The territorial clash between India and China is an unignorable threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the country. Since the Indian & Chinese troops clashed in May 2020, the problem has accelerated dangerously in a manner that in September that year more than 10,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops were present near the flashpoint that extends from the southern bank of Pangong Tso to the Spanggur gap and the strategic Rechin La pass, all of which fall under the Chushul sub-sector. 

The presence of Chinese troops at the LAC was reported by all the leading media outlets. It was reported that China is constructing a bridge in eastern Ladakh, connecting the north and south banks of the Pangong lake, which will considerably bring down the time to move troops between the two sectors. The officials also confirmed two incidents of firing at the south bank of Pangong Tso. Later, in the last week of June 2022, a Chinese Air Force aircraft was observed flying very close to a friction point in the eastern Ladakh sector on the Line of Actual Control. Following which, the Indian Air Force responded swiftly as per standard operating procedures.

The Chinese have deployed a large number of fighter jets and unmanned aircraft at positions near the Indian territory. The major airfields in Hotan and Gar Gunsa have been upgraded immensely during the last two years. The last time such a breach happened, it led to multiple face-offs and physical fights in Eastern Ladakh. 

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi being asked continuously to "break the silence" over Chinese "incursions" in the Galwan region of eastern Ladakh. Neither the PM nor the members of the ruling party could gather the courage to call out China and had denied any Chinese intrusion despite various confirmations and reports by different Indian intelligence agencies.

The last clash before that of 2020 took place back in 2013 in Despang when India was ruled by the UPA government. The clash led to no casualty as the Indian government protested diplomatically, asking the Chinese to withdraw their military and to recognise the status quo that existed before the incident. Through the efforts of then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salman Khurshid, the issue was resolved in 20 days, whereas, the Modi Govt hasn’t been able to resolve the Ladakh standoff of 2020 yet. China now illegally occupies more than 38,000 square km of land in Ladakh. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2020 held the all-party meet to discuss the border incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). He underscored that the Chinese neither entered our territory nor any post was taken over by them. When the new Chinese villages were discovered near the Doklam plateau in November 2021, PM Modi and his government still brazenly chose to continue with their lenient and careless attitude towards China. 

Even after authorising the Indian Army to occupy positions in the Kailash Range south of Pangong Tso on the night of 29/30 August 2020, PM Modi couldn’t hold on to it and ended up giving up these advantageous positions in February 2021 without insisting on a full Chinese withdrawal and a return to the status quo—an incident which was described by Former Corps Commander Major General Raj Mehta (Retd.) as a “grave mistake”.

It is a bounden duty of our government and the Prime Minister to ensure that Chinese transgression into India’s territories is defeated decisively. The BJP government is so lost in its internal propaganda and attacks on Indian institutions and agencies, that it has failed to take strong steps to counter China’s moves jeopardising India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. In a time crucial for all international relations among countries, PM Modi’s silence and failure to take any action clearly show that the priorities of this government lie somewhere very far from its duties and responsibility towards the country.

PM Modi's Laal Ankh - Blind to Chinese aggression

**Demonetization - 2016**
**Goods and Services Tax - 2017**
**COVID lockdown - 2020**
**Farm laws - 2020**

Last month, the Modi government yet again added another name to its above-mentioned list of disastrous failures and slammed the country with an inadequate, undiscussed, and unthoughtful scheme with large-scale, long-term national implications, and pushed it into implementation without any discussion or consultation in Parliament - **The Agnipath**. The top court has now transferred three petitions filed before it challenging the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme to the Delhi High Court.

Despite catchy titles like ‘Agniveers’, the new recruitment plan was welcomed with backlashes, protests, and disapproval throughout the country - causing serious damage and unrest in some parts. 

**What is Agnipath?**

Agnipath is the new blunderous defence recruitment reform brought in by the BJP government and has been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security. Under this scheme, youth in the age bracket of 17.5 to 21 years of age are to be selected according to the existing selection system and employed as Agniveers on a four-year contract, starting with 31 weeks of basic military training. The ‘Agniveer’ will form a new military rank different from existing ranks and will be liable for deployment in any unit or regiment on military duties, like regular cadre soldiers.

