Tag: issue

Mahua Moitra takes potshots at govt over Adani issue, shell companies

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New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Monday took potshots at the government while sharing a Corporate Affairs Ministry’s two years old press release which stated that more than 2.38 lakh shell companies were identified between 2018 and 2021.
She tweeted the official statement while tagging it to her earlier tweet posted in the morning, where she had tagged a response to a Rajya Sabha question on shell companies, with the government saying that data regarding offshore shell companies owned by Indian citizens is “unavailable”.
The question was by MP John Brittas – who had asked for “details of offshore shell companies whose Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) are held by Indian citizens”.
In its reply, the government said: “It is submitted that an offshore shell company is not defined in the Acts administered by the Ministry of Finance. Data/details regarding offshore shell companies owned by Indian citizens is not available.”
Sharing both responses, Moitra tweeted: “Government identified 2,38,223 shell companies without any specific definition in law. Blinkers on only when it comes to Adani Group family shells in Mauritius!”
“How can the government take action against Adani? Finance Ministry does not know definition of shell firm! Written answer in RS says no clue, hence no action,” she tweeted, while sharing a picture of the proverbial “three wise monkeys” and tagging Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
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#Mahua #Moitra #takes #potshots #govt #Adani #issue #shell #companies
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 27, 2023
Oppn MPs in black stage protest over Adani issue, Rahul’s disqualification

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New Delhi: Wearing black clothes, several opposition MPs on Monday took out a march from parliament to Vijay Chowk to protest against the government over the Adani issue and Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
The protesters, including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament complex and raised slogans against the government.
Holding a huge “Satyamev Jayate” banner and placards with “save democracy” written on them, the MPs proceeded towards Vijay Chowk where they staged a sit-in.
“How has Adani’s wealth multiplied so much in the last few years. When you are going to foreign countries how many times have you taken the industrialist with you. The PM has not been able to give answers to questions raised against Adani,” Kharge told reporters at Vijay Chowk.
“We want a JPC on the Adani issue. Why is the government not agreeing to this? Why are you scared of a JPC probe… it means ‘dal mein kuchh kala hai’ (something is wrong),” he said.
The opposition has been seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group.
Kharge also raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case.
“You want to defame Rahul Gandhi that is why you transferred the case to Gujarat even as the comments were made in Kolar in Karnataka. Today is a black day for democracy,” Kharge said.

Kharge said opposition MPs were dressed in black as the prime minister is “finishing” democracy.
Trinamool Congress, which has so far stayed away from opposition protests, joined the sit-in on Monday.
Earlier, MPs of various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BRS, and SP, met at the Parliament complex to discuss a strategy to take forward the Adani issue as well as Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification matter in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
Dressed in black, opposition MPs stage protest over Adani issue, Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification(333 Words) Print PrintDOWNLOAD 13/27/2023 12:28:00 PM
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Wearing black clothes, several opposition MPs on Monday took out a march from parliament to Vijay Chowk to protest against the government over the Adani issue and Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
The protesters, including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament complex and raised slogans against the government.
Holding a huge “Satyamev Jayate” banner and placards with “save democracy” written on them, the MPs proceeded towards Vijay Chowk where they staged a sit-in.
“How has Adani’s wealth multiplied so much in the last few years. When you are going to foreign countries how many times have you taken the industrialist with you. The PM has not been able to give answers to questions raised against Adani,” Kharge told reporters at Vijay Chowk.
“We want a JPC on the Adani issue. Why is the government not agreeing to this? Why are you scared of a JPC probe… it means ‘dal mein kuchh kala hai’ (something is wrong),” he said.
The opposition has been seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group.
Kharge also raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case.
“You want to defame Rahul Gandhi that is why you transferred the case to Gujarat even as the comments were made in Kolar in Karnataka. Today is a black day for democracy,” Kharge said.
Kharge said opposition MPs were dressed in black as the prime minister is “finishing” democracy.
Trinamool Congress, which has so far stayed away from opposition protests, joined the sit-in on Monday.
Earlier, MPs of various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BRS, and SP, met at the Parliament complex to discuss a strategy to take forward the Adani issue as well as Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification matter in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
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#Oppn #MPs #black #stage #protest #Adani #issue #Rahuls #disqualification
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 27, 2023
Divert attention from Adani issue: Rahul on charges of insulting OBCs

