Introduction

During their visit to Beijing in August 2008, Sonia Gandhi, children and grandchildren had a meeting with Benazir Bhutto’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also. (Source: Tweet of @amitmalviya of BJP IT cell.) Wonder, if the meeting of two ‘royal’ was arranged by the CCP leaders for joint strategy or to get Sonia Gandhi’s support for Pakistan. (https://www.devendranarain.com/sino-sonia-syner…-indias-security/)

Congress’, especially Gandhi-Vadra family’s, love for Pakistan is well known. When the Modi government carried out a “surgical strike” in POK or bombardment of terror camps in Balakot, Congress was disturbed and refuse to believe the claim of armed forces.

It is also a well-known fact that at least since 2005, the Sonia-controlled UPA government was trying to demilitarise Siachen Glacier that was tantamount to surrender of the Glacier to Pakistan. Before that, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1989 and Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1992 had a similar plan. These successive Congress governments were determined to commit the same mistake similar to what Nehru had committed in 1948.

Siachen Glacier and its importance

Perhaps, Pakistan discovered Siachen Glacier in 1970 and used it for mountaineering. An Indian army officer noticed Pakistani activities in 1981 and sounded the alarm bell. Both India and Pakistan tried to occupy it in April 1984. On April 13, the Indian Army launched its “Operation Meghdoot”. Within 48 hours, the Pakistani army also reached. The two armies fought battles in the extremely cold climate. Ultimately India took control of the 70-kilometre-long (43 mi) Siachen Glacier and it’s tributary glaciers, as well as all the main passes and heights of the Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the Glacier. The Siachen Valley remains in the position of Pakistan.

The 70-kilometer-long Siachen Glacier at the height of 24000 ft prevents direct link between POK and China. From there the Indian army can watch Gilgit and  Baltistan regions of Pakistan and also infrastructure built by China beyond the LAC. It is considered natural protection to India.

Between April 1984 and 2003, Indian and Pakistani armed clashed several times for the Siachen Glacier and surrounding areas. Musharraf mounted an operation in Kargil in 1999 to avenge Siachen but failed, suffering over 700 casualties. The ceasefire declared during Ramzan in 2003 continues. What Pakistan failed to get in battles, the Congress governments wanted to give on a silver platter.

Because of the below -60-degree temperature, the constant threat of avalanche, and high-speed winds, it is the deadliest and costliest area to maintain for the security of India. The daily cost of keeping 5000 army personnel is about Rs. 50 million. (ET Online,  Nov 20. 2019) Between 1984 and 2019, 850 (790 between 2000 and 2003 alone) Indian soldiers died due to hostile weather.

UPA (read, Sonia Gandhi) government’s attempts to surrender Siachen Glacier

In his book, “How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st Century”, Shyam Saran, India’s Foreign Secretary (31 July 2004 – 1 September 2006) has written that at least three times – in 1989, 1992 and 2006 – India and Pakistan nearly agreed on demilitarising the Siachen Glacier. Note that all these attempts were made by the Congress government.

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was first to take initiative, within five years of the Indian occupation of Siachen Glacier, in 1989. Saran says that his initiative failed because of Pakistan’s disagreement over the deal. (Maybe, some powerful person was pressurising Rajiv Gandhi.)

(However, according to a Wikileaks report in 2017, the agreement almost finalised by Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv Gandhi could not be sealed due to opposition by the Indian army.)

(During ‘his’ rule, Rajiv Gandhi took other decisions also against the interest of the country. Read: Westland Helicopters: recalling Gandhis’ deadly deal with Mrs. Thatcher; link: https://www.devendranarain.com/westland-helicop…ith-mrs-thatcher/)

The second attempt – to withdraw forces from the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) – was made in 1992 when the P.V. Narasimha Rao government was Prime Minister. However,  the decision was deferred.

Before looking into the third attempt, it would be relevant to look into the attempts to create an environment in favour of demilitarisation.

On June 13, 2005, addressing the soldiers at the Siachen base camp, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that living in Siachen, the highest battlefield was very difficult. He added that ” Now the time has come that we make efforts that this is converted from a point of conflict to the symbol of peace.”

In 2007, a paper titled  “Demilitarisation of the Siachen Conflict Zone: An Idea Whose Time Has Come”, written by a strategic analyst, Brigadier (Retired) Gurmeet Kanwal of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (available on internet https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep09054), prepared a case for demilitarisation of Siachen. He argued that “To justify a prolonged conflict, a piece of land must provide significant military advantage and open up options for seeking major military gains. Siachen does not qualify as an of strategic importance on any of these grounds though it has now become a politically sensitive issue.”

The strategist gave a very naïve suggestion that  “After demilitarisation is successfully completed, the Siachen DMZ can be declared a ‘science park'” as if our neighbours are very gentle persons who would visit the science park for pleasure and knowledge!

Surprisingly, a retired brigadier was considered a strategist should underestimate the importance of natural defence.

Before as well as after him, suggestions were made to demilitarise or financial consideration. It was argued that the Indian Army was unnecessarily spending more than ₹ 3000 cr. every year to maintain a hold over the Glacier where hundreds of soldiers died due to extreme cold weather.

The Army’s stand has been (except, as discussed below, when an Army Chief had temporarily become soft) that what it had captured the force cannot be allowed to be handed over to Pakistan. After 2003, there has been very little casualty due to hostile weather. The Indian soldiers are well protected.

As Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran was directly involved in the third attempt. On the order of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he prepared a proposal with his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan to take back Indian troops and give away Siachen Glacier to Pakistan. Singh had also asked him to obtain a consensus of all stakeholders for which he held series of meeting with officers and ministers of defence, home, and finance ministries, and also Army Chief JJ Singh and all chiefs of the Intelligence Agencies. He writes that the Army gave its consent.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Cabinet Committee on Security met to consider the proposal. Perhaps, what happened in the meeting was beyond the anticipation of the FS.

