India, Pak to hold separate naval drills in Arabian Sea on August 11-12
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Ahmed Patel's son hails PM for Op Sindoor, says nation 'in safe hands'
Faisal Patel NEW DELHI: In remarks likely to raise eyebrows in the Congress, Faisal Patel -- son of the late party stalwart Ahmed Patel - has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during Operation Sindoor , the cross-border strike on terror camps in Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. "It can't be better than who's running the show... The armed forces have done a great job, and PM Narendra Modi showed great leadership and brought us out of a huge crisis. I am proud of our armed forces. I have a lot of respect for Jaishankarji. How Modiji picks up bureaucrats, makes them leaders and puts them in ministry roles is a very good thing," Patel told ANI. In an interview to CNN-News18, he called Modi and home minister Amit Shah "great leaders" and declared the country was "in safe hands" - a remark loaded with political irony given Ahmed Patel's long rivalry with Modi during UPA years, when he was Sonia Gandhi's most trusted strategist. Though insisting he remains a Congress member, Patel pointed to internal drift in the party.
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Oil, Tariffs And A Tightrope: Is India Risking US Ties To Keep Russia Close?
New Delhi: The United States has hit India with steep new tariffs, turning a once-warm trade partnership into a tense standoff. At the centre of the dispute is New Delhi's decision to keep buying discounted Russian oil, a move that Washington says undermines its sanctions policy. The shift has led to a wider global realignment: allies facing friction and rivals finding common ground. President Donald Trump's tariff-heavy strategy is blurring the line between friend and competitor. Signs of a broader geopolitical realignment are also visible. For the first time since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which China is hosting this year. Russia remains a long-standing ally, but closer ties with Beijing carry strategic and economic risks. Diplomatic sources suggest that Modi's potential presence at the SCO would be read in Washington as a signal that India is willing to engage more with blocs where the United States has little sway. India's trust deficit with China remains deep. Border disputes, military skirmishes and Beijing's open support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor have left a legacy of mistrust. Russia's growing dependence on China could further reduce India's influence in the region. Analysts emphasise that Moscow's military cooperation with Beijing, including joint patrols in the Sea of Japan and advanced technology transfers, has added to New Delhi's unease. The trade imbalance adds another layer of concern. India's deficit with China has crossed $100 billion in FY 2024-25, up from $85.09 billion the previous year. By contrast, the U.S. relationship brings a surplus of over $35 billion, with bilateral trade valued at $119.71 billion in 2023-24. Washington has repeatedly highlighted this surplus as proof that it remains a more beneficial trade partner for India, even as it warns that continued Russian oil imports could jeopardise preferential market access. Analysts warn that closer alignment with Russia and China could strain India's relations with the West. The United States and its allies view both nations as strategic rivals. India's engagement with them may invite further economic restrictions and weaken platforms like the Quad, which includes the United States, Japan and Australia. Conversations in Washington policy circles have questioned India's reliability as a Quad partner, especially if it moves towards energy and defence agreements that align with Chinese and Russian interests. While Russia has been a dependable partner for decades, the Ukraine conflict has bound it tightly to China, which is now its largest trading partner. This dynamic could leave India as a secondary priority for Moscow. India is benefiting in the short run in energy sector by purchasing Russian crude at a discount of up to $8-10 per barrel, but strategists warn that these savings could be erased if Western tariffs expand to cover more sectors. India's next moves require careful calculation. Each decision carries significant long-term consequences, not only for its trade but also for its place in the shifting global power structure. A senior Indian diplomat put it privately, 'This is no longer just about oil. It is also about choosing which world order we want to belong to, and that choice will define the next two decades.'
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Modi should strongly oppose U.S. imposing 50% tariff, says Chief Minister Stalin
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said in Chennai on Tuesday that the BJP-led Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should strongly oppose the U.S. imposing 50% tariff on Indian imports and both should be open about their position. He was speaking at an event organised jointly by the National Committee of Solidarity with Cuba in India and the CPI(M). When five rounds of trade negotiations between India and the U.S. were completed and a date was being finalised for the sixth round, 'Why should U.S. President [Donald] Trump arbitrarily announce the imposing of additional tariff?', Mr. Stalin asked. Referring to the repeated claims of Mr. Trump that he was behind the ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mr. Stalin said: 'When the Opposition parties raised queries over that in both Houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Modi did not answer at all. It symbolises his weakness.' Observing that there was a crisis across the world, where there is a need to crush imperialism, Mr. Stalin said imperialist conspiracies did not mean only wars. 'The U.S. imposing 50% tariff on imports from India is also one such conspiracy,' he asserted. 'The BJP-led Union government should strongly oppose this. The Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should provide a transparent reply to this,' Mr. Stalin said. Takes a dig at EPS Talking about the politics in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had developed a new found love for the Communists in recent days. Contending that people spoke about random topics, Mr. Stalin asked whether Mr. Palaniswami could speak about 'slavery'. 'I want to tell him that none is a slave to nobody. Everyone is wondering if Mr. Palaniswami reads newspapers. Even so, you would surely not read Theekkathir [considered a mouthpiece of the CPI(M)]. If you had read it, you would not be speaking like this. I read Theekkathir every day,' he said. Mr. Stalin said he listened to what Communist leaders spoke whenever he had time. 'They have not stopped flagging issues just because we are in an alliance, and I have not ignored the issues that they have highlighted. Because, half of us are communists. After all, my name is Stalin,' he asserted. Mr. Stalin added: 'We know how to distinguish pointing out with a friendly demeanour from deliberate defamation with ulterior motives. Even this stage symbolises our ideological clarity and friendship.' Minister P.K. Sekarbabu, Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera, CPI(M) leaders M.A. Baby, K. Balakrishnan, U. Vasuki, and P. Shanmugam, CPI State secretary R. Mutharasan, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group N. Ram, former MP T.K. Rangarajan, National Committee of Solidarity with Cuba's State secretary A. Arumuga Nainar were present.