Under the scheme, currently, 46,000 Agniveers are expected to be recruited this year, starting July 2022. At the end of four years, a maximum of 25% of Agniveers may be offered absorption into the Army. The age bracket has been revised after facing a huge backlash from the youth and it has been stretched to 23 years for this year. 

**How is Agnipath different from the old recruitment scheme?**

A regular cadre soldier goes through a performance assessment at the unit/sub-unit level that concerns his selection for promotion to non-commissioned officer rank. Upon disqualification, he serves for 15 years and retires with gratuity, pension, lifetime medical cover and other benefits. For an Agniveer, performance assessment has been made mandatory at the end of four years and only twenty-five% of the Agniveers would qualify for absorption into the regular cadre. 

India offered recruitment to the Army on a volunteer basis where the candidates offered themselves for employment and it was seen as a sign of valour and patriotism. Families in India have had traditions of joining the Army. It was seen as a dignified and proud career option for soldiers, as joining the armed forces was considered a lifetime of economic security through its post-retirement benefits and also a subject of valour. 

The Agnipath recruitment policy changes this structure and perception entirely. Agnipath disparagingly stays confined to the four-year defined service term, after which 75% of soldiers would be sent back home without any benefits. 

**Agnipath poses a serious threat to our army and national security. **

Training a combat soldier takes much longer than four years. A young recruit may learn to fight quickly but still end up as a casualty in an actual combat situation. The maximum casualties in war are always of recent recruits. With a clear and persistent threat on our northern border and a hostile neighbour in the west, India’s two-front danger is increasingly serious. An Agniveer trained for six months and with no experience in operations which involve personal risk, cannot acquire the professional competence level to inspire mutual trust and confidence. He will be insecure, unsure of his future, and hence, unmotivated to expose himself to the serious risks of military service. 

The Agnipath scheme poses a more significant threat to the regimented structure of the Indian Army. It will not only end the long glorious tradition of each regiment that soldiers hold dear but there are legitimate concerns of Agnipath staining the army with communal and undesirable political agenda. 

**India is at that juncture where policymakers can no longer take unemployment for granted.**

According to CMIE data, the unemployment rate in the country is as high as 7.4%. In 2017-18, the job generation stopped at a low of 0.03% per annum. The situation was further aggravated by the BJP government’s failed GST and Demonetisation plans. At the current time, 1/4th of the total number of approved posts in the Central government lay vacant. 

Agnipath is indeed a sinister scheme paraded as a great employment programme. Even though the government has hastily made promises of ensuring 10% recruitment of Agniveers in the central armed police forces, defence production units and other installations, the fate of ex-servicemen and the condition of their employment in these sectors aren’t hidden from any. In the last 8 years, the government could hardly fill the 10 % posts reserved in Group C and 20% posts in Group D in Central government departments for ex-servicemen. 

Ex-servicemen constitute only 1.29% of the overall strength in Group C and 2.66% in Group D across 34 of the 77 departments. As for the 10% reservation for ex-servicemen in the CPF, as of June 30, 2019, ex-servicemen accounted for only 0.47% in Group C, 0.87 % in Group B, and 2.20% in Group A.

**Agniveers returning after their four-year term would be akin to a trained militia.**

The Agnipath scheme poses threat to Indian society as it can disperse violence and weaponry back into the social order. The Agnipath scheme is another of the BJP’s attacks on the foundations of India and a larger project to re-shape India and its institutions as per the RSS-BJP ideology. The fact that several thousand demobilised soldiers with arms training will join society every year would go some way in fulfilling Savarkar’s goal of militarising Indian society. 

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - who forged the Indian State’s monopoly over violence was sure that the access to violence in society is unacceptable.

The Agnipath that has been introduced without any consensus or consultation cannot be cleared from the doubt of it being RSS’s new model of a militarized society. Moreover, what are the chances that the annual 75 % rejected Agniveers will not be employed by insurgents, terrorists, or communal organizations which possess huge financial resources and result in increased violence and repression in society?