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New Delhi: With the BJP accusing him of insulting OBCs with his “Modi surname” remark, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he has been talking of brotherhood in all his speeches and the ruling party was just trying to divert attention from the Adani issue by making such allegations.
Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remark.
Several BJP leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, have accused Gandhi of insulting Other Backward Classes (OBCs) through his remark in 2019.
Asked about the BJP’s allegation, Gandhi said at a press conference here, “Look at any of my speeches in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, I am saying that all communities are the same, everyone should move forward together, there should be brotherhood, there should be no hate, there should be no violence. So my position is absolutely clear.”
“This is not an issue of OBCs, this is an issue of the relationship between Narendra Modi and (businessman Gautam) Adani. I am asking how Adani shell firms got Rs 20,000 crore and want an answer to that,” he said.
“The BJP tries to divert attention, they will sometimes talk of OBCs, sometimes of (remarks) abroad, sometimes about disqualification or something else but the question remains — Rs 20,000 crore belong to whom?” he said.
Rs 20,000 crore are in shell companies owned by Mr. Adani. Where did this money come from? These companies are working in the defence sector and there’s a Chinese national involved in this. Why is this not being questioned by anyone?
:@RahulGandhi Ji#20000CroreKiskeHain pic.twitter.com/4xtK4fjHUn
— Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (@INCTamilNadu) March 25, 2023
Responding to media queries on the BJP’s charge of insult to OBCs, Gandhi described these questions as peddling of BJP’s agenda and asked if they were posed following orders from the ruling dispensation.
Attacking Gandhi over his remark on media queries, BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya tweeted, “I am told the journalist Rahul Gandhi snubbed for asking a perfectly legitimate question has been covering the Congress for 15 years and is fairly aligned. Yet, he was shot down, the moment he stepped out of the line. What arrogance! But Rahul Gandhi is messiah of free’ press.”

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel hit out at the BJP over its charge of insulting OBCs, saying it wants to divert attention from the Adani issue.
“Does Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Bhupesh Baghel or Tamil Nadu chief minister not belong to the backward classes? Why is BJP creating trouble for all of us?” he said.

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#Divert #attention #Adani #issue #Rahul #charges #insulting #OBCs
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Rahul case not linked to Adani issue, stay not sought to encash issue in polls: Prasad

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Patna: Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday rebutted the charge that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “scared” of his questions on the Adani issue.
Talking to reporters here soon after Gandhi addressed the press in Delhi, Prasad also alleged that the Congress did not seek a stay on the conviction by a Gujarat court so that it could “encash” the episode in Karnataka, where assembly elections are expected in about a month.
He said, “Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s statement confirms that the Congress did not press into service its famed battery of legal experts with the Karnataka polls in mind. What else can explain their failure to show the alacrity which was for all to see in Pawan Khera’s case?”
VIDEO | “He (Rahul Gandhi) addressed a press conference in Delhi and did not say anything on the matter (On his conviction in the 2019 defamation case). He tried to mislead again,” says BJP leader @rsprasad. pic.twitter.com/p4xjS122bX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 25, 2023
“We are not here to hold brief for Adani. But Gandhi sought to mislead the people to link his disqualification with Adani. He has been disqualified because of conviction in a case that relates to defamatory remarks he made in 2019,” added the BJP leader.
The Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib asserted that Adani Group used to win contracts even when the UPA was in power at the Centre and was doing business in Congress-ruled states such as Rajasthan.
Rejecting Gandhi’s charge that his speech on Adani inside Parliament had left the Modi government tizzy, Prasad asserted that the Congress leader’s address was baseless and incoherent.
Taunting the Congress leader for the averment that he chose his words carefully, Prasad said, “It only proves that he made the defamatory remarks with due deliberation. This has been his habit. He is facing at least seven other cases of defamation, including the one lodged here by (former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister) Sushil Kumar Modi”.
Rejecting the charge of political vendetta, the BJP leader pointed out that “several political leaders have, so far, been disqualified upon their conviction by a court of law. Some of them belong to the BJP”.

