- 8 months ago
The Union Cabinet has eased Foreign Direct Investment norms for Chinese companies in the electronics and solar sectors. This strategic shift occurs as experts debate the risks of economic dependence on China amid unresolved border disputes.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination.
00:04News without the noise, Wednesday night. Let's tell you our big talking point tonight, that LPG crisis.
00:10Should the centre have acted sooner or is it simply a panic reaction now on the part of consumers?
00:17Is the opposition exploiting the crisis for electoral gain?
00:21Also, as India now reaches out for closer economic ties with China, is there a conscious strategy?
00:29Is India de-risking itself from a Trump-led United States by encouraging Chinese FBI or is it a U
00:38-turn?
00:39That's the question we'll raise. But first, as always, it's time for the 9 Headlines at 9.
00:47There's no end to the LPG crisis now across India.
00:52Government insists no need to panic as there is no shortage of LPG.
00:57On the ground, though, queues are increasing as domestic supply is being prioritised over commercial use.
01:08Political war escalates over the LPG crisis.
01:12Prime Minister Modi, which is Atma Nirbharta in the energy sector, slams Congress, who he accuses of fueling panic.
01:19Opposition claims government is lying to the people of India.
01:27India-bound, thigh-flagged cargo ship attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:32Iranian forces say get ready for the price of $200 per barrel as they won't allow a single ship to
01:38pass from the Strait of Hormuz.
01:43Reliance to invest in the first new U.S. oil refinery in 50 years.
01:47Donald Trump calls a $300 billion Texas project a historic deal, a major boost for American energy production.
01:57Iran's new supreme leader, Mostafa Khamenei, injured but safe and sound claims Iranian media.
02:03He continues to maintain a low profile amidst the raging West Asia war.
02:10Iran pulls out of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in North America, says won't participate in any circumstances as they
02:17claim a corrupt regime has killed their supreme leader.
02:23No trust motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Benla moved by the opposition is defeated.
02:28Home Minister Amit Shah reks up Rahul Gandhi's foreign trips and parliament attendance to target opposition.
02:35Opposition claims government has misused the Speaker's office.
02:41Supreme Court allows us to carry out passive euthanasia on a 32-year-old man who has been in a
02:47vegetative state for the last 13 years.
02:52And BCCI announces schedule for first phase of IPL 2026, defending champions RCB to take on Sunrisers in the opening
03:00game in Bengaluru on March 28th.
03:13But the story that's breaking at the moment, the Ministry of External Affairs has responded after Iran has now hit
03:20an India-bound ship.
03:23A Thai flagship was en route to the Kandla port in Gujarat when it was hit, apparently in the Straits
03:30of Hormuz.
03:31India has deplored the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict
03:38in West Asia,
03:39reiterating that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members is impeding the freedom of navigation and commerce and
03:48should be avoided.
03:50Earlier, Iran had also targeted the Al-Salala port in Oman.
03:53Iran has warned, get ready for $200 per barrel oil price as we won't allow a single ship, they say,
04:01to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
04:04So that's the big story that's coming in at the moment.
04:07Of course, all this against the backdrop of a crisis or certainly a challenge over LPG supplies in the country.
04:15Joining me now, Aishwarya Patil and Pranay Upadhyay are with us.
04:20Aishwarya attracts the oil sector, Pranay attracts the Ministry of External Affairs.
04:24Aishwarya, to you first.
04:26You've been giving us various reports about how the government has been trying to deal with the oil sector crisis.
04:33What is the very latest that you have?
04:35The government seems to be suggesting that this is panic reaction and they have enough supplies.
04:42Well, two sides of the story playing out on ground as we see there is panic at the commercial end.
04:48And some have even said, in fact, today a few of the reports have shown that 15 days have passed
04:55but they've not got their domestic LPG as well.
04:57But the government has a different picture here.
05:00They say this is all panic buying or something that is preemptive and that is why there is some shortage
05:08of LPG on the ground.
05:09In this inter-ministerial meeting that took place this evening, around five shipping external affairs as well as the oil
05:17ministry, some representatives were there.
05:19This was the first time on record the government has gone out and clarified.
05:24So, what they've said during this press conference is that 70% of India's crude imports are now routed from
05:31outside of the Hormuz Strait.
05:33As far as our LPG is concerned, that is the biggest issue as of now.
05:3860% of that LPG consumption is imported.
05:4360%, about 90% comes from the Strait of Hormuz.
05:46But that, in fact, is being diversified.
05:49What we also learned is that domestic oil and gas companies like IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, who provide us some of
05:57these cooking gas cylinders,
05:59their production has now increased to 25% after the government passed the Essential Commodities Act
06:08and said that all the domestic production should now be routed for domestic LPG production.
06:15And commercial will, of course, be given the second priority as far as the whole situation as of now is
06:23concerned.
06:24So, that's the update so far.
