. And according to a former top official with India’s Intelligence Bureau, India has lost nearly 2,000 sq. km to PLA encroachments over the last decade.

To gauge Modi’s foreign policy in regard to China. Let us be clear that every Indian Prime Minister in the past had not succeeded in their China policy. We are aware about India’s embarrassing loss to China in the 1962 boarder war. We Indians still don’t trust China even though we are very happy to use Chinese products. Our government and people have not talked about China openly till recent times. We still have a fear or distrust of China in mind which stopped us to debate about them. During the Vajpayee government, then defense minister George Fernandes openly made a statement that “the China is our no. 1 enemy and his statement was criticized hugely by Indian media. One good thing happened after this media trial, at least we became more open about China. The issue and subject which was non topic but after Fernandes’s speech it gathered momentum. Somehow, after many years BJP once again came to power and Sino-Indo relations worsened during the Modi era but India has learned to take on China head on. Previous PMs like Manmohan Singh or Vajpayee may have sent delegation in China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) submit with some reservations or protests over CPEC. But India was only one major country which boycotted OBOR submit. Many Indians experts say that India should have participated and should have taken advantage of this gigantic infrastructure project. But Modi maintained sovereignty of India a top priority. India will not accept any project which interrupts our dominion. India considers Pak Occupied Kashmir as an integral part and can’t accept a project which passes through Jammu & Kashmir.

On the other hand, India after many years allowed the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh despite massive diplomatic protests by China. This was a very clear signal to China that if China opposes India’s entry to NSG and blocks India’s move to ban Massod Azhar in the Security Council then India will take reciprocating actions. India has recently conducted naval exercises with Singapore in the South China Sea and India has improved strategic relations with Australia & Japan in the last three years. China clearly understood that the Indo-Japan-Australia alliance in Indo-Pacific regions will create huge hitches for their country. China meanwhile tried to surround India with its filament of pearl policy. It is virtually controlling Gwadar port in Pakistan and aimed to get military access to Sri Lankan & Myanmar sea ports. China is giving massive aid to Bangladesh & Nepal and it is tough for India to match such endowments. All neighboring couriers of India have signed agreements for OBPR projects.

We may see a cold war like situation between India & China if situations don’t improve soon. But there are some silver linings also. India is collaborating with China in Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and BRICS bank. An Indian (K V Kamath) is chairman of the New Development Bank of BRICS countries. India has become part of the Shanghai Cooperation forum and we are already part of BRICS. China had pledged investment of 30 plus billion USD when Chinese President visited India two years ago. Chinese companies are heavily investing in India. Sino-Indo annual trade has crossed 75 billion USD even though India has a massive trade deficit with China. India had become a new market for Chinese companies & investors. Many popular Indian startups like Paytm have been funded by Chinese investors. Today China is openly welcoming Indian software professions when western countries, Singapore, Australia etc. are shutting doors for Indian techies. Until recently Chinese products were considered cheap and many still consider them cheap but the success of Lenovo & Xiomi have changed perception of Chinese products in India. Today China can’t afford to lose Indian market. The relationship between China & India has been of love & hate in recent years. Which is soaring now but I am sure both the heads of nations may give check met to each other. China should treat India as an emerging power and India should accept the fact that China is clear no.2 power in the world. It’s ok to have differences but both countries should keep the dialogue channel open. There is a vast difference between India and China. India’s GDP is around 20% of China’s GDP, China’s annual exports is equal to India’s GDP. Remember the way we laugh at Pakistan, when they say they can compete with us even after being just 10% of our economy, this same stance is used by the Chinese. Modi will have to exercise his China policy very carefully in the next few years. He has so far played a smart game by confronting China but has also engaged China simultaneously. I can say that Modi’s China record has not been average but the next few years will be very crucial. These two powers can make or break the future of the world. Currently Narendra Modi is not able to tackle China, but may be in future he comes up with something concrete. Let us remember that India and China fought a war in 1962 over their contested border in the Himalayas. The war ended with a truce and the formation of a de facto boundary, known as the Line of Actual Control. The LAC is a rough demarcation line separating Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. The exact location of sections of the line, particularly in the western Ladakh region, have remained in dispute. Efforts between the two countries to clarify the LAC have stalled in the past two decades.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

PM Modi calls for all-party meet on June 19 to discuss situation in India-China border areas

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Afternoon Voice

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June 17, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for an all-party meeting to be held on June 19 to discuss the situation at the border areas with China. The virtual conference meeting, presided by PM Modi, will be attended by presidents of various political parties in the country.

“In order to discuss the situation in the India-China border areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an all-party meeting at 5 PM on 19th June. Presidents of various political parties would take part in this virtual meeting,” a tweet by the PMO India read. At least 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel rank officer, had lost their lives in the violent face-off in the Galwan valley area of Ladakh on June 15.

The violent face-off happened on late evening and the night of June 15 in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to “unilaterally change” the status quo during de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side, India said on June 16. The Chinese side also suffered casualties, including the death of the commanding officer of the Chinese Unit involved in the violent face-off with Indian troops, sources confirmed to a news agency.