A practicing lawyer, Prasad also dismissed the argument against a Gujarat court holding the Congress leader guilty for comments made outside the state, saying “Purnesh Modi (the BJP MLA who filed the petition) would have naturally felt offended by Gandhi’s remark about Modi surname. I would have felt the same had he said something similar about my surname”.
“As an opposition leader, Gandhi was entitled to criticize, but not abuse anybody. His remarks, indeed, were abusive and not critical. It denigrated the OBCs, a social group to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs. The BJP is going to take up this humiliation of OBCs very seriously and launch a nationwide stir,” Prasad declared.
Prasad also remarked, tongue in cheek, that the Congress’ failure to immediately move for a stay against conviction “might indicate that there is internal politics in that party. Many are of the view that in this manner, let’s get rid of Rahul Gandhi”.
He said, “Rahul Gandhi needs to realize that it is not the BJP’s fault that the people are not ready to vote for him. He must give up the sense of entitlement that he is born to rule, being the son of Rajiv Gandhi and grandson of Indira Gandhi, both former Prime Ministers”.
He also lambasted Gandhi for having accused, at his press conference, a section of the media of partisanship towards the BJP and said, “Had we behaved in a similar fashion towards the press, all hell would have broken loose and threat to democracy would have been announced”.

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#Rahul #case #linked #Adani #issue #stay #sought #encash #issue #polls #Prasad
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Telangana: BJP to stage protest against TSPSC paper leak issue in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad: Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stage a protest against the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak issue in Hyderabad on Saturday.
The protest will be held at Indira Park in Hyderabad.
The Telangana High Court on Friday granted permission for 500 people to stage the dharna.
Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said, “The BJP is always with the people and we always raise our voice for the people. We have been constantly raising voices for 8 years that there are so many shortfalls and gaps in the job notifications. There are 30 lakh aspirants who have been preparing for government jobs.”
Unfortunately, the K Chandrashekar Rao government deliberately delayed job notifications because there were no funds in the government departments, the BJP leader said.
He said, “In order to support the 30 lakh job aspirants who are in the doldrums as TSPSC has deliberately leaked the paper, we are staging a dharna. They have been preparing for competitive exams for almost 3-4 years. They are looking forward to getting into government jobs but due to this paper leak, the exams are postponed for four months. In order to support the unemployed youth, the BJP wanted to hold a dharna.”
But the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government as usual, Subhash said did not want the opposition parties to come into the light and support the people.
“We have gone to the High Court and the Court has given us permission from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday for around 500 people. As law-abiding citizens, we will honour and respect the court verdict. A peaceful dharna will be organized where all the state leaders will be coming,” he said.

On Thursday, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan sought a status report of the alleged TSPSC paper leak case from the top officials of the state.
As per Governor’s instructions, Raj Bhavan wrote to the Telangana Chief Secretary, the TSPSC Secretary and the Director General of Police seeking the latest status of the case within 48 hours.
In the letter, it was asked to furnish a status report on the alleged paper leak case including Special Investigation Team’s investigation status.
The TSPSC was also asked to furnish the details of its regular and outsourcing employees who appeared for examinations with or without permission from the Commission and their performance in the exams and preparatory leave etc.
The Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) on March 15 cancelled the Assistant Engineers (AE) exam held on March 5, following allegations of the question paper leak.
On March 13, police arrested nine people, including two employees of the TSPSC. Following the arrest of the accused, the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.
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#Telangana #BJP #stage #protest #TSPSC #paper #leak #issue #Hyderabad
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
SC terms bad in law its 2011 verdicts on issue of membership of banned outfits

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday held as bad in law its 2011 verdicts that ruled that mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person criminal unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence.
A bench of Justices MR Shah, CT Ravikumar and Sanjay Karol, while deciding a reference made by a two-judge bench, held that mere membership of banned organisation will make a person criminal and liable to be prosecuted under provisions of UAPA.
The bench said the subsequent decisions passed by high courts pursuant to its two-judge verdicts in 2011 on membership of banned outfits are bad in law and overruled.
While allowing petitions of the Centre and the Assam government seeking review of the apex court’s 2011 verdicts on membership of banned outfits, the court said the Union government was required to be heard when a provision enacted by Parliament is read down.
The top court said the 2011 verdicts were passed while relying on American court decisions which cannot be done without considering the condition prevailing in India.
“In India right to freedom of speech and expressions is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restriction. However, decisions of the American court can be guiding light”, the bench said.
On February 9, the top court while reserving its verdict on batch of review pleas had noted that the Union of India was not heard by its two-judge benches when the 2011 verdict was passed reading down section 3 (5) of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (now repealed).
The top court on February 3, 2011, had acquitted suspected ULFA member Arup Bhuyan, who was held guilty by a TADA court on the basis of his alleged confessional statement before the Superintendent of Police, and said mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person a criminal unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence or creates public disorder by violence or incitement to violence.