06:26As far as the vessels are concerned, 28 Indian flagged vessels in the Persian Gulf are under continuous monitoring
06:33is what the Shipping Ministry also highlighted through this particular press conference.
06:38Now, interestingly, at that press conference, there were Ministry of External Affairs officials as well.
06:43Pradai Upadhyay, it seems to be the Ministry has put out a strong message about the targeting of a Thai
06:50-based ship
06:50that was on its way to India.
06:52How concerned is the Ministry?
06:54Here is the External Affairs Minister speaking to the Iranian Foreign Minister regularly.
06:58And what do we see a Thai-based ship on its way to India has been targeted?
07:04Rajdeep, if you see, the statement put out by the Ministry of External Affairs clearly highlights India's concern
07:09by saying that, you know, targeting of the cargo ships is intensifying in the region.
07:14In fact, if you see today, three ships have been targeted by unknown projectiles.
07:18And in fact, one of the ship was India-bound, the Kandla Port-bound ship Nairi Mayuri,
07:22which was having a Thai, you know, flag.
07:24And in fact, so far, the Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that around two Indians have lost their life,
07:30one Indian is missing.
07:31And this is the collateral damage India has suffered in this conflict.
07:35And the most worrisome part is that this conflict is intensifying.
07:38And in fact, the intensity of targeting at these cargo ships is on a rise.
07:43And that is a concern.
07:44And that's why I think India's External Affairs Minister, Dr. Jaishankar,
07:47is also keeping regular contact with his Iranian counterpart,
07:50as well as his counterparts in other regions,
07:52because this Thai flagship was hit at around 11 nautical mile off the coast of Oman.
07:58So definitely, as Aishwarya was also mentioning,
08:00out of these 28 ships, 24 ships are in Gulf of Persia
08:04and around four ships are in Gulf of Oman.
08:08Right.
08:08Okay.
08:09I appreciate both of you joining us.
08:11As I said, the government has finally got its representatives to speak to the media on record.
08:17No source-based information as of now.
08:19Aishwarya and Pranay, thank you very much.
08:22Fact is, on the ground,
08:24there appears to be a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders,
08:27but that's now sparked panic among home consumers as well.
08:31Long queues being seen today in many cities as people lined up to book gas.
08:36Tonight's ground report on the reality check on what's happening on the ground.
08:47Aftershocks from the West Asia war are being felt in India.
08:51Supply of commercial cooking gas cylinders is hit across the country.
08:57People have started panicking.
09:07At many locations, long lines formed at gas agencies.
09:12Videos are going viral.
09:14From Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu,
09:16LPG cylinders have become a prized item.
09:21In Bhopal, long lines were seen,
09:24with citizens worried that domestic cylinders could be affected next.
09:29We have been booking.
09:31We have a message.
09:32The cars say that we go to the office.
09:37And we are giving them a cylinder in black.
09:39There are a lot of harassment.
09:40There are a lot of harassment.
09:41There are a lot of harassment.
09:42You are very upset.
09:44Black people are getting a cylinder in 2000.
09:4712,000, 13,000, 15,000.
09:50Restaurants are adapting to the shortage.
09:56Many, like this popular biryani outlet in Hyderabad,
09:59are shifting to firewood.
10:26Desperate times call for desperate measures.
10:29And this is very much a reality now,
10:32with the Strait of Hormuz de facto closed.
10:35What you can see here is one of the restaurants in Chennai,
10:38where with the rising prices of gas cylinders
10:41and the extreme shortage that not only Chennai,
10:45but also other metropolitan cities and districts are facing,
10:49in Tamil Nadu and across the country,
10:51what you can see is makeshift wooden stubs
10:54that are being currently set up.
10:56This is one particular restaurant in Chennai,
10:59where we are at.
11:00As you can see,
11:00today is the very first day
11:02where they are looking into alternative cooking measures
11:06other than LPG gas cylinders.
11:09Many restaurants have cut down their menu.
11:13Many have closed down.
11:25In Ayodhya, the Ram Rasoey is closed.
11:31At Delhi High Court,
11:33canteens serve items like sandwiches.
11:37Bengaluru Paying Guest Association advised shared cooking,
11:41avoiding food that need more gas to cook
11:44and use of electric rice cookers.
11:47Indian Oil Corporation urged use of pressure cookers to save gas.
11:51The central government has assured steps have been taken.
11:56Now, gas companies have procured LNG cargos from their new sources
12:02and two LNG cargos are on their way to the country.
12:06And within few days, they will arrive,
12:09which will further strengthen the crude supply position in the country.
12:14With 50% of crude oil imports
12:17and 85% of LPG supplies coming through the Strait of Hormuz,
12:21government will have to scout for new sources and routes
12:25to minimize the impact from West Asia war.
12:30With Anaga Keshav, Bureau Report, India Today.