• The then National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan strongly opposed it. His reasons were: (a)India’s military position in the northern sector vis-à-vis both Pakistan and China would be compromised, (b) Pakistan could not be trusted, and (c) there would be political and public opposition to any such action.

• General J. K. Singh who had happily agreed to the proposal before, had now decided to join Narayanan. He agreed that the Siachen deal was not safe and would put India in grave danger.

• Initially, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, stayed quiet. However, when the NSA suggested that the issue of Siachen should be taken off the agenda in the India-Pakistan talks on the border issue, Mukherjee supported the militarisation on the ground that as Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had acted to include Siachen in the Indo-Pakistan dialogue.

• Shyam Saran who had authored the proposal along with his Pakistani counterpart supported the proposal.

• Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kept quiet throughout the meeting.

The CCS could not approve the proposal.

(The common knowledge is that India and Pakistan had major differences. While India wanted Pakistan to authenticate the 110 km actual ground position line (AGPL) along the Siachen-Saltoro ridge, Pakistan insisted on reverting to the pre-1984 position. How Saran and his Pakistani counterpart prepared agreed proposal is not known.)

Shyam Saran has covered the attempts only up to 2006.

The attempt was revived in 2012. On April 30, Defence Minister A. K. Antony told the Lok Sabha that the Government was “holding meaningful dialogue with Pakistan to demilitarise the Siachen Glacier.” According to a write updated May 05, 2012, in India Today “Siachen demilitarisation: Could PM gift away to Pakistan what Army has won?”  (available on the internet:https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20120514-siachen-glacier-demilitarisation-indian-army-pakistan-758307-2012-05-05), after that statement, the then Army General V. K. Singh pressed the panic button. ”officers of the military operations directorate in Army Headquarters had prepared a  presentation t to brief the National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the strategic disadvantages of demilitarising Siachen.”.

What the UPA government was planning was not demilitarisation but handing over of Siachen to Pakistan. (May visit: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-when-mk-narayanan-stalled-siachen-deal-2543556;  http://postcard.news/congress-had-struck-deal-to-give-away-siachen-glacier-to-pakistan-but-this-man-saved-india-from-the-deal/

More sensational disclosures were made by Wikileaks.

^{May 18, 2006}

‘We cannot rule out the possibility of a surprise deal emerging, except to note that if it does, it will probably come not from the negotiating teams themselves but from the senior-most political levels, Were any deal to crystallize, PM Singh would need buy-in from the Army and the BJP to avoid handing himself a political firestorm. (Reference was to the deal considered in May 2005)’

‘Fortunately for the PM, Congress’ coalition partners are unlikely to obstruct a Siachen deal. The most vocal and difficult to manage UPA partner, the Left parties, generally favor policies that promote Indo-Pak rapprochement and cutting the defense budget; demilitarizing Siachen would likely advance both these goals. … ‘

In a release dated September 9, 2013, Wikileaks stated:

• In November 2006, the American view was that “India has repeatedly come `very close’ to an agreement on the Siachen issue in 1989, and again (less so) in 1993…The Indian army is resistant to giving up this territory under any condition for a variety of reasons – a strategic advantage over China, internal army corruption, distrust of Pakistan, and a desire to keep hold of advantageous territory that thousands of Indian soldiers have died protecting.”

• NSA MK Narayanan told American officials in May 2005 that “the PM had instructed all his subordinates that `we need to accept Musharraf’s bona fides, even on Siachen’.

• According to the US confidential diplomatic cables released recently, the Indian Army was held responsible for the ongoing deadlock with Pakistan over the Siachen dispute.

• In 2006, the US Embassy in New Delhi sent a cable that “PM Singh would need buy-in from the Army and the TDP to avoid handing himself a political firestorm.” The cable sent by the embassy added that “India would not make a deal on
  demilitarisation without Pakistan signing a map laying out Indian andPakistani troop positions before the withdrawal. The primary purpose of this would be to justify action if Pakistan reneged (went back) on the withdrawal.”

• In September 2008, the US embassy in New Delhi informed (the US administration) that the Indian Army’s stand was that withdrawal from Siachen was tantamount to ceding the area to Pakistan due to the difficulty of retaking it should Pakistan occupied it.”

In 2017, the Wikileaks had revealed a sensational document that showed how the UPA government under Sonia Gandhi and  Manmohan Singh had decided to give away Siachen Glacier to  Pakistan. 

 Conclusion

Manmohan Singh being just a puppet of Sonia Gandhi, who owed the high office of Prime Minister to her and held for 10 years due to her continued pleasure, could not have taken such a crucial decision on his own. He must have acted on the order of his boss Sonia Gandhi. There are reasons to believe that Rajiv Gandhi also acted under Sonia Gandhi’s pressure. I cannot say who pressurised or influenced Narasimha Rao.

With the change in the government in 2014, Sonia Gandhi’s desire to present strategically crucial Siachen Glacier to Pakistan on a silver platter remained unfulfilled. I wonder if the politicians have received a strong message that when the political leadership acts against national security, the armed forces would not keep quiet. Had the armed forces (and NSA in 2006) not taken a firm stand, India would have lost the strategically crucial Siachen Glacier to Pakistan.

Any suggestion that Siachen Glacier should be demilitarised or given to Pakistan because it was very costly to maintain it, was suicidal. A nation’s security, a nation’s honour, armed forces’ honour cannot be subjected to cost-benefit analysis.