Even if Agnipath has been introduced as a method of enormous saving in pensions and other lifelong benefits, on which a huge part of the defence budget is spent, the challenges and risks that come with it cannot be overlooked. Agnipath is indeed an **anti-youth, anti-national, and anti-army **scheme. Agnipath is a fire that can consume India. If not rolled back, it could prove malignant to the very foundations of this nation. 

The Indian National Congress strictly and strongly opposes and demands the withdrawal of Agnipath. The risks it poses are far more serious than the benefits it provides (if any). For a safe, secure, and peaceful future for the country, the Congress party shall not step back until the scheme is rolled back. In this fight against Agnipath, Congress fights for India.

 Agnipath - A Deceit

The year was 1937. The spirits were high and the aim was clear—freedom.  India was yearning for freedom. To give voice to the freedom movement in the country, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Purushottam Tandon, Acharya Narendra Dev, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai and other leaders in the struggle started the National Herald newspaper published by a company called Associated Journals Ltd. The newspaper gained popularity soon such that in a span of just 5 years, the British government felt so threatened that it banned its publication in 1942 during the  ‘Quit-India’ Movement. An event that was described as “A Tragedy for the National Movement” by Mahatma Gandhi. 

The British feared not the newspaper but the truth it carried and the spirit of the Congress party that stood for truth, justice and equality, and all the ideas that formed the foundation of an independent India. Today, after 75 years of freedom, those ideas are threatened again. This time, it is not an outsider that is threatening the idea of India but its own government—PM Modi’s government—yet, their reaction is the same as the British, who used their brute power to silence and crush the voices raised against their tyranny and misrule.

The ruling party's use of the central agencies for its own vendetta is a worrying and shameful reality of new India and its newest target is ‘National Herald’ and the Congress party—those who built the India they’re ruling today. The Enforcement Directorate acting on a fabricated and fake case summoned Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Rahul Gandhi for questioning related to money laundering. This case with no standing or evidence is just another attempt by the BJP government to attack the voices that question their failures and speak out against their despotism.

**What is the National Herald case?**

Despite the editorial excellence of the paper, National Herald continued to face trouble sustaining itself financially and ran into losses with outstanding dues of Rs. 90 crores. To help the newspaper get through the crisis, Indian National Congress loaned Rs. 90 crores to it in the years between 2002 to 2011 in about 100 installments. Out of the whole amount loaned, National Herald used Rs. 67 crores to pay salary and VRS of its employees. The rest of the money was used for payment of dues related to electricity, tenancy, building expenditure etc. This loan was duly disclosed in books of accounts of the Congress Party, duly audited and submitted to the Election Commission of India. 

Since National Herald and the AJL were deemed unable to repay the loan later, the loan was converted into equity shares of Associated Journals Ltd. As Indian National Congress can not own equity shares, the equity was allotted to ‘Young Indian’, a Section-25 ‘Not-For-Profit’ company. Now, the point to note here is that Shareholders/Managing Committee members of a ‘Not-For-Profit’ company are prohibited by law from getting any dividend, profit, salary or any other financial benefit. Therefore, the question of any gain or profit or financial benefit to either Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Shri Rahul Gandhi or any other person in ‘Young Indian’ is completely out of the line and thus, it makes any claim of illegal gain or profit or financial benefit inherently false.

All income and all assets of the National Herald continue to remain the exclusive property of Associated Journals Limited as its assets are owned by the company and not any shareholder. **How can there be money laundering if there has been no transfer of any movable or immovable property/assets of Associated Journals Limited nor has ‘Young Indian’ withdrawn a single rupee from Associated Journals Limited?**

The National Herald is a legacy for our nation. It is no crime to protect a national legacy. Also, the grant of a loan by a political party is not a criminal offence under any law in India. **How can the Congress Party granting loans to Associated Journals Limited (a company closely associated with the Congress Party since 1937 and espousing the ideology of Congress) be called a criminal offence?**

Even the Election Commission in its letter to Subramanian Swamy in November 2012 clarified that there is no provision in the Representation of the People Act that prohibits or controls expenditure by a political party. The facts of this case make it clear that this is no case of money laundering but a callous maneuver by the BJP to weaken and threaten the Congress and the ideology it carries with it. Like the British felt intimidated by the truth and resorted to muzzling the voice of Congress in 1942, the BJP is also intimidated because the voices it is trying to suppress are unafraid voices that speak for the whole country and fight for justice and equality for all. 