12:37And the growing LPG crisis has led to a political war of words.
12:41Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kerala,
12:43a state Keralam that's going to the polls,
12:45accused the Congress Party of trying to score political points
12:49by what he said were lies about India's response to the war.
12:52The Congress maintains the Prime Minister
12:54and the Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
12:56are trying to evade questions from the public.
12:58Listen in.
12:59The Congress Party
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14:31LPG crisis
14:33Is it a panic reaction or was the government ill prepared?
14:37Should the center have anticipated the potential crisis and acted sooner?
14:42Is the opposition exploiting this crisis for electoral gain?
14:46Do we need to diversify the country's energy basket urgently?
14:51My first guest is Jeet Kumar Naik, member of parliament of the Lok Sabha joins me.
14:56I appreciate your joining us Mr Naik.
14:58The prime minister has very strongly said the opposition is trying to spread panic.
15:05The government claims there is no crisis.
15:07The government says stop spreading panic.
15:11That's the message that they are giving to the opposition.
15:13There are elections in a few weeks from now.
15:16Are you trying to exploit the situation for political gain?
15:24Thank you Rajdeep for having me over.
15:26Just before joining you, I spoke to hotel owners association office bearers in Bangalore.
15:35It's it's really grim situation is very bad.
15:38In fact, the commercial connections have not received any supplies in the last 2-3 days.
15:44And in fact, they are quite happy to adopt and do whatever best they can do if 50% of
15:51the supplies are restored.
15:52They are getting zero as of now.
15:54That is a reality.
15:56And it is directly affecting the Bangalore city as a whole.
15:59Bangalore city runs on gig workers.
16:02People get out of their homes and earn their livelihood early in the morning.
16:05It is not correct to treat them as kind of a commercial activity.
16:09It is their daily livelihood.
16:10People eat outside.
16:12They don't eat at home.
16:13Lots of people in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and places like that.
16:16The crisis is very real.
16:18It is very unfortunate that this government does not accept that.
16:22It… the government led by honorable prime minister…
16:25Government…
16:26Government…
16:27Government says, sir, with due regard, the government says…
16:29And it was about blaming the opposition.
16:30Sir, government…
16:31Mr. Naik, government says we are prioritizing households.
16:34Commercial establishments will come next.
16:37We have invoked the Essential Commodities Act.
16:40We are therefore encouraging the companies to ensure that the fuel supply, the LPG supply is in place.
16:51The government says…
16:52The government says…
16:52As I repeat…
16:53The government says this is now an unforeseen contingency.
16:59This is war.
17:00You cannot blame the government for what's happening in West Asia.
17:03If the Iranians are going to target ships going through the Strait of Hormuz.
17:0755% of our LPG supply comes through the Strait of Hormuz.
17:15We don't want to blame the extremely poor diplomacy that this government has exhibited.
17:20We never thought that they are going to come back to hurt us so quickly in the day.
17:25That apart, lack of foresight is one which we cannot condone at all.
17:31In fact, they could have expected the kind of crisis that was brewing and they could have planned much better.
17:36If they have done now, invoking the SMA and giving certain directions to the producers,
17:42the effects have not yet kicked in as of today.
17:45As of today, the effect has not kicked in.
17:47In fact, there is a severe crisis on the ground.
17:49We would like to watch in the next one or two days how whatever the government says it has taken
17:54measures,
17:55that they are going to improve the situation.
17:58As of now, it is very bad.
17:59In fact, I shudder to think and know, I heard just now that Indian ships, Indian flag…
18:06No, Indian ships, ships destined to… I mean, the destination to India have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
18:14No, but how do you blame… You see, the government was to send… I want to tell our viewers, the
18:18government was to send a representative,
18:20the government representative Aparijita Sarangi was to join us.
18:24She is now for whatever reason not joining us at the moment.
18:28But I want to understand from you, how is the government to be held responsible if ships to the Strait
18:35of Hormuz are being targeted?
18:43I made an allusion to that. The bad diplomacy has come back to hurt so soon.
18:48We also did not expect, you know, to… Maybe government also did not expect.
18:52They think… They thought that doing what they did, they can get away and know things would be very normal.
18:58They would not… They will never be normal like this, you know. So, let's… Let's forget it.
19:03Now, we have to face the crisis and we have to be very clear as to what we need to
19:07do.
19:07If they have taken certain measures, they have not yet kicked in on the ground.
19:11As on today, the crisis is real and people are suffering in the Bangalore city and across the Karnataka state.
19:18I come from a particularly not very urbanized place as an MP from Raichu district.
19:25Even there also, the city, I heard from Hotel Venos Association that the supplies are highly restricted and they are
19:33suffering.
19:33As on today, as on today, 25 to 30 percent of the hotels and eateries in Bangalore have closed.
19:40Please send your reporter across Bangalore city, you will find the reality. There is no point in denying it.