The bottom line is that the Congress party that was once in the forefront of the freedom movement has declined so much under Sonia Gandhi that what is in the interest of the Congress (read, Gandhi-Vadra family) is not in the interest of the country and what is in the interest of the country is not in the interest of the Congress

Devendra Narain

July 05, 2020

@narain41

Sino-Sonia synergy, a threat to India’s security

MOU, a symbol of Sino-Sonia synergy, being signed on August 07, 2008

In the previous article “Why did Gandhi family and Chinese Communists sign an MOU?” (https://www.devendranarain.com/why-did-gandhi-f…ists-sign-an-mou/ ‎), I analysed the reasons what made the Gandhi family and Chinese Communists sign an MOU. Though the details of the MOU are not in the the public domain, the sequence of events shows that for the Gandhi-Vadra family headed by Sonia Gandhi nee Sonia Maino, their personal interest is above the interest of Indians.

In fact, a careful look at the developments during and after the UPA rule should not leave anyone in doubt that their friendship ( “Sino-Sonia synergy”), symbolised by the MOU, is a serious threat to India’s security. During the ten years of the UPA rule, India’s ‘de facto Prime Minister’, Sonia Maino, acted like China’s good friend, keeping India’s interest subordinate to China’s interest. During the current tension between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), she and her children are repeatedly giving the message that ‘enemy’s enemy is friend’. Whether in or out of power, she has missed no opportunity to prove that ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed.’

Proofs of threat to India’s security by the Sino-Sonia synergy  during the UPA rule

There are several examples of how the de facto Prime Minister helped China during 10 years of her rule, albeit through her puppet Prime Minister

(1) Refusal to give permission to activate strategic airstrip in Ladakh

Recently, retired air marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora, the Commander-In-Chief of the Western Air Command in 2008, has made a shocking, revelation about the apathy, rather firm opposition, of the UPA government to strengthen India’s defence despite the constant threat of Chine incursions.

During the Chinese aggression in 1962, an airstrip, known as Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), was built at an altitude of nearly 17,000 feet, one of the world’s highest advanced airstrips, in Ladakh.  It was not used after 1965. It had suffered some damage in an earthquake in 1966.

Just 9 km northwest of the Aksai Chin LAC, this airstrip is strategically very important. During the UPA rule, several times the Airforce requested the government for permission to reactivate it to provide logistical support for troops stationed in the difficult terrain and to stonewall Chinese incursion. Every time the reply was a firm “NO” though no reason was given.

Air Marshal Barbora decided to act without government permission. In a closely guarded secret operation, in May 2008,  he himself flew an an-32 aircraft to this strategic airstrip. Even Defence Minister A. K. Antony was not taken into confidence, He was informed only after law Air Marshal had done what he wanted to do.

Air Marshal Barbora told a news agency that when the government asked him ‘why did you do it? We said it is the Air Force’s responsibility to maintain troops’ logistics support and it falls within our jurisdiction, within Indian territory.’

Five years later, in August 2013, a Super Hercules transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force was flown to the airstrip to prove its usefulness. It is now playing a critical role in the face-off with China. The Indian Army maintains helipads and a gravel airstrip and  Air Force also carries routine sorties to provide relief and supplies to the troops stationed nearby. (Sources: OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com and WION New Delhi Jun 09, 2020)  

(2) Delay in the construction of border roads

One of the reasons for the poor show by the Indian Army in Ladakh in 1962 was that there was no motorable road. The ill-equipped soldiers had to walk for a week to reach the border.

Way back, in 1999 when Atal Behari Vajpayee was Prime Minister, the government decided to construct 73 “strategic roads” ( 3,812 km in length) by 2012. The UPA government delayed the construction of roads along the entire border and the LAC. By March 2016, only 22 roads were completed. The common excuse given for the delay was ‘delay in getting environmental clearances. Note that for almost half of the period UPA, I and II, ruled, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in charge of the Environment Ministry. The independent ministers in charge of the Environment Ministry were also known for delays in giving clearances. Delay in land acquisitions, difficulties in availability of construction material, shortage of manpower, and damage due to natural disasters such as flash flood were other regions cited.

The main reason was the Chinese objection to the construction of border roads. The Chinese did not want development of infrastructure that would facilitate fast movement of armed forces and supplies to the border areas. This was confirmed recently when the Chinese objected to the construction of roads and bridges leading to the Line of Actual Control  (LAC) on the Indian side. The Modi government completely ignored Chinese objections. But the Sonia government did not want to displease the Chinese. During last few months, the Border Roads Organisation of India has constructed roads and bridges with load-bearing capacity of 70 tons.

During the UPA rule, even border roads were not free of scams. The construction of 255 km long Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road, connecting Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), started in 2000 and was scheduled to be completed by 2012 at an estimated cost of ₹ 320 cr.  “An inquiry conducted by the Chief Technical Examiner (CTE), on the instructions of the CVC, discovered in 2011 that the road had been laid on flat terrain and not on the mountains as per the approved plan, as reported in an Indian Express report. The construction of the road in such a manner meant that it got damaged every summer due to the flooding of the Shyok River caused by melting snow.” He alleged that  about Rs. 120 cr. had been misappropriated from the project. Moreover, ‘much of the road would have to be realigned and reconstructed.’

(3) Keeping armed forces weak

 Despite threats from China, the UPA government did not take any action to strengthen our Armed Forces. The government ignored the repeated requests of the Air Force to acquire new fighter planes. India had not acquired a new fighter plane for decades. The negotiation for the acquisition of Rafale fighters had become an endless.

After defeating Sonia Maino in 2014 Narendra Modi is acting fast to make India strong.