We won’t be cowed; we won’t stay silent. As they keep attacking our efforts to save India and safeguard the people’s rights, we will keep emerging stronger. It is a battle for truth and truth always prevails. 

National Herald Case - The Truth

India's growing politics of hate took a new turn when two of BJP’s spokespersons made illicit and unacceptable remarks on Prophet Muhammad and his wife Aisha. India- the land of Gandhi and Buddha, both of whom taught the world the lesson of harmony, peace, and togetherness - is now being called out on the global platform because of the remarks made by the spokespersons of the extremist ruling party, and the whole country is being asked to apologise on their behalf.

Following the remarks, both the spokesperson - Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal - were suspended and expelled respectively from the BJP as damage control, but only after it received strong reactions from the Grand Mufti of Oman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalili, followed by a Twitter storm in Arab nations. On Sunday, the Grand Mufti in a ferocious social media post from his verified handle condemned the remarks and also called for a boycott of Indian products while several Twitter users urged the Government to take over all Indian investments and lay off its citizens.

The remarks by BJP’s spokespersons drew international condemnation on the same day, with Qatar's foreign ministry summoning Indian Ambassador Deepak Mittal and handing over an official note on what the Gulf country called "total rejection and condemnation" of the controversial remarks of a BJP leader against Prophet Muhammad. Such reactions from Arab countries are not just a threat to India’s international relations but to the economy too. As in 2021-22, India recorded a total trade of about $189 billion with seven Gulf countries—Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq—accounting for 18.3% of its combined value of imports and exports. Given the current economic challenges, India cannot afford to offend its major trade partners at this juncture. 

In reply to Qatar and Kuwait, the Indian ambassador noted that "The ambassador conveyed that the tweets do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. These are the views of fringe elements". However, the phrase “fringe elements” is not there in the statement issued by the Indian embassy in Iraq. The Arab countries are not the only ones giving force to this storm against India, in the days following, they have been joined by Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, Turkey, and other Muslim countries over the world- all with huge numbers of Indians residing and working there. 

Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday issued a statement condemning the act and said it summoned India’s High Commissioner on Tuesday to convey Malaysia’s total rejection of this incident. 

In Turkey, the ruling Justice and Development Party spokesperson described the statements against the Prophet as an “insult” to all Muslims of the world.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also accused the BJP of pushing India into a dark age of religious polarisation to "subserve its parochial political agenda in the short term".

The BJP might try to fool us by taking on-surface actions against its spokespersons and issuing statements aimed at easing the concerns of minorities, BJP’s attitude towards the minorities in the country and the fact that the BJP has shamed the country is out there for all to see. For our country to be called out on the world stage in such a manner, all because the members of the ruling party are so drowned in their arrogance and ego, is a true insult to all Indians. For someone committing such treason against the country, they must be arrested and brought before the law. This is what the Congress party demands and this is what is necessary to uphold the dignity and pride of the country as the BJP’s hate rhetoric cannot be allowed to damage the country’s global interests.

BJP Defames India

Today, our nation faces a similar turmoil as during British rule with widespread poverty, hunger, malnutrition, unemployment, and uncertainty. We are struck by soaring inflation, Rupee is at an all-time low and the country’s institutions, on which the economy thrived are being privatised. The wealth gap has widened and education is diminishing. The social welfare schemes are dead and the only thing that’s blooming is hate and divisiveness. We are not united anymore. The diversity we took pride in has become a weapon of destruction today.

