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Bhutan, India call China’s road construction “illegitimate”

Published

9 years ago

June 29, 2017

Bhutan, India call China’s road construction “illegitimate”

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]China calls Danglong part of its “territory”

Bhutan has joined India in objecting to the construction of a road in what they called a “disputed territory” by China. Bhutan refuted China’s claim that the road construction in Sikkim sector’s Donglang was “legitimate” and lodged formal protest and asked China to “stop the work immediately” near Bhutan’s army camp.

On Wednesday, Vetsop Namgyal, Bhutan’s Ambassador to India called construction of the road by China as “violation of an agreement” between the two countries. He said that “Doklam (which is also known as Donglang) is disputed territory and Bhutan has written agreement with China that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, peace and tranquility should be maintained in the area”.

Indian and Chinese troops were already in the face-off in the Donglang area of the Sikkim sector.

Earlier, Chinese foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said “Donglang is part of China’s territory and it is indisputable”. He accused India of “raising the issue” on part of Bhutan saying “The Donglang area belonged to China since ancient times and it doesn’t belong to Bhutan nor it belongs to India”.

Without naming India, the Chinese spokesman said, “If any third party, out of hidden agenda, interfered, it is disrespect of the sovereignty of Bhutan, We don’t want to see this as Bhutan is a country entitled to sovereignty by the international community.” There are no diplomatic relations between China and Bhutan.

Donglang is located in a tri-junction close to the strategic area called Chicken Neck. China says that the Sikkim part of India-China boundary is settled and therefore India has no right to object over the road construction.

Beijing believes that the area is “undoubtedly” located on its side of the border as per the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim. China says that according the treaty “Zhe” is the ancient name of Sikkim and the area, on which the Indian army has raised objection, is undoubtedly located on the Chinese side of the border.

Amidst ongoing stand-off, China stopped first batch of 50 Indian pilgrims for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra earlier this month. Six other batches were scheduled to make the trip. Out of 1,430 pilgrims, 350 were supposed to travel through Nathu La, while remaining pilgrims were set to go through Lipulekh, Uttarakhand, which is much longer.

Last week, Gopal Baglay, spokesman for Ministry of External Affairs, said there were “some difficulties” in the movement of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar via Nathu La pass and New Delhi was holding discussions with Beijing. Earlier it was reported that China took the decision due to landslides in Tibet.

On Wednesday, China said that India was to bear the responsibility for the ongoing stand-off in the Sikkim sector as well as the closure of Nathu La pass. Beijing defended its decision saying China had agreed to open the route as the boundary there has been delineated with the consent of both countries.

Chinese side opened Nathu La pass for Indian pilgrims in 2015. According to Chinese authorities, it worked well for two years and Chinese authorities had prepared for the reception of Indian pilgrims and informed Indian side about it. The reopening of the pass will depend on when or whether the Indian side will “correct its errors”, Lu said.

Chinese foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had earlier said, “The Indian troops crossed the boundary at the Sikkim side to the Chinese territory. This is different to what was before in India-China boundary. China has made solemn representations against the same. India should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.”

On Wednesday, China had lodged protest with India over the alleged “crossing of boundary” by its troops in the Sikkim section and demanded immediate “correction of the error”. The resumption of future visits of the pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar yatra will be linked to India withdrawing the troops from the area, China said.

The India-China stand-off comes even as bilateral ties nose-dived after India’s boycott of One Belt One Road summit in Beijing and China scuttling India’s bid to get membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking in a panel discussion at International Economic Forum Summit in St Petersburg (Russia) on June 2, said, “It is true that we have a border dispute with China. But in the last 40 years, not a single bullet has been fired because of the ongoing cooperation in trade and investments between the two countries.” He described how the world has increasingly become inter connected and inter-dependent in the present scenario.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Yogi Adityanath takes a dig at Akhilesh Yadav over Ram Temple visit plan

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.

Published

8 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his planned visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying those who had fired on Ram devotees should first apologise to them and to the saints.

Yogi made the remarks while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He did not name Akhilesh Yadav directly.

Yogi’s remarks come after Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit plan

The chief minister’s comments came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12. It would be his first visit to the temple since its inauguration, according to the report.