In May 2014, a politician (by virtue of marriage) for whom personal and family interest was above the national interest was replaced by a person without family and personal interest, whose only interest is to make India diplomatically, economically, and militarily strong. He acted fast.

Within less than two months of taking over in 2014, Prime Minister Modi took several measures to expedite the construction of border roads. The government to scrap the need for approval for every project and gave a “general approval” for building a road network of border roads including outposts, floodlights, and fencing, by the Border Roads Organisation. modern construction equipment, men and material – to expedite completion of DSBDO. The building of roads and other infrastructure facilities up to the LAC at a fast speed – at  Galwan, India completed a road leading to an airfield in October despite Chinese objections – is believed to be the main reason for the current misadventure by the Chinese. 32 more border roads are also on the fast track. Modern construction equipment, men, and material are airlifted to expedite completion of border roads. (Source: OpIndia and https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-china-ladakh-face-off-result-of-infrastructure-building-not-weakness/ )

To make the speed of road construction faster, recently the Central government transferred the power of giving environmental clearances for the border roads to the defence Ministry.

During last few months, the Border Roads Organisation of India has constructed roads and bridges with load-bearing capacity of 70 tons. Heavy army and civilian vehicles as well as tanks can now move very fast to the LAC near Galwan Valley, the site of physical fight between the Chinese and Indian soldiers in mid June 2020.

Modi acted equally fast to strengthen the armed forces. The government renegotiated to get Rafale fighters at lesser cost and faster. To give a complete account of all the measures taken since 2014 to strengthen the armed forces will require a separate detailed article. Suffice it to say here that today our Armed Forces are well-equipped to meet any threat from China anywhere along 3400 km border. The Armed Forces have been given autonomy to buy arms and ammunition up to ₹ 500 cr. without seeking government approval. There have also been given full freedom to deal with the Chinese at the LAC. Our allies – USA, Russia, France and Israel – are extending all help to make India militarily strong. The first set of Rafale jets is expected by July end. USA and Russia have committed early delivery of arms and ammunition. Israel is supplying an in-service air defence system. India is going to acquire more fighter planes.

Gandhi-Vadra family continues to help the Chinese friends

The frustration of the Gandhi-Vadra family is quite natural. Sonia Gandhi’s plans to delay the construction of border roads and to keep India armed force weak. The family adopted new strategies to help the Chinese friends.

(1) Maintenance of the line of communication with the Chinese. Whenever occasion permitted, Rahul Gandhi met the Chinese leaders to reassure them of support.

• In 2017, during the military stand-off with China at Doklam, Rahul Gandhi was highly critical of the Modi government for not taking action against the Chinese. In the midst of that crisis, he called on the Chinese Ambassador. No one knows what they discussed. When the news leaked out, as expected, the Congress party described it as ‘fake’. The party had to eat humble pie when a post on the website of the Chinese embassy confirmed the news of the meeting. Later, the post was deleted.

• In September 2018, during Rahul Gandhi’s trip to Kailash Mansarovar, a couple of Chinese ministers had met him. Initially, the Congress kept it secret but later Rahul himself, albeit accidentally, revealed that he had met them. Why should Chinese ministers come all the way near Kailash Mansarovar unless some important notes were to be exchanged?

(2) Attempt to sabotage acquisition of Rafale aircrafts

They tried to do so by painting Narendra Modi as corrupt. As the negotiation progressed, Rahul Gandhi’s frustration became too obvious. During the election campaign in 2019, he became desperate. He coined the slogan “Chowkidar chor hai” (‘The guard is a thief’) and chanted it like a mantra every day several times. Reference was to his allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal. Fortunately, barring diehard Modi haters, no one believed him. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the BJP won more seats in 2019 than in 2014, winning 303 seats as against 282 in 2014. (https://www.devendranarain.com/on-rafale-deal-rahul-gandhi-played-a-dangerous-anti-national-game/)

(3) Insult to armed forces before the current crisis at the LAC.

Here are concrete examples before and after the current tension and the LAC’s

• The Congress refused to accept the claim of the Indian Air Force that on 29 September 2016, it conducted “surgical strikes” against militant launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and demanded proof.

• When in the early hours of February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force conducted Balakot airstrike and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan to destroy terrorist camps, the Congress again asked for proof

• On December 30, 2009, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit openly abused the then Army Chief General Bipin Rawat by calling him a ‘sadak ka gunda‘ (a road-side goon). Though he apologised after public outcry, the party did not take any action against him. I do not think the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit who was very close to Sonia Gandhi would have used such an abusive language for the Army Chief unless he was sure of no action by the party.

 (4) Insult to the Armed Forces during the current crisis.

While the Chinese army is creating problems at the LAC, the Sonia-Vadra family is extending support to the Chines by attacking the Modi government on a daily basis. While all other opposition parties, barring the communists, are pledging support to the government, the family is showing its loyalty to the family friend Xi Jinping. There are numerous examples of this.

• They do not want any Congressman to be critical of China. In May, the leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had tweeted against China for aggression along the LAC, warned China while pressing the Indian forces. The show of anger was short- lived. Under pressure from above, Chowdhury deleted the tweet.

• As if to say ‘our apology for Chowdhury’s unfriendly act’, Congress leader Anand Sharma tweeted that “The views of Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in China are his own and do not reflect the party position;” He further tweeted that “The Indian National Congress recognises and values the special strategic partnership between India and China. As two ancient civilisations and large economies of the world, both countries are destined to make a significant contribution in the 21st Century.” No other proof is needed to show where the loyalty of the Congress party controlled by Gandhi-Vadra family lies.

