BJP Politician Slams US Congressional Advisor for Questioning India's Neutral Stance on Ukraine
During a call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the third round of peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, New Delhi welcomed the “negotiations” and reiterated its appeal for a cessation of hostilities. India said it respects the “legitimate security concerns” of all sides.
SputnikKapil Mishra, a politician from India’s ruling party BJP, has slammed US Congressional Advisor John Massaro after the American delegate sought to know why wasn’t New Delhi “standing with the democratic world” in speaking out against Russian military operations in Ukraine.
The post by Massaro, a senior policy advisor at the US Helsinki Commission, also drew a sharp rebuke by many other Indian social media users.
India has consistently abstained from voting against several western-backed resolutions labelling Russia the “aggressor” at the United Nations (UN), since the Russian military operations began on 24 February.
The Indian government’s neutral stance is
appreciated by Moscow, but has put India at odds with the US and its other western partners.
US Won’t Stand Up for India, Taiwan, Mishra Says
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Mishra not only accused the US of “handing over” Afghanistan to the Taliban last August, but also reckoned that the “so-called democratic world” would not stand up for India if it ever faces an armed confrontation with any country.
“The US and the European Union (EU) didn't take such a strong stand (as they have in Ukraine) against China at the time of the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. And these western countries won’t come out in India’s support if there is any potential conflict between China and India, or even with Taiwan for that matter,” Mishra told Sputnik.
Indian soldiers clashed with troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Galwan Valley in the eastern Ladakh region just several months after the ongoing border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing erupted.
The clashes resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and five Chinese troops, as per official figures released by both countries.
Mishra also describes the stand taken by the US and EU in the Ukraine crisis as an “artificial” one, amid the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) rejecting calls by President Vladimir Zelensky to impose a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine.
The EU has also resisted calls by the US and Ukraine to stop crude imports from Russia as part of the coordinated set of sanctions imposed on Moscow since 24 February.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that energy imports from Russia had been "deliberately exempted” from western sanctions.
India Must Draw Its ‘Lessons,’ Says Mishra
Besides coordinated economic sanctions by western governments, sweeping restrictions against Russian state media outlets such as
Russia Today and Sputnik have also kicked in.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Twitter, has been restricting Russian media in certain regions such as Europe.
Google, which owns Youtube, has blocked RT and Sputnik's channels on the video streaming platform.
Mishra has said that India must “learn its lessons” from how the western countries have been “weaponising” these technological platforms as well as payment systems towards their political ends.
“As Indians, we must carefully observe how the western countries have been weaponising their social media platforms towards their political motives. Look at how they are weaponising payments systems like Visa and Mastercard,” he states.
“We as Indians should draw long-term lessons from these actions of western countries,” remarked Mishra.
The ruling party politician further cautions opposition parliamentarians as well as civilians who have been asking New Delhi to openly back Ukraine.
“Russia has been India’s time-tested friend. The Indian parliamentarians as well as those who are saying these things must remember that their political party might come to power in the future. These statements will be remembered,” said Mishra.
He underlined that the “neutral” position adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was “
appreciated” by majority of Indians, notwithstanding certain opposition.
He also said that those in India who understand foreign policy “very well understand” Moscow’s reasons for pursuing military operations in Ukraine.
“The public perception in India is definitely not anti-Russia. There is an understanding among Indian foreign policy watchers as well as the public at large that Moscow has its own reasons for its actions,” he stated.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian forces would immediately halt the ongoing military operations if Ukrainian forces stopped fighting back, Kiev enshrines a neutral status in its constitution, Crimea is acknowledged as Russian territory, and the two Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are recognised as independent states.