Yogi said those who had earlier neglected and insulted Ayodhya, opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should come to the city only after seeking forgiveness.

“Let them apologise to the devotees of Lord Ram; let them apologise to the saints,” Yogi said, adding that they should repent for their past actions.

Reference to 1990 firing on kar sevaks

Yogi’s remarks referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government was headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father.

The chief minister said those who had once “bloodied” Ayodhya were now remembering the city. He also criticised political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, referring to the decorum of a katha.

Akhilesh has not yet visited the Ram Temple

Akhilesh Yadav has visited Ayodhya earlier but has not so far visited the Ram Temple. The SP leader was in the city on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by party leader Pawan Pandey.

According to the report, Akhilesh and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, are scheduled to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

The planned visit comes amid political activity in Ayodhya ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due by February 2027.

Yogi highlights Ayodhya’s transformation

During his Deepotsav address, Yogi also spoke about the changes in Ayodhya and described the city’s transformation as an ideological victory.

He said those who had previously neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its development. He also said Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect.

The chief minister further recalled the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said Ayodhya had regained the glory for which kar sevaks and saints had struggled.

India News

Ahead of Diwali, Yogi govt hikes DA by 5% for UP government staff

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased Dearness Allowance by 5 percentage points, taking it from 58% to 63%. The revised rate will benefit lakhs of eligible employees ahead of Diwali.

Published

8 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a 5 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees ahead of Diwali. With this revision, the DA rate has increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent, providing financial relief to lakhs of eligible employees across the state.

The revised allowance will be effective from July 1, 2026, according to the government announcement. A government order was also issued on Saturday, November 7.

The enhanced DA will be paid along with employees’ regular November 2026 salaries.

Which employees will benefit from the DA hike?

The decision covers regular state government employees and several other categories of eligible staff.

These include employees of aided educational and technical institutions, regular and full-time employees of urban local bodies, work-charged employees and personnel drawing salaries under University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales.

The revision is expected to benefit a large section of the Uttar Pradesh workforce ahead of the festive season.

What happens to the DA arrears?

The revised DA rate will apply retrospectively from July 1, 2026. Consequently, employees will also be entitled to arrears for the period preceding the November salary payment.

The government has made provisions for the payment of the arrears for July to October 2026. These amounts will be credited to employees’ provident fund accounts, according to the reported payment arrangements.

The enhanced allowance for November will be reflected in the regular salary for that month.

The decision comes ahead of Diwali and will provide additional financial relief to eligible government employees in Uttar Pradesh.

India News

Himanta Sarma to approach court over threat to gherao home in Zubeen case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would approach the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court over a threat to gherao his residence if two prime accused in the Zubeen Garg death case are granted bail.

Published

10 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government would bring before the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court a threat by a group to gherao his residence in connection with the Zubeen Garg death case.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma described the threat as a serious matter, saying it posed a danger to his family and could amount to a direct attempt to murder.

The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on November 30 of the bail petitions filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, the two prime accused in the case.

Why Himanta Sarma plans to approach the courts

Sarma said he had instructed the state government’s legal department to bring the matter to the notice of both the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister objected to the group threatening to target his residence rather than holding a protest near the Chief Minister’s Office.

He said those questioning the judicial process should approach the Supreme Court or the high court instead of targeting him. Sarma also maintained that the courts should be allowed to carry out their work.

According to him, attempts to question the judicial process in this manner could obstruct the path of justice.

What the group said about the bail pleas

The Zubeen Garg Nyay Samiti, led by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, had announced on Thursday that it would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence under certain circumstances.

The group said it would carry out the protest if Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma were granted bail or if the Assam government failed to mount an effective legal opposition to their bail pleas.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of the two accused on November 30.

Bail granted to two accused in the case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta, an accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, on October 9. She was granted bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The high court has also granted bail to Sandipan Garg in the case.

Referring to the bail order concerning Amritprava Mahanta, Sarma said it mentioned that 160 witnesses had not named her during the court hearing, despite having done so during the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Responding to questions over the development, Sarma said the witnesses should be questioned about the discrepancy rather than him.

What happened to Zubeen Garg?

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.

Police in Singapore had said that no foul play was involved in his death. Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).