• On June 22, a week after physical clash between Indian and Chinese armies in which 20 Indian soldiers had become the martyrs and (according to the American sources) 43 Chinese soldiers were killed, Prime Minister Modi held a meeting 20 political parties. He apprised them of the seriousness of the problem, briefed them about the state of preparedness and status at the LAC. He told them that there was no intrusion on the Indian territory along the LAC and no post of Indian Army had been captured by the Chinese. All opposition parties, except Congress, maintained the tradition of solidly supporting the government’s diplomatic, strategic and military.

• Sonia Gandhi did not believe Prime Minister’s claim that there was ‘no Chinese intrusion into Indian soil’ and wanted to know the date on which the Chinese troops intruded into Indian territory, the date on which the intrusion was discovered, the sequence of events, whether the intelligence agencies had discovered unusual activities, whether there was a failure of the military intelligence and whether the government was regularly receiving satellite pictures of the area. One wonders, why Sonia Gandhi needs all these military details, especially about the role of the military intelligence. Does she want the information to be shared with the Chinese friends?

• Almost every day Rahul Gandhi is asking Prime Minister Modi to speak up and tell the truth to the country on whether China has occupied any Indian territory.

• As part of their campaign, “Speak up for our jawans” campaign, as part of the campaign, on June 26 all the three top leaders of Congress i.e. three members of the family, Sonia, son Rahul, and daughter Priyanka, issued three separate statements to give the message that the Chinese troops have occupied Indian territory.

In a video message Sonia said, the prime minister claims that China did not infiltrate India’s land, but on the other hand, the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs keep discussing it.

Rahul said, “A few days ago, the prime minister said – no one has taken even an inch of Indian land [and that] no one is inside Indian territory – but we are hearing, satellite photos have shown, people in Ladakh are saying and retired generals are saying that China has snatched our land. Not in one place but three.”

Not to be left behind, in her statement virtually mocked the PM. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked,  “What happened during the discussions that PM Modi had held with the Chinese that they were so emboldened to take over our territories?”

• The allegation that the Chinese have occupied Indian territory is based on a misinterpretation of satellite imagery section of media (Indian as well as foreign) that the new Chinese structures have come up at the site of the violent clash in the Galwan Valley. However, an Indian news channel India TV has given the just opposite information based on the same satellite images. On June 25, India TV’s Rajat Sharma, while showing the images on the TV screen pointed out that a fake news was circulating in the media that the structures visible in satellite image were made by the Chines on the Indian side of the LAC, ‘whereas the truth is that those are Indian structures on the Indian side’.

• The family is not bothered either about the truth or about the implications of their statements and tweets. When Rahul Gandhi says that ‘Narendra Modi has surrendered to China’, he does not realise that he is saying that the Indian armed forces have surrendered to the Chinese armed forces. This is not only contrary to the truth but also an insult to the brave Indian soldiers.

In his 66^th “Man Ki Baat” radio talk, Prime Minister gave a clear message to the Chinese Communists and their Indian friends. He said: “India knows how to maintain friendship but also look our enemy in the eye and retaliate if the need arises. Our brave soldiers have proved that they will not let any harm come on their motherland. The world has seen India’s commitment to protecting its borders & sovereignty. In Ladakh, a befitting reply has been given to those coveting our territories.”  

• What Rahul Gandhi keeps on describing as the Indian territory that the Chinese had occupied is really the “No Man’s Land” which is patrolled by both sides. He  knows the truth but believes in the Fascist Germany’s propaganda minister Goebbels’ theory that a lie repeated several times starts sounding like truth. What Rahul Gandhi does not want people to remember that during the last four years of the UPA rule, the Chinese army had entered Indian territory 1278 times: 228 times in 2010, 213 times in 2011, 426 times in 2012 and 411 times in 2013. Those inclusions did not disturb Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh perhaps because  the intruders were friends of Gandhi-Vadra family.

(5) Chinese donations to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF)

The RGF headed by Sonia Gandhi is a private trust. Actually, it should be called a family trust established to collect money from all sources. As Finance Minister and then as Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh was very generous to the foundation. The Chinese also gave a few crores of rupees. They know that the foundation has no thoughts of money. The amount they gave is not much but gifts from time to time keep the friendship warm. If money has been given through any other channel, there is no information in the public domain. 

Conclusion

The Gandhi-Vadra family must be feeling disturbed that India’s military capabilities and state of preparedness to thwart any Chinese intrusion anywhere along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) were never so high in the past. Army and air force are alert 24/7. Our specialised high-altitude warfare forces are far superior to their Chinese counterpart. Despite grave provocations, Chinese engineers constructed a 66-metre bridge over the River Galwan in freezing temperatures in less than 72 hours.

The propaganda the Global Times is doing for China from Beijing, the Gandhi-Vadra family is doing from Delhi. Both are claiming that the Chinese forces are in stronger position.

Members of Gandhi-Vadra family are letting out their frustration by chanting “Modi has surrendered to China”, reminiscent of their chanting “Chowkidar Chor hai’ during the 2019 election campaign. They failed in 2019. They will fail now and in the future.

The bottom line is that the Congress party that was once in the forefront of the freedom movement has declined so much under Sonia Gandhi that what is in the interest of the Congress (read, Gandhi-Vadra family) is not in the interest of the country and what is in the interest of the country is not in the interest of the Congress.

Devendra Narain

July 01, 2020

@narain41

Conspirators to intellectuals have made common cause against NPR

 This is Part VI of the series of articles on Citizenship Law.

