‘Why are terror attacks recurring under BJP rule', asks Akhilesh
Speaking to reporters in the national capital, Yadav asked, 'Why are terrorist incidents happening repeatedly in the BJP government? Before the Pahalgam incident, there was an attack in Pulwama. Where did the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack disappear to?'
He lauded the armed forces for Operation Sindoor and remarked, 'We congratulate the army for its bravery, courage and valour. If the army had another chance, it could have taken POK.'
The SP chief further alleged that the central government's foreign policy has failed. He said that while India has built global goodwill, it has failed to receive adequate support during critical times. 'India is respected in many countries of the world, but when the need arose, no one stood with India. It is a matter of concern that many countries are doing business with us, but why did they not stand up at the time of need?' he questioned.
Criticising trade relations with China, he said, 'Trade is being done with China; everyone saw what China did. The central government should make a decision that for the next ten years, we will not allow any Chinese goods to come to India. Everything for the rich is coming from China. Farmers need fertilisers, but the things required for the fertilisers are not coming.'
Turning his attack towards the Uttar Pradesh government, the SP MP from Kannauj said the BJP's double-engine government has failed in the state. He alleged that the state administration has mismanaged electricity, health, and education.
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Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi must talk tough with Beijing over China's construction of a dam on Brahmaputra
On July 19, Chinese Premier Li Qiang travelled to Nyingchi in Tibet to launch the construction of a 1.2 trillion yuan ($167.8 billion) mega hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River. This massive project is being constructed without prior consultation with lower riparian India, though its likely location in Medog County is barely 30 km from the place the river enters India and becomes the Siang, the main channel of the Brahmaputra River system. The project has several ominous implications for India, but the Government of India has not commented publicly on its construction. While the project details have not been made public by China, except its cost and that it will involve five cascade hydropower plants, Chinese media reports suggest that it will generate nearly 300 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually, more than thrice the designed capacity (88.2 billion kWh) of the Three Gorges Dam in China, currently the largest in the world. It would involve drilling four to six 20-km tunnels and diversion of half of the river's flow. India ought to be deeply concerned about the downstream impact, which will manifest in many ways. First, a project of this magnitude will inevitably interfere with the flow of waters in the Brahmaputra. The contribution of glacier melt, snow melt and precipitation in Tibet to the waters in the Siang could range from 25 per cent to 35 per cent. There will be significant impact downstream of any diversion or pounding of water in Tibet, particularly in the lean season. The construction of five massive hydropower plants in cascade is likely to involve reservoir-like structures, even though it is claimed to be a run-of-the-river project. Altering natural river flows will harm aquatic ecosystems, fisheries, sedimentation, and biodiversity hotspots. Second, even more worrying is the risk of flooding. While reservoirs can regulate floods, unannounced or sudden releases of water during heavy rainfall, or in a natural disaster like an earthquake, to protect the structure, can exacerbate downstream flooding, causing immense damage to life and property. Third, this massive project involving tunnelling through fragile and young mountains is being undertaken in an area classified as Seismic Zone V (very high risk), which has seen major deep and shallow earthquakes in the past. Medog County lies within the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, a highly seismic region influenced by the Himalayan Frontal Thrust and local faults like the Medog Fault. Challenges such as reservoir-induced seismicity, tunnelling, geological miscalculations, and previous Chinese lapses in construction quality (for instance, in the Neelum-Jhelum project in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) leave zero margin for engineering error — post-construction, there will be an ever-present danger of disasters. Fourth, China has leveraged its advantage as a predominantly upper riparian vis-à-vis its neighbours and has mostly withheld meaningful cooperation with downstream countries. For instance, China's development of a cascade of 12 smaller hydropower projects on the Mekong (called Lancang in China) has led to irregular fluctuations, drying out of areas, and depletion of fish catches and fertile sedimentation in the Lower Mekong Basin, affecting Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This pattern of behaviour presages foreseen and unforeseen consequences of the proposed dam for India and Bangladesh. Fifth, China's track record of cooperation under three MoUs with India over the past two decades has been unsatisfactory. China has suspended the supply of wet-season hydrographic data for the Brahmaputra and the Sutlej from time to time. It has not agreed to provide lean-season data, let alone discuss broader cooperation like the sharing of waters of trans-border rivers. Not one collaborative project has been undertaken under the umbrella MOU for cooperation signed in 2013. Finally, neither China nor India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997). However, two key principles of the Convention, 'equitable and reasonable utilisation' of shared waters and the 'obligation not to cause significant harm' to downstream states, are a part of customary international law. India has been a responsible co-riparian state, including with Pakistan, even after the Indus Waters Treaty was put in abeyance after the Pahalgam terrorist outrage. The same cannot be said of China. The present strategy of quiet diplomacy with China is not working. Strangely, none of our readouts on recent high-level conversations with China have even mentioned the Medog project. Looking ahead, there must be strong signalling of our deep concerns about this project to China, both through diplomatic channels and in public comments. If the roles were reversed, there is absolutely no possibility of China being similarly circumspect. It is also worthwhile recalling how forceful Pakistan has been in dealings with India as