Patna (Bihar) [India], September 1 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over its handling of international relations, particularly with China.
Khera questioned the Modi government’s friendship with China, despite their historical conflicts and slammed the government’s decision to collaborate with China on counter-terrorism efforts, calling it a “shameful statement.”
“How can China, which was fighting against India in collaboration with Pakistan, become a friend of Prime Minister Modi today? …To say that China is also a victim of terrorism and we will fight it together. What can be a more shameful statement than this,” Pawan Khera told ANI.
Notably, PM Modi is in China to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin.
The Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was adopted today. This declaration outlined the importance of joint efforts to counter traditional and new security challenges and threats, including terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
The member states signed agreements on counter-terrorism, including the Agreement on the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States and the Agreement on the SCO Anti-Drug Centre.
Khera pointed out that China has been arming Pakistan with advanced military equipment, including fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, despite India’s concerns about Pakistan’s role in terrorism.
Khera is in Patna to attend the concluding day of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’. The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ will conclude with a grand procession in Patna, starting from Gandhi Maidan and ending at the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Senior opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav, and other INDIA bloc leaders, will participate in the march.
The rally began on August 17, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others.
Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condemned terrorism in all its forms and emphasised that no country can consider itself safe from it. He expressed gratitude to friendly countries that stood with India after the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
In his remarks at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, PM Modi said that the Pahalgam terror attack was an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity, and urged SCO members to stand united in their fight against terror.
“India has been bearing the brunt of terrorism for the last four decades. Recently, we saw the worst side of terrorism in Pahalgam. I express my gratitude to the friendly country that stood with us in this hour of grief,” PM Modi said.
“This attack was an open challenge for every person, every country that believes in humanity. At this time, it is natural to question whether the open support of terrorism by some countries is acceptable to us. We have to speak in a united voice that no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable. We have to oppose terrorism in every form and colour unanimously. This is our duty towards humanity,” he added.
The SCO Summit is taking place in the port city of Tianjin this year. Comprising 10 members, in addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are also several dialogue partners and observers. India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, having been an observer since 2005.
Since its induction as a member, India has been actively participating in SCO and providing substantial support to various mechanisms in the forum.
During its membership period, India has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and of the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023. (ANI)
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