Cong says PM CARES Fund accepted Chinese donations, asks why PM Modi not calling China aggressor
New Delhi: Hitting back at the BJP for raising the issue of funding to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the Congress on Sunday alleged that Chinese firms were contributing to the PM Cares Fund and asked why it was accepting such donations when India and China have been engaged in a tense border standoff in Ladakh.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his "18 meetings" with Chinese President Xi Jinping in last six years and asked why he has not yet called China "an aggressor", hours after Modi in his radio broadcast asserted that India has given a befitting reply to those who cast an evil eye on its territory in Ladakh.
"I implore the prime minister to say China is an aggressor," Singhvi said.
"What is most worrying and alarming for national security is the fact of donations received by Prime Minister Modi from the Chinese companies in his (seemingly personal) PM CARES Fund," Singhvi said a virtual press conference.
"If the Prime Minister of India will compromise his position by accepting donations of hundreds of crores from Chinese companies in the controversial and opaque fund, how will he defend the country against the Chinese aggression? Prime Minister Modi needs to answer," he said.
The PM CARES Fund was set up in March this year with an objective to deal with any emergency arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some opposition parties have demanded the donations received by the fund be made public.
Singhvi also alleged that the BJP has maintained ties with the Communist Party of China since 2007 and its presidents, starting with Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah, have had the maximum number of exchanges with China.
"There is no political party in India's history whose presidents have had so much contact with China in the last 13 years," he claimed, adding Singh had interactions with the CPC in January 2007 and October 2008; Gadkari in January 2011 went on a five-day official visit to China; and Shah sent a large delegation of MLAs at a "party school" gathering of CPC in early 2014.
Singhvi said for this government it seems national security is not important. "What is important for it is 'I, Me, Myself' and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation."
The Congress spokesperson demanded that Modi should say "China has intruded into Indian territory" and has occupied posts and land.
"The PM should say we are not going to compromise and we will push China back," Singhvi said, adding the whole country, including the Opposition, will stand behind him if does so.
Paying tributes to the 20 Army men killed in the violent faceoff with China's People's Liberation Army on June 15 in eastern Ladakh, Modi in his radio broadcast said India's brave soldiers showed they will not allow the nation's pride to be hurt.
"Those who cast an evil eye on Indian soil in Ladakh have got a befitting response. India honours the spirit of friendship. It is also capable of giving an appropriate response to any adversary without shying away," the prime minister said, without naming China.
The Congress has been accusing the prime minister of "misleading" the country on Chinese incursions and the border stand-off in Ladakh, citing experts who say China has occupied Indian territory and posts. On the other hand, the BJP has turned the heat on Congress by accusing it of receiving money in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, of which Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson, from China.
Coming back to the PM CARES Fund, Singhvi said reports suggest the fund has received Rs 9,678 crore by May 20. He did not specify any report.
"The shocking part is that though Chinese forces have transgressed into our territory, Prime Minister has received money in the Fund from Chinese companies... Will Prime Minister answer why has he received Chinese money into the Fund despite the overt Chinese hostilities in the year 2013," Singhvi asked.
He alleged Huawei has donated Rs 7 crore, TikTok Rs 30 crore, Paytm Rs 100 crore, Xiaomi Rs 15 crore and Oppo Rs 1 crore to the controversial fund.
"Does Huawei have a direct connection with People's Liberation Army, China? Has the Chinese company owning TikTok facilitated a donation of Rs 30 crore to the controversial PM CARES Fund," he asked.
Singhvi also alleged that money has been diverted from PM CARES Fund, noting that no one knows how it is controlled or money given to it is utilized.
"The fund is not even subjected to audit by any public authority including CAG," he said, adding that the PMO has gone to the extent of saying this fund is not a public authority.
PM CARES Fund is not even subjected to RTI, he said alleging that the fund "appears to be solely run by the prime minister in an opaque and secret fashion with zero transparency and zero accountability".
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
