In Manipur, Amit Shah recalls freedom fighter Hemam Neelmani Singh
Evading arrest till 1945, Shah said, Singh went back to Moirang after his release from jail in 1946, and engaged in social work. 'When I first went to Manipur, I saw youth conversing in Hindi. When I asked them how they could converse in Hindi so well, they recalled Heman Neelmani Singh, who worked for linguistic unity throughout his life,' he said.
The Bharat Vikas Parishad is a voluntary organisation inspired by Swami Vivekanand that was initially set up as the Citizens Council by Suraj Prakash to mobilize citizen efforts against the Chinese attack of 1962. It was given its present name in 1963.
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Hindustan Times
3 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Rahul Gandhi to appear before MP/MLA court in Lucknow today
: Congress MP from Rae Bareli and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will appear before the MP/MLA court in Lucknow on Tuesday in a case related to disparaging remarks allegedly made by him about a face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers. The comments were allegedly made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra on December 16, 2022. Congress MP from Rae Bareli and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (File photo) Advocate Vivek Tewari had filed the complaint against Rahul Gandhi on behalf of Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organisation with a rank equivalent to an Army colonel, in January 2023. Rahul Gandhi's alleged statement was derogatory towards the Army and hurt the sentiments of the armed forces, according to the complainant. Additional chief judicial magistrate Alok Verma, Lucknow, had earlier directed Rahul Gandhi to appear before the court on March 24, 2025, in the defamation case filed against him. Gandhi had challenged the additional CJM's order, passed on February 11, 2025, in the high court but did not get relief. Dismissing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's petition, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court held that the right to freedom of speech and expression does not extend to making defamatory statements against the Indian Army. Gandhi had challenged the summons by a local court in connection with a case related to his alleged remarks on the Indian Army. A single-judge bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi on June 2, 2025, passed the order, rejecting Rahul Gandhi's petition challenging the additional CJM's order. 'No doubt, Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression, this freedom is subject to the reasonable restrictions and it does not include the freedom to make statements which are defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army,' the high court observed. The high court dismissal of his petition paved the way for Rahul Gandhi to face trial in the lower court.
Hindustan Times
4 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Far-seeing' lens needed for progress in India-China ties, says EAM Jaishankar
India and China must build on 'good progress' in normalising their relations by addressing issues related to the border, including de-escalation, and avoid 'restrictive trade measures and roadblocks' to economic cooperation, external affairs minister S Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday. External affairs minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday(@DrSJaishankar on X) Jaishankar, who met Wang in Beijing after arriving in China to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), reiterated that stable bilateral ties can be built only on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. 'We have made good progress in the past nine months for the normalisation of our bilateral relations. It is a result of the resolution of friction along the border and our ability to maintain peace and tranquillity there,' Jaishankar said in televised opening remarks during the meeting with Wang. 'This is the fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust and for smooth development of bilateral relations. It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including bilateral relationship requires that we take a far-seeing approach to our ties,' he said. In an apparent reference to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar told Wang that India hopes 'zero tolerance for terrorism' will be upheld at the meeting of the SCO, whose main mandate is fighting terrorism and extremism. Earlier, Jaishankar met Chinese vice president Han Zheng and told him the continued normalisation of bilateral ties can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. This is Jaishankar's first visit to China since ties were hit by border skirmishes in April-May 2020, though he has met Wang on the margins of multilateral events several times since the two sides reached an understanding on ending a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last October. While the two sides withdrew frontline forces from the two remaining 'friction points' of Demchok and Depsang along the LAC last year, the process of de-escalation and pulling back troops to peace-time positions is yet to be completed. Jaishankar noted there were various dimensions to relations between major economies such as India and China and said that the normalising of people-to-people exchanges can foster mutually beneficial cooperation. 'It is also essential in this context that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided,' he said without giving details. He was apparently referring to China's curbs on exports of rare earth minerals – used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and in many of which Beijing has a near monopoly - and fertilisers. The restrictions on rare earth exports have been officially raised through diplomatic channels by India, especially in view of the impact on manufacturers of electric vehicles. Jaishankar said stable and constructive ties between India and China, which will benefit the two countries and the world, can be built by 'handling relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity'. He added, 'We have also earlier agreed that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict. On this foundation, we can now continue to develop our ties along a positive trajectory.' Referring to the SCO foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday, Jaishankar pointed out that the nine-member bloc's primary mandate is to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. 'This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,' he said. Jaishankar's remarks assume significance as a recent meeting of SCO defence ministers couldn't adopt a joint communique after Pakistan objected to a reference to the Pahalgam terror attack in the document. Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh refused to endorse the communique. Pakistan was also backed by China during four days of hostilities with India in May, triggered by Operation Sindoor that was launched by New Delhi to target terror infrastructure on territories controlled by Islamabad. The relationship between India and China has been 'gradually moving in a positive direction' since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024. 'Our responsibility is to maintain that momentum,' he told Wang. Recent meetings at international events offered opportunities for strategic communication, and Jaishankar said India expects that this process will now become regular and take place in each other's countries. India and China are also marking the 75th year of diplomatic relations, and New Delhi appreciates the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of five years, Jaishankar said, thanking the Chinese side for its cooperation on the pilgrimage to a holy mountain and a lake in Tibet. A readout from the external affairs ministry described the talks between Jaishankar and Wang as 'constructive and forward-looking' and said the two sides agreed to take 'additional practical steps', including travel to each other's country and direct flight connectivity, to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar underlined the need for cooperation on trans-border rivers, including resumption of the provision of hydrological data by the Chinese side, the readout said. Wang said that at a time when 'unilateral protectionism and bullying by powerful countries' have created severe challenges for the world, India and China should seek long-term strategies and find a way for the two sides to 'get along respect and trust, peaceful coexistence [and] common development'. China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with India to 'jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, the stability of the global production and supply chain, and the international environment of openness and cooperation', Wang said, according to a statement from China's foreign ministry. The two sides can also work together to safeguard the common interests of the Global South and promote regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, he said. At his meeting with vice president Han, Jaishankar said bilateral relations were 'steadily improving' since the meeting between Modi and Xi in Kazan last October. 'Continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes,' Jaishankar said, adding that his discussions during this visit will maintain the 'positive trajectory' in the relationship. China's state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Han as saying that China and India, as important members of the Global South, should be 'partners contributing to each other's success'. Han said both sides should steadily advance pragmatic cooperation, respect each other's concerns, and promote the sustained and stable development of bilateral relations. India and China reached an understanding last October to end the four-year military standoff in Ladakh sector of LAC. Two days after the understanding, Modi and Xi met in Russia and agreed to revive several mechanisms to normalise bilateral ties and to address the long-standing border dispute. Since then, there have been several meetings between the foreign and defence ministers and NSAs of the two countries. Bilateral relations dipped to their lowest point in six decades after deadly clashes in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops. However, ahead of Jaishankar's visit, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said on Sunday that Tibet-related issues such as the Dalai Lama's reincarnation are a 'thorn' in bilateral ties. The spokesperson's remarks came in the wake of the Dalai Lama's announcement that only a trust set up by him can recognise his reincarnation. Beijing has insisted that the Dalai Lama's successor must be approved by the Chinese government, while New Delhi has said it doesn't take any position on matters concerning religious practices.