In Part I of the series of articles, I wrote about the changes made from to time in the citizenship law of India and the changing tones of some political parties. https://www.devendranarain.com/consequences-of-…ay-be-disastrous/

Part II summarises arguments for and against CAA of 2019, NPR and NRC. The conclusion is that acceptance of the demand of those opposing CCA, NPR and NRC will have disastrous consequences. https://www.devendranarain.com/citizenship-law-…right-about-turn/

In Part III, the issues discussed are (a) whether the battle is legal or political and (b) how long it is likely to last. https://www.devendranarain.com/the-battle-over-…itical-not-legal/

In Part IV, I raised and tried to answer a question: Why protests against CAA, NPR and NRC now? Why not earlier? https://www.devendranarain.com/why-protests-aga…-npr-and-nrc-now/

Part  V – Lawmakers and bureaucrats messed up citizenship-related issues – questions the wisdom of the lawmakers of the ruling NDA who unnecessarily amended the Citizenship Act in 2003 and did not change the wordings of the Amendment Act in 2019 to take the steam out of the protests. https://www.devendranarain.com/lawmakers-and-bu…p-related-issues/

Conspirators against India (domestic as well as foreign), most of the Indian Muslims, almost all political parties (other than BJP), self-proclaimed secularists, self-proclaimed liberals and so-called intellectuals have made common cause against National Population Register (NPR).  Each one has “reasons” to oppose NPR that would contain basic information such as nationality and date of birth of every Indian resident. The common reason is deep-rooted hatred of Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he is a strong leader who says that he is against the policy of appeasement of minorities, something unheard of in Indian politics earlier. No other Prime Minister had said so. He succeeded Dr. Manmohan Singh who as Prime Minister had declared that the minorities had the first claim on the nation’s resources. Those whose vested interests are adversely affected do not want such a leader, more so when the leader is strong and firm. Compulsive Modi-haters will continue to portray him as a ‘threat’ to democracy on some excuse or the other. CAA/NPR/NRC is just an excuse.

The Muslims in the non-Muslim majority countries are very particular about their separate identity that is reflected in their day-to-day life. They want to live according to the tenets of Islam. During the British rule, prominent Muslim leaders like Dr. Syed Ahmed Khan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad told them to assert their separate identity. (https://www.devendranarain.com/consequences-of-…ay-be-disastrous). Prime Minister Modi gave them a big jolt when he made triple talaq a punishable offence. Abolition of Article 370 and the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya were other unexpected jolts. Naturally, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 gave an opportunity to the Indian Muslims (it would be politically more correct to say “to the Muslim leaders with few exceptions”) to express their anger.

My impression is that there are two reasons for strong protests by Muslims.

One reason is to hide the identity of the Muslims who have come from outside and are illegally staying and working in India. Bangladeshi Muslims are even sending large amounts of money to their homeland (https://www.devendranarain.com/consequences-of-…ay-be-disastrous). The agitation against CAA was started on the ground that by discriminating on religious grounds, it violated Article 14 of the Constitution though most of those claim they are fighting for the Constitution have not even seen the Constitution. Soon they added opposition to NPR and NRC (National Register of Citizens), their main agenda.

The other reason is that if they do not protest effectively, tomorrow Modi may bring uniform civil law. Even the secular Constitution makers of India had no courage to make it mandatory. They included it in the Directive Principles of State Policy, leaving the matter to be decided by the government in the future. The Indian Muslims want to preserve their separate identity at any cost and also enjoy the special privileges guaranteed by the Constitution though they are more in number in India than the Muslims in Pakistan.

The conspirators against India such as Islamic State (IS, successor of ISIS), Pakistan’s ISI, Popular Front of India (PFI) and Rehab Foundation India (RFI) have a more dangerous agenda. They saw in the nationwide agitations by Muslims seed of Ghazwa–e–Hind (an Islamic concept in the Hadith (collection of sayings and daily practices of Prophet Muhammad). The term means a brutal war of conquering India after which the winning Islamic army would kill all Idol worshippers). 

Now we know the involvement of these domestic and foreign elements in the agitations and their hands behind riots in the last week of February 2020, perhaps part of a bigger design.

When the Muslim leaders are protesting against CAA, NPR, and NRC, can the political parties competing for Muslim votes remain quiet? Before independence, Congress and Muslim league were the main competitors for Muslim votes. The League had the upper hand even in the Hindi heartland. After independence, the Muslim League in India continued with a new name though with little influence.

For several years Congress kept Muslims as their exclusive vote bank. With the emergence of regional parties and Muslim parties, competition for Muslim votes became intense and aggressive. Sonia Gandhi, the unquestioned leader of Congress since mid-March 1998 when in a palace coup like scene, the then Congress President Sitaram Kesri was insulted and booted out. In hindsight, it seems that when she saw the growing popularity of Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister, she realised that he was the greatest threat to her and her family. During her election campaign in Gujarat in 2007, she called Modi “merchant of death” for his alleged role in communal riots in early 2002 though the fact is that he had done everything possible to control the riots. (https://www.devendranarain.dev/2016/08/intellectuals-fatwa-against-narendra.html). Spreading hatred against Modi to win over Muslims and lower his image among Hindus became the main agenda of the Congress.

In 2003, when Atal Behari Vajpayee was Prime Minister, prominent Congress leaders had demanded grant of citizenship to the Hindus who had fled Pakistan and Bangladesh to seek refuge in India and opposed the grant of citizenship to Bangladeshi Muslims. The CAA of 2003 was passed with the full support of Congress, RJD and DMK. During the UPA-II, as Home Minister, P. Chidambaram was strongly in favour of NPR (https://www.devendranarain.com/citizenship-law-…right-about-turn/). The UPA government started compiling the first NPR as the first step towards the preparation of the NRC, a work that continued during the first tenure of Prime Minister Modi. Names of about 360 million Indians were entered in the NPR.