19:46Sir, I will ask you… We will extend all cooperation that is possible to overcome this crisis.
19:51It's not about denying reality. It's about whether the government can be held accountable for a crisis that has been
19:58sparked off by the war in West Asia.
20:00Should the Modi government be held responsible for what is happening across the street?
20:06I would have taken…
20:06Across the world, countries are at the moment coming to terms with the impact this is having on their fuel
20:13supplies, on their LPG supplies.
20:15Are you making this a political issue because there are elections in a few weeks? That's my final question to
20:21you.
20:262023, the Standing Committee recommended, after observing the kind of sourcing that we had of these energy supplies,
20:35that we definitely need to spread out our sources much better. Otherwise, we are in for a crisis. That was
20:42predicted in 2023.
20:44I am not talking as a politician, as a minister or whatever. I was an ex-bureaucrat.
20:50That if somebody has this kind of an advantage of advice from a Standing Committee, they should have acted. Now
20:57it's 26, 3 years later.
20:59We never anticipated a war in 2023 when the Standing Committee advised this government to spread the sources.
21:07Do you have Mehbubani? Do you have Mehbubani?
21:08Not to source from very few countries and from a particular route, we should have done it. And since we
21:17have not done it, we are facing the crisis.
21:19Whom should I blame? Should we blame ourselves? Ultimately, people will blame themselves for having elected this government so irresponsible.
21:28Let me…
21:29Which doesn't want to be accountable at all, no?
21:32Okay. I am going to leave it there. As I said, we were supposed to be joined by a BJP
21:36guest, Aparajita Sarangi.
21:37And she, at the last moment, seems to have dropped out for whatever reason.
21:42We hope that there is a good explanation and we hope that the government will come clean and send its
21:48representatives to tell us what exactly are they doing to offset the LPG situation in the country.
21:55We appreciate you joining us, Mr. Knight. Now, remember, as the war in West Asia is escalating, India is slowly
22:04de-risking itself from what is happening with the United States in particular.
22:09Only yesterday, the Union cabinet announced that they were easing investment norms for Chinese companies to invest in the country.
22:17In a marked shift from its policy that curbed Chinese FDI in 2020 after the Galwan clashes, the change has
22:25come in the middle of the West Asia war.
22:27Does it mean that India is changing its strategic calculus? That's going to be our talking point. First, take a
22:33look at this report.
22:45The West Asia war appears to be pushing New Delhi to a strategic rethink. The Narendra Modi government on Tuesday
22:52allowed investments from China in sectors like electronics, capital goods and solar energy.
22:58Chinese companies will also be allowed to buy up to 10% stake in Indian firms without needing any government
23:05approval.
23:06The decision marks a significant U-turn. India had restricted Chinese investment and banned apps like TikTok after the 2020
23:13Galwan clash.
23:16New Delhi, in fact, is actively engaging with world capitals on the West Asia war.
23:21Ex-Delta Fez Minister S.J. Shankar on Wednesdays spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
23:27More importantly, New Delhi is engaging with the Iranian leadership regularly.
23:32Initially, the government has taken five days to pay condolences after the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was
23:41confirmed.
23:42But the U.S. submarine attack that sank an Iranian warship returning from a naval exercise in India became a
23:49wake-up call.
23:50New Delhi shifted gears soon, making it public that an Iranian warship has been given shelter in Kochi.
23:56The house will also be interested in the issue of an Iranian vessel that is currently docked in Kochi.
24:03The Iranian site had requested permission on 28 February for three ships in the region to dock at our ports.
24:11This was accorded on 1 March.
24:15IRIS Lawan actually docked on 4 March in Kochi.
24:19The crew is currently in Indian naval facilities.
24:24We believe that this was the right thing to do.
24:27At stake is not just the welfare of nearly one crore people living in the Gulf.
24:32The war, which doesn't seem to have any endgame, poses huge risks to the economy and energy security of the
24:40country.
24:40The unpredictable Donald Trump has made multi-alignment the new foreign policy mantra.
24:47Bureau Report, India Today.
24:51And joining me now, three very special guests.
24:54Joined by Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow, Asia Pacific Foundation.
24:57He joins us from the United States.
25:00Joining me also, Dr. Brahma Chalani, Strategic Affairs Expert.
25:04And I'm joined by Kaval Simba, former Foreign Secretary.
25:06Good to have three fine voices on the show.
25:09I want to start with you, Brahma, for a moment because you've often said that China should be seen as
25:16India's biggest security concern.
25:18But now, as the war in West Asia escalates, we've just seen the Union Cabinet ease investment rules for Chinese
25:26companies in terms of FDI.
25:28Do you see a connection that India is now trying to de-risk itself from putting all its eggs in
25:34a way in the Western basket, particularly in the US basket, and look at China as a potential economic partner?
25:42This shift began much before Trump's Iran war.
25:51It's okay to improve relations with China.