News18
13 minutes ago
- News18
Chinese Media Stresses 'Fresh Start' Amid Jaishankar Visit, But Flags 'Sensitive' Boundary Issue
A Chinese state-run editorial hailed EAM S Jaishankar's Beijing visit as a diplomatic breakthrough, calling for improved India-China ties while accusing the US of exploiting rifts. India and China have a great potential for improving their bilateral relations, however, the boundary remains sensitive, an editorial piece with the Chinese state-run outlet Global Times suggested on Tuesday, also accusing the United States of exploiting the gaps between the two countries. The piece comes in the backdrop of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to China, where he met multiple leaders, and said that India and China should build on 'good progress" in normalising the bilateral ties to address border-related issues, including de-escalation. Jaishankar also said that 'it was essential to avoid restrictive trade measures and roadblocks". In the wake of the development, the Global Times stated, 'There are still many concrete issues that China and India need to address. This also means there is great potential for improving bilateral relations." However, referring to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff, the piece mentioned, 'The boundary question remains the most sensitive and complex issue in their relationship." 'Meanwhile, some countries like the US have long sought to exploit gaps and drive wedges between China and India in an attempt to hinder their common development, adding another layer of disturbance to the relationship," it stated. The Global Times stressed that the improvement of bilateral relations between India and China is the right and beneficial path. 'It is not hard to see that China and India currently share a notable consensus – the continued improvement of bilateral relations is both the right path and a beneficial one," it stated. Also calling Jaishankar's visit to China in five years a 'breakthrough in high-level diplomatic engagement", the piece mentioned that the efforts to restore the normal mechanisms of communication between the two sides should be viewed positively. 'But the steady improvement of China-India relations – especially their long-term, healthy, and stable development – still requires both sides to build resilient strategic trust based on mutual respect for each other's core concerns," it added. Emphasising that China 'remains committed to the path of peaceful development, viewing its neighbours not as competitors but as partners in pursuit of common development and mutual success", the Global Times mentioned that the 'resumption of direct flights, restarting people-to-people exchanges, and boosting academic and think tank visits will help cultivate more genuine and lasting mutual trust at the societal level." 'If the two countries can further strengthen coordination in jointly addressing global challenges, they will inject greater stability into the processes of world multipolarity and South-South cooperation," the piece added. The editorial also mentioned that the relations between India and China would not improve overnight, and that mutual trust cannot be achieved through a meeting or a joint statement. 'The window for dialogue in China-India relations is now being opened; seizing the opportunity to build trust is the most important task at this moment. As two Asia's most influential countries, cooperation will continue to outweigh differences in the long run," it stated. EAM JAISHANKAR's REMARKS IN BEIJING In his opening remarks during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Beijing said the bilateral relations can develop in a 'positive trajectory" on the foundation that differences should not become disputes and nor should competition become a conflict. Also speaking at the event, Wang said India and China should find a way for mutual respect and trust, peaceful coexistence, common development and win-win cooperation. The two sides should stand on high ground, seek long-term strategies, adhere to the direction of good-neighbourliness and friendship, and realise the 'Dragon-Elephant Dance", he said. China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with India to jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, the stability of the global production and supply chains, Wang added. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi described the talks as 'constructive and forward-looking" and said the two sides agreed to take 'additional practical steps", including travel to each other's country and direct flight connectivity, for facilitating people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar met Wang hours after he landed in China on a two-day visit to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It is his first visit to the neighbouring country since bilateral ties witnessed a severe downturn following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. Jaishankar also held talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and conveyed to him that continued normalisation of bilateral ties can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours. In the last nine months, India and China have been engaged in normalising their relations after ending the military face-off along the LAC in October last year. Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they have yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region. top videos View all Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached an important consensus at their meeting in Kazan, which pointed out the direction for the improvement and development of China-India relations. The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 15, 2025, 08:41 IST News world Chinese Media Stresses 'Fresh Start' Amid Jaishankar Visit, But Flags 'Sensitive' Boundary Issue Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