Similar views were taken by the apex court in two other verdicts of 2011 in Indra Das versus State of Assam and state of Kerala versus Raneef, where the bench relied upon the three US Supreme Court decisions which have rejected the doctrine of ‘guilt by association’.
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#terms #bad #law #verdicts #issue #membership #banned #outfits
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Haj 2023: HCI directs state committees to issue cover numbers by today, draw soon

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Hyderabad: The Haj Committee of India has requested the state Haj committees to complete the scrutiny of applications received by each state for Haj 2023 and issue cover numbers by March 23 to help in the draw of lots.
Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh has written a letter to the executive officers of all the states, stating that the deadline for submission of online application forms for Haj 2023 has ended. The concerned Haj committees should examine the applications and issue numbers. The draw of lots for the selection of Haj pilgrims across the country will be held soon, so the work of issuing cover numbers should be completed by March 23.
A total of 8,663 applications have been received by the Talangana Haj Committee while it was expected that more than 10,000 applications would be received. It is said that as a result of the reduction of facilities for pilgrims by the Haj Committee, pilgrims are preferring private tour operators.
In case of departure from the Haj Committee of India, the stay in Saudi Arabia has been reduced to 30 days and the procedure of providing 2100 Saudi Riyals to pilgrims from this year has also been abolished. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to perform Hajj.
Pilgrims from Telangana will also be deprived of Rubat facility this year. Discontinuing payment of 2100 riyals in the name of reducing expenses is likely to increase the personal expenses of pilgrims. In case of departure by the Hajj Committee, the total cost is expected to be up to Rs 350,000, so there is no special interest left in the departure of the pilgrims through the Hajj Committee.
The pilgrims are of the view that the government should take steps to provide better facilities at its level. Pilgrims believe that on departure from the Hajj Committee, pilgrims have to arrange food on their own, while private tour operators not only arrange food but also provide accommodation in buildings near Haramain.
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#Haj #HCI #directs #state #committees #issue #cover #numbers #today #draw

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
Haj 2023: HCI directs state committees to issue cover numbers by today, draw soon

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Hyderabad: The Haj Committee of India has requested the state Haj committees to complete the scrutiny of applications received by each state for Haj 2023 and issue cover numbers by March 23 to help in the draw of lots.
Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh has written a letter to the executive officers of all the states, stating that the deadline for submission of online application forms for Haj 2023 has ended. The concerned Haj committees should examine the applications and issue numbers. The draw of lots for the selection of Haj pilgrims across the country will be held soon, so the work of issuing cover numbers should be completed by March 23.
A total of 8,663 applications have been received by the Talangana Haj Committee while it was expected that more than 10,000 applications would be received. It is said that as a result of the reduction of facilities for pilgrims by the Haj Committee, pilgrims are preferring private tour operators.
In case of departure from the Haj Committee of India, the stay in Saudi Arabia has been reduced to 30 days and the procedure of providing 2100 Saudi Riyals to pilgrims from this year has also been abolished. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to perform Hajj.
Pilgrims from Telangana will also be deprived of Rubat facility this year. Discontinuing payment of 2100 riyals in the name of reducing expenses is likely to increase the personal expenses of pilgrims. In case of departure by the Hajj Committee, the total cost is expected to be up to Rs 350,000, so there is no special interest left in the departure of the pilgrims through the Hajj Committee.
The pilgrims are of the view that the government should take steps to provide better facilities at its level. Pilgrims believe that on departure from the Hajj Committee, pilgrims have to arrange food on their own, while private tour operators not only arrange food but also provide accommodation in buildings near Haramain.
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#Haj #HCI #directs #state #committees #issue #cover #numbers #today #draw

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
Punjab Cong chief comes down heavily on AAP govt over Amritpal Singh issue