25:53But what is not okay is to make abrupt reversals in policy without any debate.
26:00India's China policy should be guided by a cleared-eyed strategic mission.
26:06Excessive personalization of foreign policy or abrupt policy reversals cannot safeguard, let alone advance India's long-term interests.
26:15From Nehru to Modi, we have seen repeated reversals in China policy.
26:21Now, under the present government led by Modi, India's China policy has undergone two major U-turns.
26:28In 2020, after we discovered China's stealth territorial encroachments in eastern Ladakh, India's stance completely changed.
26:38India restricted Chinese investments, banned apps, tightened procurement rules, and called for reducing economic dependence on China.
26:45Now, a second U-turn is underway. It began last year. Those same restrictions that were imposed in 2020 are
26:54quietly being dismantled without any public debate.
26:58So, India's China policy under the same government has moved from engagement to confrontation and now back towards accommodation all
27:10within a span of five to six years.
27:13And I think it raises several key things. First, India had pledged, the present government had pledged that relations with
27:24China cannot normalize until the border normalizes.
27:29This was said not once, not twice, but multiple times. What we are seeing now is the opposite. Economic normalization,
27:38despite the border situation not being normal.
27:43The second is the strategic contradiction. India is trying to balance China geopolitically while becoming more and more dependent on
27:52China economically.
27:53How can this contradiction hold indefinitely? And the most important point is that allowing deeper Chinese penetration of key sectors,
28:06whether it's power grids or EV infrastructure, increases China's potential leverage over Indian policy decisions.
28:16Economic integration with China. Economic integration with China is never purely economic. It carries geopolitical implications.
28:23And we have seen a reason why we need to be cautious. China has repeatedly used trade and economic leverage
28:31as geopolitical tools against other countries, whether it's Australia, South Korea, Mongolia, or even tiny Lithuania.
28:38China has never hesitated to use its economic leverage as geopolitical weapons. India cannot assume that economic interdependence will remain
28:51purely economic.
28:52I've taken your point. I've taken your point, but significantly you're saying this predates Trump's war in Iran.
28:58Yes.
28:58You want to respond to that, the contradictions that are now emerging. We at one level have been pushing for
29:07a trade deal with America.
29:08Now, we don't know the status of that, given the war that's taking place. That's clearly in pause button. But
29:14if Brahmachalani is right, we seem to be cozying up to the Chinese for some economic partnership.
29:20But as he says, there are strategic concerns that will be also involved. We have not fully resolved our border
29:25issue. We've gone ahead.
29:27Do you see this as de-risking this new multi-alignment that we are striking various relationships with different countries
29:34independent of each other?
29:37Well, Brahmachalani has a point, but I think the situation is a little more complex. As he himself said quite
29:44rightly, that the opening towards some enhanced economic ties with China began to be voiced, to be supported before this
29:57war with Iran and our problems with Trump.
29:59As you know, the economic advisor in his last year's report on the state of the Indian economy very strongly
30:07supported opening up towards China. At that time, it was still fluid. The government still was not supporting the economic
30:15advisor's view.
30:16But he has been repeating this view. Number two, the… our… our…
30:24But isn't that a huge shift from five years ago when we were banning TikTok, when we were threatening to
30:29boycott Chinese companies? Have we gone too far to the other side?
30:32Look, look. Look, our bilateral trade with China is $130 billion. And in fact, even the deficit is $100 billion.
30:41No country has been able to de-risk itself completely from dependence on China, even the United States, despite its
30:49policies.
30:50Every country, including Europe. They are smarting under the fact that they can't de-link themselves from China, but yet
30:56they have no option.
30:58Similarly, India is also dependent on China for many of the intermediate goods which are very necessary for our own
31:04exports.
31:05Because China has become the manufacturing hub of the world. You just cannot de-link yourself from it.
31:11And now, in fact, nobody is talking about decoupling. You know, this is not part of the narrative.
31:17Then our medium and small enterprises have been complaining that they need vital inputs from China because they are the
31:24only ones who can supply these provisions at cheaper prices.
31:28But the process of giving permissions is very slow. And then there are those who are saying that when foreign
31:36investors want to come into India, we are going very minutely into the details of who the beneficiaries are and
31:43what is the component of Chinese money in that.
31:47And this process is very dilatory. It takes a long time. And this is impeding investments by non-Chinese investors,
31:55but who have in their portfolio money from China.
31:59It's impeding their investment in India. And currently, we are seeing that not enough FDI is coming.
32:04So we have made some partial opening points to China, only 10 percent. And that hedged with so many other
32:09conditions.
32:11But in a way, in a way, this could be called strategic realism. Michael Kugelman, all of this is, of
32:17course, happening at a time when the war shows no signs of ending.
32:20And there's a fear that if the war continues longer, it will affect countries across the world, including India.