Given the present circumstances prevailing in the country, it had become crucial for Congress to step in and deliberate a change. The Congress party held a 3-day Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir in Udaipur during which six groups focusing on six different issues held discussions and resolved to the ‘Udaipur Nav Sankalp Declaration’. Given below are some of the important fragments from the resolution:

**Organisation **

- Three new departments are to be formed at the National Level within the organisation

1. Public Insight Department
2. National Training Institute
3. Election Management Department

- All vacancies at every level are to be filled in the next 90 to 180 days
- 50% of Congress office-bearers to be below the age of 50
- ‘Political Affairs Committee’ to be formed at the state level
- ‘1 person - 1 post’ principle to be implemented
- District, Block, and Mandal committee meetings to be organised regularly
- On the completion of 75 years of Independence, 75 km long Padyatras are to be commenced from each district

**Political**

- Congress shall emphasize on instilling the principles of "Bharatiyata" and "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"
- All Congressmen & women shall fight under any circumstances to protect Gandhian values ​​and the Nehruvian idea of India
- Congress will establish extensive contact and dialogue with all social, cultural, and non-governmental organizations, trade unions, think tanks and civil society groups
- Congress vehemently denounces the politics of vote-gathering by targeting minorities, the poor and the downtrodden based on religion, language, caste, colour and regionalism
- In national interest, Congress shall strongly oppose all immoral acts

**Economy** 

- Congress shall make efforts to formulate and implement the "Nav Sankalp Economic Policy"
- Employment generation will be the focus of "Nav Sankalp Economic Policy"
- The Nav Sankalp Economic Policy address the issues of extreme poverty, hunger, worrying malnutrition (especially among women and children) and the growing inequalities of income and wealth
- Comprehensive review of the financial relations between the Centre and the states is the need of the hour as also the protection & preservation of the rights of the states
- Taking into account the changes in the global economy and climate change, advanced technology etc, the Nav Sankalp Economic Policy will build an economy based on the principle of fairness, justice, and equality aiming to bring opportunity & prosperity to all sections of the society
- Congress strongly opposes indiscriminate privatization
- Congress shall prepare India's economy and workforce according to the needs of the future

**Agriculture** 

- Resolved to get rid of farm-debt by forming the "National Farmer Debt Relief Commission"
- The Central government should ensure legal guarantee for MSP
- MSP to be determined based on C2+50%.
- Entire cultivation area to be insured
- ‘Agriculture Budget’ proposed to be presented in Parliament
- Creation of the "National Farmers Welfare Fund" for financial assistance to farmers
- Tractors and other farming equipment to be GST free.
- Transfer of ₹6,000 per family per month to every farmer and farm labourer family under ‘NYAY'
- The number of Krishi Upaj Mandis to be increased from the current 7,600 to 42,000.
- 100 days of work for every person under MGNREGA must be strictly implemented
- Annual average income should be increased to ₹ 18,000 by bringing MGNREGA wages at par with minimum wages

**Social Justice and Empowerment**

- Re-introduction of the SC-ST sub-plan with legal recognition in the budget of the Central and State Governments.
- 33% of seats in Parliament, Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils to be reserved for women
- Resolved to take effective steps for the empowerment of workers' organizations
- Resolved to run a 'Leadership Mission' for the creation of new leadership from among the deprived sections in the SC-ST reserved parliamentary & assembly constituencies
- Sense of harmony to be fostered by running a special 'Sadbhavna Mission’
- Resolved to create a "Special Health Mission" for the Scheduled Tribes and also help secure lease of forest land to the Scheduled Tribes.

**Youth**

- 'Rozgar Do Padyatra' from Kashmir to Kanyakumari proposed
- Provision of free education in colleges and universities for poor students on the lines of the Right to Education Act
- The central government should make a permanent solution to bridge the gap between the children of the poor and the rich
- Special 'Recruitment Drive' to fill vacant posts in all Government Departments, Government of India Undertakings and all the three Defence services in the next six months
- 50% posts at the organizational level to youth below 50 years of age

The Congress party fought for India when it was being ruled by the oppressive British Empire. The nation’s oldest political party united the country when it was in turmoil. After Independence, it strived to ensure food, health and prosperity for every section of the society. Now, once again, Congress is ready to fight this battle to bring unity and welfare for all of us and the coming generations.

In Focus

PM Modi's Laal Ankh - Blind to Chinese aggression

PM Modi's Laal Ankh - Blind to Chinese aggression

Agnipath - A Deceit

National Herald Case - The Truth

BJP Defames India

Udaipur Nav Sankalp - towards a better tomorrow

The fall of Indian Rupee

Betrayal of 'Annadatas' - AAP's Punjab model

The chronology of BJP's hate politics

Social media - BJP's tool for hate

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