India to go ahead with $5.5bn Russia military deal
New Delhi, June 5: India will go ahead with the proposed purchase of five regiments of Russian-made S-400 Triumf advanced air defense system despite US concerns that the $5.5 billion military deal could limit defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the negotiations between India and Russia to finalise the Rs 39,000-crore deal were already in the last stage and won't be hampered by the US red-flagging the deal for which the two countries signed an agreement in principle in 2016.
She said India had made it clear in all its engagements with the US that its ties with Russia were independent of external influences and relationships with other countries.
"I would like to make it clear here that in all our engagements with the United States, we have very clearly explained how India and Russia's defence cooperation is something which has been going on for a very long time. It is a time-tested relationship. And India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia -- assets, spares, servicing. We have a continuous relationship with Russia has been recalled."
The Defence Minister's remarks come days after a top US Congressmen, Republican Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services, told a group of journalists here that there was a lot of concern in both the Trump administration and the Congress regarding the S-400 missile system being acquired by any of American partners, including India.
Thornberry, who was in India last week, said if New Delhi went ahead with the purchase, it would complicate "our ability to work out interoperability" at a time when the US had issued sanctions against Russian oligarchs and companies. These include Rosoboronexport, the state-owned Russian weapons trading company.
The Congressman said the US was making sanctions against Russia "flexible" for its allies like India to allow them breathing room to continue dealing with Moscow -- but only to maintain their legacy equipment and at the same time they must wean themselves off Russian equipment.
He said a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is awaiting a Senate nod after it was passed by the House on May 24, would allow the Trump administration to suspend the sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, passed in August 2017 for Russia's purported interference in the 2016 presidential election process.
But Sitharaman said the US sanctions were not binding on India. "We have also mentioned (to the US) that CAATSA cannot be impacting on us, on this particular characteristic of India-Russia defence cooperation. This has been explained."
Asked about deal on the air defence system -- a possible game-changer for its ability to counter ballistic missiles and stealth aircraft like those China is developing, the Defence Minister said: "That has been for a very long time in negotiations. We have reached a final stage in the S-400 negotiations. That explains it."
Though Sitharaman didn't mention about her meeting with Thornberry but a senior Defence Ministry official told IANS that the US Congressman was "clearly told" that the "CAATSA was your law" and India won't abide by it.
The official said Thornberry also shared with the Defence Ministry CAATSA amendments granting partial waiver to countries like India.
"But the language was not acceptable and he (Thornberry) has been asked to modify it."
India's deep military and strategic ties with Russia date back to the beginning of the Cold War even as New Delhi led a movement of "non-aligned" countries that declared their tilt with neither Washington nor Moscow. However, India always leaned toward the then USSR.
India still buys over 60 per cent of its defence equipment from Russia. At present, the Indian armed forces are 70 per cent equipped with Soviet or Russian weapons.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