32:27A ballooning oil bill, possibly, that could affect the economy. And therefore, we need, in a way, to reach out
32:37to the Chinese.
32:38Are you seeing all of this? Do you see connections here between what's happening in West Asia, between India's reach
32:45out to China?
32:47Or do you believe that's completely independent of each other?
32:51I think that India is being very pragmatic. And this reflects a common trend in its foreign policy.
32:57What I would describe as a strategic pragmatism. I agree with what Brahma and Ambassador Sybil said,
33:03that we need to look at the broader context, that we saw India begin its modest rapprochement with China, not
33:10only well before the war on Iran began,
33:13but also well before the Trump administration began imposing high tariffs on India.
33:17And in fact, one could argue that the India-China rapprochement began even before Trump was reelected.
33:23Right. Back in October of 2024, there was a border deal signed between India and China.
33:29And a few months after that, there was the initial pledge to begin looking toward resuming direct flights between the
33:34two countries.
33:34So there is a broader context. But I do think that the Trump factor, setting aside the war on Iran,
33:41the Trump factor has strengthened the incentives for New Delhi to accelerate efforts to ease its tensions with China.
33:50But I do not agree with some of the commentaries that I've seen in recent months that the Trump factor
33:55has essentially driven India back into the arms of China.
33:58I don't agree with that at all. But that said, turning to the war. No, absolutely.
34:02We know that Iran's neighbors and India and its neighbors are all impacted in many ways by this war.
34:09And that certainly one could highlight the issue of energy insecurity, but also broader economic insecurity.
34:15So I think it makes perfect sense. It's pragmatic for India to intensify efforts to strengthen what is already a
34:22fairly robust commercial relationship with China.
34:24Final point I'll make. It was quite some time ago when the Indian economic advisor, when the chief advisor to
34:31the prime minister in the economy had argued for India to loosen restrictions on new Chinese FDI into India.
34:39It didn't move forward back at that point. But we see now when the incentives are stronger that India has
34:45actually followed through in that regard.
34:46Because I and I'll play this graphic during the show. The fact is that if I look at South Asia,
34:52just look at Brahma, how South Asia is playing out in the aftermath while the Gulf War is on.
34:57Pakistan finds itself in a bit of a bind because they've got a defense pact that they've signed with the
35:02Saudis.
35:03They share a large border with Iran. That defense pact means that they are supposed to come in a way
35:10to support the Saudis should Saudi Arabia be attacked.
35:13They've therefore got a difficult relationship at the moment to deal with. And India, on the other hand, faces the
35:20problem of over-dependence, particularly on oil, on LPG that comes through the state of Hormuz, for example, and that
35:28is already affecting potentially oil supply to this country.
35:33So, the war is now affecting South Asia in different ways. Therefore, each country now needs to take what Michael
35:42Kugelman calls strategic pragmatism.
35:44Let's see this as strategic pragmatism. India possibly sees China as some kind of a bulwark that we need to
35:52work with, as opposed to putting, as I earlier said, all our attention on the United States.
35:59You're asking me? Yes, go ahead.
36:04Is that a question? Well, yes, economic pragmatism with China is good, but it shouldn't come at the cost of
36:14India's strategic interests.
36:16India cannot confront China strategically while becoming more dependent on it economically.
36:23China's trade surplus with India now vastly exceeds India's total annual defence budget.
36:30It is 50 percent higher. This is not just an economic statistic.
36:35It is a strategic vulnerability for India. The real question is simple.
36:40Can India compete strategically with China while simultaneously keeping economic dependence on it?
36:50That's the key question. And I think we don't debate that question.
36:53We talk about the global situation, Trump's erratic ways as justification for what India is doing.
37:03But also we have to keep in mind that since 2020, when China made these stealth land grabs in eastern
37:14Ladakh, these were the biggest land grabs by China since the 1962 war.
37:20Since 2020, China has fundamentally changed the military landscape in the Himalayas.
37:28It has built permanent military infrastructure. It has completely changed the situation to India's disadvantage.
37:39And before long, it will bring another surprise on India. So let's not, you know, we have the same debate
37:46in India every few years.
37:48Whenever China brings a surprise on India, military surprise on India, we have the same debate.
37:52We go over the same points. But the next surprise will be coming, despite this latest U-turn by the
37:59Modi government.
38:00You know, can I for a moment, Kapil Sibal, just take you back to six months ago, Operation Sindhu, where
38:07China was seen to have completely fused its military with the Pakistani military.
38:12And the Pakistanis used that to target India. All of that seems to have changed so dramatically in six months.
38:19As Brahma Chalani is saying, it's one thing to be economically pragmatic with the Chinese.
38:24But are we aware of our strategic realities on the ground when dealing with China?
38:30Well, you know, we've been engaged in dialogue with China at the military level, at the diplomatic level, at the
38:37SR level.
38:38All these talks have been resumed. There has been some progress in the ground in terms of defusing the situation.