However, when the Congress sensed that the Muslims were against CAA and NPR, it took about-turn and became a strong opponent of CAA (on the ground that it violated right to equality granted by Article 14 of the Constitution) and NPR (on the ground that for the millions of Indians, it would be impossible to furnish documentary proof of date of birth and citizenship, the arguments made by the Muslim leaders).

Among those making common cause against NPR, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, “deserves” a special mention. He formed a political party with the help of people like Amanatullah Khan, Sanjay Singh and Tahir Hussain to introduce a new type of politics in India. Perhaps, the unexpected victory in the late 2013 Delhi Assembly election convinced him that only he could challenge Modi. In a tearing hurry to prove that to the people, after a brief tenure as Chief Minister, he rushed to Varanasi to contest against the Modi. He lost his security deposit but not his confidence in himself to remain the main challenger. Like Sonia Gandhi, he made spreading hatred against Modi his main political agenda. In his opinion, whatever Modi does is wrong.

In a melodramatic speech in Delhi Assembly on March 13, while opposing the NPR, he said that neither his parents nor he and his wife had birth certificates which were required to be produced for NPR. He asked whether he and his family members would be sent to a detention camp for not producing birth certificates. In the same melodramatic tone, he said that none of the members of his Cabinet had birth certificates. The Delhi assembly adopted a resolution to oppose NPR. Governments of 12 states and union territories are opposing NPR.

If you look at the table presented later in this article, you will notice that even for Census 2011 and NPR 2010, the date of birth was demanded. Prime Minister and Home Minister have repeatedly said that every information furnished by a resident would be accepted as true without any documentary proof. On March 12, a day before melodrama by Kejriwal, Home Minister Amit Shah had categorically stated on the floor of the Rajya Sabha that only oral information was to be furnished, no documentary proof was needed, no individual would be categorised as “doubtful citizens” if the person is unable to provide the required information. 

If after all the clarifications, Arvind Kejriwal expresses fear of being sent to a detention camp and decides to oppose NPR, he can be called only a mischievous fellow. Earlier, he had openly said that he was with the Shaheen Bagh sit-in against CAA. He continues to incite and frighten Muslims.

 When Muslims are aggrieved and angry, the “intellectuals” think it their duty to tell them that they (the “intellectuals”) are equally worried. On March 5, as many as 194 economists and social scientists (five of them foreigners) issued a joint statement strongly attacking NPR. The signatories include professors of Jawaharlal Nehru University (29), Delhi University (17), IIMs (13), foreign universities like Oxford, Massachusetts, and Tokyo (10 Indians and 5 foreigners) and several other Indian universities colleges and institutes as well as persons not shown associated with any institution.

I have no idea of their political leanings but signatures of 29 from professors of JNU and Marxist historian Irfan Habib give the impression that they subscribe to different hues of leftist ideology. The leftists, particularly Marxists, always want to remain in forefront of any protest against any “injustice” to Muslims. They were not bothered when Kashmiri pundits or Sikhs were butchered.

They asked the government to abandon the NPR exercise, at least for the time being. Their arguments are as follows.

• During the Census, anonymous data are collected for assessment of the conditions of population and force necessary social and economic policies.
• Census data should remain “uncontaminated by any other factor”.
• Fears have been “growing among substantial sections that enumerators can determine whether a respondent’s citizenship is “doubtful”.”
• “It is not at all clear that there are any benefits from the NPR at the present juncture.”
• The twin exercises conducted at the same time violate Clause 15 of the Census Act, 1948 that bars anyone from accessing “any book, register or record made by a census-officer in the discharge of his duty”.

Replies to all these arguments are available in the Census Act of 1948 and the Citizenship Act, 1955 as amended by the CAA in 2003 and the rules framed under these two acts.

The census is conducted under the Census Act while the preparation of NPR is mandated by the Citizenship Act. Thus, the two exercises are carried out under two different laws.

The census is conducted in two phases. In Phase 1 – houselisting and housing census – information is collected about buildings and structures (residential as well as non-residential), availability of basic amenities in each household and conditions of human settlement. The objective is to assess how Singh deficit, quality of dwellings, etc. In Phase 2 – population enumeration – particulars such as name, age, sex, religion, educational qualification, occupation, etc are collected. There is a time gap of 6 to 8 months between two phases.

Information for NPR 2020 will be collected along with Phase 1 of the census. The data for the first (though partial) NPR was collected in 2010 along with the house listing phase (phase I) of the Census of India 2011 and updated in 2015 by conducting a door-to-door survey. The next exercise (updating and addition) will be carried out along with the house listing phase of Census 2021 between April and September 2020 in all the States/UTs except Assam. Gazette notification to that effect was issued on July 31, 2019.

True, most of the particulars to be collected for NPR (along with Phase 1 of the census) will also be collected, though separately, in Phase 2 of the census. The charge that should be leveled against the government is that there is unnecessary duplication. Whatever information is to be collected for NPR should be part of the Phase 2 exercise. Anyway, these two exercises are being done independent of each other.

The table set out below contains a list of information for NPR and also what could not be part of Census data.

Information marked * not collected for NPR 2010.

In the Puttaswamy case, the Supreme Court has ruled that furnishing Aadhar details cannot be made mandatory.

Had I access to any of 194 signatories, I would have asked a straight question: ‘how many of have read relevant laws?’ Most probably, a couple of mischievous fellows – they are mischievous – planned, drafted and got signatures of those sharing their views. It is highly unlikely that professors of Tokyo University would bother to read the Citizenship Act, Census Act, and rules before appending their signature.

Had they read the two legislations and the relevant rules, they would not give him arguments (a), (b) and (e).