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In a statement, he said people’s trust and confidence in the state government was at its lowest ebb ever in history.
“It won’t be any exaggeration that Bhagwant Mann is spearheading the most inept state government in the country which hurtles towards a new embarrassment every new day,” Warring said, adding that the absence of governance in Punjab is a matter of concern for every Punjabi.
He said there are tell tale signs that the state government’s intelligence failed miserably in catching the Khalistan sympathiser even after such ‘meticulous’ planning as is being claimed by the state government.
Notably, the Punjab Police on Wednesday reiterated that they are making all-out efforts to trace Amritpal against whom a lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant had been issued.
“Our efforts are on to arrest him,” he said.
After the police crackdown against elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ on Saturday, the Khalistan sympathiser switched from Mercedes car to Brezza SUV and later went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village in Jalandhar from where he escaped along with three others on two bikes.
Warring also wrote to Punjab’s Director General of Police, saying he had earlier too written two letters drawing attention to the “growing concern of Punjabis regarding the Amritpal Singh issue and about him getting emboldened with every passing day”.
“I am very sure if you would have cautioned the Punjab government on the urgency of the matter and had the government been serious about the damage he was inflicting on the law and order situation by misguiding the youth of Punjab, the present-day situation could have been avoided.

“..I have always been appreciative of the capabilities of Punjab Police under your able leadership as Director General, but I am dumb struck and aghast at the failure of the Punjab Police.
“I am sure that Amritpal must have been under police surveillance for his anti national activities for quite some time. As per the information in public domain, he is said to have escaped by switching vehicles and changing dresses..,” the letter stated.
Warring mentioned that to allegedly cover up this failure of Punjab Police to nab Amritpal Singh, the police is rounding up a large number of youths who are branded as associates of Waris Punjab De chief.
“No doubt some young boys must have been misguided by his religious sermons, yet I feel that branding them as hardcore anti-national elements will further alienate these young people from mainstream and may push them to become hardliners, which Punjab can ill afford at this juncture.
“We do not support any leniency towards anti-national elements or criminals, but a soft approach is needed to bring these misguided youth back into the mainstream and rehabilitate them,” he added.
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#Punjab #Cong #chief #heavily #AAP #govt #Amritpal #Singh #issue
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
Border issue very complicated; but neither side want war, confrontation: Chinese envoy

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New Delhi: China and India will have to face the “difficulties” arising out of the border situation but none of the two countries want war or confrontation, Charge D’affaires at the Chinese embassy Ma Jia said on Wednesday.
Addressing a media briefing here, Ma described the situation along the border areas as “very complicated” and said it was not easy to reach an agreement which was the reason the two countries were holding discussions through the established Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and the senior commander-level meetings.
She said the situation with regard to the Ukraine issue had “intensified” since the consensus at the G20 Summit at Bali and it was now “more difficult to reach the accommodation”.
Her remarks come against the backdrop of a joint statement issued following a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping indicating that the two sides will oppose the use of multilateral platforms to take up “irrelevant issues”.
China is yet to name its Ambassador to India after Sun Weidong completed his tenure in October last year. Senior diplomat Ma has been in-charge of the mission in New Delhi.
Earlier, in her suo moto remarks, Ma has said the current situation on the border was stable and China and India were in maintaining communication through the established channels – Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and the senior commander level meetings.
“There are difficulties, I have just said that. But, we have to face it. We are also confident that China and India do not want war. Neither of us want a war. Neither of us want confrontation along the border areas,” the top Chinese diplomat in India said, giving her assessment of the border situation.
She said the border issue has lived through the history of many years and it was not easy to reach an agreement.

“That is why we keep on talking about it. We have to face the problems and we have to talk. I think the intention on both sides is to improve relations. Our two leaders already have consensus on that and I think we can find a way out,” Ma said.
Amid indications that Russia and China will oppose raising of the Ukraine issue on multilateral platforms, the Chinese diplomat said reaching a consensus at the G20 could be difficult if “prominent security issues” were raised at a forum established to deliberate on economic and financial matters.
“As long as you are out of the track and discussing prominent security issues on economic and financial platforms, it is very difficult to reach consensus. In G20, we have this consensus principle. Even if one country does not agree, it is not a consensus,” she said.
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#Border #issue #complicated #side #war #confrontation #Chinese #envoy
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023