38:46Not sufficiently, but some progress. Prime Minister has visited Beijing and met Xi Jinping.
38:53Some new directions have been given. It is a rerun of the whole situation.
38:58But nevertheless, the effort is to try and defuse tensions as much as possible and stabilize the situation.
39:04Now, the problem is…
39:05Is it a U-turn? Is it a U-turn? Brahma calls it a U-turn. Would you call it
39:09a U-turn or not?
39:10No, I don't want to debate with Brahma because he has some valid points to make.
39:14No, no, no. I'm asking you, sir, former foreign secretary, is it a U-turn? Have we done a U
39:19-turn?
39:19It's not a U-turn at all. In what way? In what way?
39:24A country, as I said, which we wanted an economic boycott, which we boycott, forget about anything else, even TikTok,
39:30which we said was fused with the Pakistani military just six months ago in a war against India.
39:36Suddenly, we seem to now be willing to give concessions to Chinese companies.
39:40Well, do you know why General Kurela or Admiral or whatever he was, the head of CENTCOM, why was he
39:47honored by the field of Martian Munir?
39:49Have you ever thought about it? What was the reason? This happened after Operation Sindhu. What was the reason, you
39:55think?
39:56I don't think we should gloss over the fact that they didn't receive intelligence about India massing troops, especially its
40:03naval assets, which were about to strike Pakistan.
40:07Who gave that information? The Chinese don't have that kind of capacity to follow the movements of maritime…
40:15So, you're saying the Americans did?
40:17Yes. I mean, there's a suspicion that they did. Otherwise, why was he given this very big honor and then
40:23field marshal Munir went all the way.
40:25Actually, when he received that cross or whatever he got, honor he got from the United States also.
40:30Okay.
40:31So, I don't think we should simplify matters. But you're right. There was a Chinese hand. What was the degree
40:38of Chinese hand is a bit uncertain.
40:40Okay. Can I just pivot for a moment, Michael Kugelman, to look at Iran more specifically?
40:47After the initial period where India seemed to distance itself or stayed silent on the aggression in Iran,
40:55in the last few days, the foreign minister has repeatedly spoken to the Iranian foreign minister.
41:00Are you seeing that India recognizes that we need to play a much more balanced, nuanced role, that we need
41:06in a way to find a way to also reach out to Iran,
41:10given that Pakistan, for example, is finding itself in an extremely problematic relationship with Tehran?
41:16India needs to play a much more balancing role here.
41:21Right. And balancing would, of course, reflect India's foreign policy when it comes to strategic autonomy or whatever you want
41:28to call it.
41:29But it's tough. I mean, India is in a tough spot because we see how important India's relationship with Israel
41:35has become over the last few years.
41:36And as we know, the prime minister was in Israel just a few days before the Israeli and the U
41:42.S. strikes on Iran began.
41:44And I would argue that, among other reasons, Operation Sindor and its impact and its consequences have made India's relationship
41:52with Israel all the more important
41:53because one of the big focus areas of India-Israel relations right now is on defense cooperation, including air defense
42:01systems, which I understand India is looking to acquire from Israel.
42:05So that's tough. But absolutely.
42:07I mean, we know that given how volatile and potentially explosive this conflict is and given how much India could
42:14be impacted for so many reasons,
42:16and it's mainly based on energy equities and, of course, the several million Indians in the GCC region and the
42:22Middle East on the whole,
42:24India has to be very careful about its messages itself on this war.
42:29But, you know, you look at India's foreign relations.
42:31It's got very close relations with Israel.
42:33It has very close relations with the Saudis, with most of the GCC states.
42:37But its relations with Iran, even though they've, I think, pulled back over the last few years,
42:41particularly since India stopped acquiring or mainly stopped importing Iranian oil in big measure,
42:50it's still an important and a friendly relationship.
42:52So, yeah, I would agree with you that India, it's very difficult,
42:54and this is where its diplomatic balancing act will really have to show that it's capable of carrying out these
43:00balancing acts.
43:01But it's something that it really will need to perfect in this case,
43:04just how delicate and potentially explosive this whole scenario is with the conflict.
43:09I think you've used a word, delicate balancing act in these explosive times,
43:14and we are seeing that balancing act now playing in different ways in different parts of the world.
43:20The latest buzzword is a multi-aligned world,
43:23and we are trying to cope up with the realities of this multi-aligned world.
43:28Michael Kugelman, Kaval Sibbal and Brahma Chalani,
43:31thank you very much for joining me here on my Talking Point tonight.
43:38It was meant to be a discussion on the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the
43:44last two days,
43:45that has quickly turned into a full-blown political face-off between Home Minister Amit Shah and the Congress Party.