Strictly speaking, the census is not “anonymous”. Personal particulars of each individual are collected though not maintained in the form of a register, as required for the NPR. Only the numbers – population, males, females, educated, educated, etc – at the village level to the national level are published.

Since census and NPR are two different exercises, there is no question of “contamination” of census data by any other factor. Nor is there any question of violation of  Clause 15 of the Census Act, 1948. The census data are not to be used for NPR.

The signatories’ real objections are as mentioned at (c) and (d). They are making these arguments because the Muslim leaders are saying so. The wordings of the argument make their intention very clear. The Modi government is perhaps the only government in the world which is being told by highly educated Indians and their foreign friends that ‘please don’t try to know the number of those illegally.’ Will those foreigners tell the same thing to the governments in their own countries?

Several countries including Australia, China, Canada, Indonesia and USA maintain registers to know each and every person – citizen or non-citizen living with permission or without permission – within the boundaries of the country.

The Kargil Review Committee formed by the government  after the Kargil war (May-July 1999) recommended preparation of  a register of citizens and non-citizens as  an essential national security measure. The CAA of  2003  authorised preparation of National Register of Citizens (NRC). NPR is the first step towards preparation of NRC, though the government has deferred it in view of protests by the Muslims.

The more I read opinions and suggestions of academics and other intellectuals on who should be our leader and how the government should work, the more I am convinced that despite all their degrees and all their achievements in their profession, they know nothing about the governance of the country. They are not just educated idiots but highly mischievous fellows. Readers may recall that when in 2013, BJP declared Narendra Modi its prime ministerial candidate, such “intellectuals” became nervous. (https://www.devendranarain.dev/2016/08/intellectuals-fatwa-against-narendra.html). More than 100 Indian and foreign “intellectuals” including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen had made a written appeal to the Indian voters not to elect Narendra Modi.

That’s why I am saying that the conspirators against India to “intellectuals” have made a common cause with NPR.

They are opposing NPR because they do not want the government and the people of India to know the number of Muslims illegally living in India. A large number of Indian politicians and the so-called intellectuals are helping the conspirators against India. I will not be surprised if many Indian politicians are on the payrolls of the foreign conspirators.

By issuing an irresponsible statement, the mischievous “intellectuals” are supporting the programme of very dangerous Islamic State. Recently, on the basis of survivors’ horrifying testimonies, a New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi gave chilling account of Islamic State’s systematic, logistically complex program of sex trafficking of captured Yazidi women & girls.

These stupid “intellectuals” will realise what they  are doing only when they   will have to live in Islamic State. The same is true of all Indian politicians supporting agitations against CAA_NPR_NRC. All these fellows are pushing India to hell.

Devendra Narain

@narain41

An open letter to US President Mr. Donald Trump

 Dear Mr. President,

Namaste and welcome to the land of the oldest civilisation, land that has given the world several messages for the welfare of mankind: peace, ahimsa (non-violence), respect for all religions and cultures and tolerance.

I am writing this open letter because this morning I read a news item that during your meeting with our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, you are likely to talk  about CAA, NRC and respect for religious minorities. A national daily has reported that

Responding to a question on whether the President Trump was planning to speak to PM Modi on Citizenship Amendment Act or National Register of Citizens, a senior White House official told reporters “I think the President will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities.”

Mr. President, I don’t expect that you have any intention of interfering in the internal matters of India as India never interferes in the internal matters of any country. India has never questioned your action to stop poor Mexicans’ entry in USA.

Sir, respect for minorities in India is more than anywhere else in the world.

If you are Indi’s friend, please give some tips how to convince Indian Muslims that CAA  is meant to grant citizenship only to persecuted religious minorities who came to India from three neighbouring countries before January 01, 2015; it has nothing to with the Indian Muslims who are citizens of India.

Please, also give a clear message that India needs NRC the security of all Indian citizens, irrespective of their religion and faith.

I need not tell you that several countries in the world, including the USA,  maintain registers to know each and every person – citizen or non-citizen living with permission or without permission – within the boundaries of the country The US Social Security number was started to track individuals. The US Social Security Administration has introduced several features to protect the country from the terrorists. The Canadian government maintains records of all individuals, citizens as well as non-citizens, about their educational qualification, job, properties owned by them, whether they live in their own houses or in rented houses, etc. A few years back Indonesia also prepared a register of its citizens and gave a multipurpose identification number to every citizen. It replaced 18 different identification numbers. China maintains a complete register of all its citizens. The government of Australia maintains complete record of all the permanent residents: their date of birth, educational qualification, jobs, record of crime, etc. The past record of anyone who commits crime can be gathered in less than 20 minutes.

Mr. President, Sir, like several countries of the world, the USA and India are also victims of Islamic fundamentalism. The US suffered 9/11 and India suffered 26/11. Like the USA, India has also to safeguard its people from terrorist attacks. That is why we need NRC. The peace-loving people of the world must form a united front to save the mankind from terrorists, from Islamic fundamentalists.  

Hope, you will appreciate Government of India’s concern. After all, you are so pally with our Prime Minister Modi and know very well that his only interest is to make a better place, socially, politically, economically and militarily.

Regards and Best wishes for a pleasant and memorable visit with your family.

Yours faithfully

Devendra Narain

A common citizen of India

February 23, 2020

@narain41

Linked articles

Citizenship law and March of political parties: Forward March, Left, Right, About-Turn

https://www.devendranarain.com/citizenship-law-…right-about-turn/

Consequences of agitations against CAA, NPR  & NRC may be disastrous

https://www.devendranarain.com/consequences-of-…ay-be-disastrous/

Lawmakers and bureaucrats messed up citizenship-related issues

 https://www.devendranarain.com/lawmakers-and-bu…p-related-issues/