a lower riparian, even though we had given generous terms under the Indus Waters Treaty. The scope of the dialogue with China must be expanded beyond the issue of hydrographic data. As an affected party, we have every right to insist on full visibility on the technical specifications of the project, its environmental impact studies and how China proposes to tackle the seismic challenge. We must push for transparent and broader transboundary cooperation, similar to China's engagements with Kazakhstan on rivers like the Ili and Irtysh, to protect our existing and proposed user rights and other interests as a co-riparian. Indeed, we should seek suspension of work on the project until the relevant issues have been addressed. There should be a clear message that China undertaking a massive project like this without taking on board our legitimate concerns will have consequences for bilateral relations. We must undertake a series of activities on our own. Considering the danger of floods and reduction in lean-season flows, India has no alternative but to create storage structures to moderate the risks in the immediate downstream. India should reassess the quantum of water contributed by major tributaries and local hydrological systems using its remote sensing datasets, geospatial modelling tools and legacy hydrological data to reduce dependency on upstream data from China. We have the means and expertise to monitor the project and make the findings of those studies public. Finally, it is important to build a sustained narrative about China's unilateral actions in the upstream and escalate the issue bilaterally as also in our broader messaging on India-China relations. Our NGOs should raise this matter in relevant international platforms. We must appreciate that India's circumspection could be seen by China as a sign of weakness. This wouldn't help in pursuing our larger agenda of rebuilding bilateral relations with our northern neighbour. The writer is former ambassador to China
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
We are fulfilling all promises made to people: Shabbir Ali
Nizamabad: The state government has been sincerely implementing the promises made to the people during assembly election, said State Government Advisor Mohammed Shabbir Ali while distributing ration cards in Nizamabad on Monday. Shabbir Ali said that the previous government did not provide a single ration card in its ten-year rule. Respecting the aspirations of the people, he reminded them that his government is providing ration cards on a large scale. He clarified that this is a continuous process. If there are still eligible people left, they should apply and those who have not received the cards need not worry. He assured that ration cards will be granted to every eligible family. Shabbir said that 11,852 new ration cards have been granted in Nizamabad district alone, and the names of another 84,232 members have been newly added to the ration card list. As part of this, he explained, new cards have been given to 3,174 families in the North and South mandals of Nizamabad Urban constituency and the names of 16,687 members have been newly registered. He reminded them that despite the burden of debt of Rs 7.80 lakh crore due to the irresponsible governance policies of the previous government, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is implementing the promises given to the people on priority. Free bus travel for women, distribution of fine rice, Indiramma houses, loan waiver of Rs 22,000 crore to farmers, crediting of Rythu Bandhu funds in accounts of 9,000 crore, cooking gas cylinder for Rs 500 and implementation of 200 units of free electricity are proof of the sincerity of their government, he clarified. He said that distribution of fine rice is not available anywhere else in the country, including BJP-ruled states, and is being implemented only in Telangana. He said that 3,500 houses have been sanctioned in each constituency to realise the dream of owning a house for the poor, and Rs 5 lakh is being provided to each beneficiary. He advised that there is no need to repay these funds and that not a single rupee should be given to anyone for sanctioning Indiramma houses. Shabbir Ali warned that if anyone demands money from the beneficiaries, they should complain to him directly and strict action would be taken against those responsible. Additional Collector Ankit said that the process of distribution of ration cards is going on in a completely transparent manner. He said that strict scrutiny is being carried out to ensure that only eligible people are granted cards. He said that verification of applications is still going on and eligible families will be granted cards. State Urdu Academy Chairman Taher Bin Hamdan, State Cooperative Societies Union Chairman Manala Mohan Reddy, State Agriculture Commission Member Gadugu Gangadhar, Nuda Chairman Kesha Venu, District Library Chairman Antireddy Rajireddy, former MLC Akula Lalitha, Nizamabad RDO Rajendra Kumar, DSO Arvind Reddy, South and North Tehsildars Balaraju, Vijay Kant, officers of various departments and beneficiaries participated in this programme.
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Business Standard
29 minutes ago
- Business Standard
PM Modi, Amit Shah to address Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor today
As the Parliament continues its discussion on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver his speech in the evening, according to a government source. The source said that Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha between 12:00 to 1:00 pm on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Defence Minister, while speaking in the Lower House, said, "The objective of Operation Sindoor was not to cross the border or capture the territory, it was to eliminate terror nurseries which Pakistan had nurtured for years, and provide justice to the innocent families who lost their loved ones in cross-border attacks." According to a statement from the Defence Ministry, he termed Pakistan-sponsored terrorism as not "Random Madness", but a "well-planned strategy" and a "fundamental rage", emphasising that the overall politico-military objective of Operation Sindoor was to punish Pakistan for fighting a proxy war in the form of terrorism. Singh asserted that, during Operation Sindoor, India not only demonstrated its military capability, but also its national resolve, morality and political acumen, stressing that New Delhi will give a decisive and clear answer to any terrorist attack. "Those who provide shelter and support to terrorism will not be spared. India is not going to bow down to any kind of nuclear blackmailing or other pressures," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