43:51After Rahul Gandhi repeated his PM-surrendered PM-compromised attack,
43:56the Home Minister, at the end of that debate,
43:58which resulted in the Lok Sabha Speaker continuing in office,
44:04Amit Shah hit out at the leader of the opposition,
44:06accusing him of running away from debates and discussions,
44:09even citing his attendance record and record in participating in debates in Parliament.
44:16Listen in to two sides.
44:19Multiple times, I have been stopped from speaking.
44:25Just a few days ago, in a debate for the first time in Indian history,
44:32I told the leader of the opposition to the leader of the opposition.
45:01Okay.
45:01I raised the issue of Mr. Narawameh.
45:03I raised the issue of Epstein.
45:05Honorable LOP.
45:06And I raised the issue of Adani.
45:07I have given the permission that after the speech of Revi Sanger Kwasadji,
45:12you will be given a scope to speak.
45:15Our Prime Minister has been compromised.
45:17Everybody knows.
45:18Okay.
45:19...
45:20...
45:23...
45:24...
45:26...
45:27Now, I want to ask them, Congress party has been told in the congress party.
45:35Who will say to whom? Who will say to whom?
45:39Will they be speaking? No, they will have to do that.
45:43The Vipaks has to do that.
45:45But the chance to speak is the way Germany, England.
45:52And then,
45:53in the 117 minutes,
46:15they've been warned.
46:18They've been warned.
46:18I want to ask you if you've said.
46:36Okay, let's turn to another of our big stories in a landmark and deeply emotional verdict.
46:41The Supreme Court has allowed the parents of a 32-year-old man who's been in a vegetative state for
46:4713 years to withdraw life-sustaining nutrition.
46:50The case of Harish Rana marks the first time such permission has been granted since the top court legalized passive
46:56euthanasia in 2018.
46:58The ruling has once again reignited the debate over the legality and morality of euthanasia in India.
47:05Sneha Mordani now reports.
47:15In a verdict that is historic in every sense of the word, the Supreme Court of India has given a
47:21green signal to a couple to carry out passive euthanasia on their 32-year-old son.
47:27The order, the first of its kind ever since the Apex Court legalized passive euthanasia in the year 2018.
47:36The case is of a 32-year-old man, Harish Rana, who has been in a vegetative state for 13
47:42years of his life.
47:44His prime lost while lying in comatose after an accident that left him incapable of any movement.
47:51The court, while expressing its sympathies and the judges themselves being teary-eyed, pronounced the verdict, allowing the parents of
48:00Harish to withdraw his nutritional support.
48:03For the first time in India in the year 2018, the Supreme Court legalized passive euthanasia.
48:10It also spelt out directions and gave an idea about what should be the way forward for a patient who
48:17has been diagnosed with something which makes him or her terminally ill.
48:21Both in the case wherein a patient had indicated what the way forward should be, had a living will, and
48:28also in the case where patient did not have a directive or a living will.
48:34India has seen heated debates on euthanasia, both active and passive, especially in the case of Aruna Shanbhag, a nurse
48:42who was brutally assaulted sexually in the year 1973.
48:46It caused severe brain damage and left her in a vegetative state for four long decades.
48:54The court has also urged the center to consider bringing a law on passive euthanasia, even as heated debates on
49:02the legality and the morality of it continues.
49:07We're dealing with passive euthanasia, you know, that isn't a PVS system, right?
49:11If somebody completely has intestinal lung disease, the lungs have ossified, only being fed by, you know, artificial feeding, all
49:24of it, like I said.
49:25Then in that event, to not let a person who has lived with dignity die with dignity, I think is
49:34very unfortunate.
49:35And to that extent, I say that I admire the common cause decision.
49:40There are patients who are suffering pain, but not necessarily they could live for two years, three years, five years,
49:47and then palliative care comes in.
49:50So that's another part of it.
49:51India is not a Luxembourg or a Belgium or a France.
49:55There are 500 Luxembourg which can fit into India.
49:58What happens in the interiors of India if this law goes like wildfire, there will be uncontrollable misery.
50:06A law, like I said, has to be sustainable and scalable.
50:10It is not only for metros.
50:13The health care outside metros is at a different level.
50:17Dignity of death is respecting the patient and respecting the family.
50:22That is dignity.
50:23India legalized passive euthanasia less than a decade ago.
50:27The Supreme Court has now said that the Indian government must consider a legislation for passive euthanasia.
50:33World over, there are countries like Netherlands that allow active euthanasia, wherein the doctor administers an injection, a lethal medicine
50:42to the patient who was terminally ill.
50:45There are countries like Switzerland that allow assisted euthanasia, wherein a patient with permissions, of course, takes in a medication
50:53that eventually leads to death.
50:57In New Delhi, Sneha Mordani for India Today Television.
51:03On that sobering note, I want to leave you tonight.
51:07Thanks for watching.
51:08Stay well, stay safe.
51:09Good night. Shubratri.
51:10Jai Hind.
51:11Namaskar.