With geo-political uncertainty post-Taliban’s take-over of Afghanistan, India reportedly has spent $2 billion for infrastructure in the war-torn nation over the years, and India’s hostile neighbors, China and Pakistan supporting Taliban, India is closely watching the situation on its borders.
In a candid chat with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now, GVL Narasimha Rao, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Bhartiya Janta Party has said that India has been maintaining a close watch on Afghanistan and cannot have any kind of diplomatic relations with a militant regime. India will continue to see what is best in its strategic and security interests and will evolve a policy and plan accordingly.
“We can never have formal relations or cut with a …regime like Taliban which is a terrorist regime in my own words .. we cannot accept any kind of diplomatic relations with a country like that .... but certainly with our own people living in Afghanistan and also have invested a lot of money in the development of Afghanistan … India will continue to see what is best in its strategic and security interests and will evolve a policy and plan accordingly,” said Rao.
He was in a webcast as part of the Visionary Talk series held by the public policy and governance analysis platform.
On being asked that why the world cannot come together to put a stop to suppressive rule and countries like China and Pakistan are willing to talk to the Taliban the BJP spokesperson said, unfortunately, China was the first country to come forward and give legitimacy to the Taliban even before the interim govt was formed there.
“Few countries that look at narrow and short term interest and countries that support Taliban will also suffer consequences in the long run. But we hope an international consensus emerges which restrains the Taliban interim govt from going berserk and will be compelled to conform to certain norms of international governance’’ he said.
On international diplomacy, Rao said, “Pakistan has been silenced ….we are today in the grey list of financial action task force and Pakistan could possibly get blacklisted soon. We have not only succeeded in controlling terrorism domestically but also brought the issue to the international discussion table.”
He said with the emergence of the Taliban govt in Afghanistan, the issue acquires fresh significance and govt of India will certainly make it the top agenda in the national and international level to ensure that India’s borders remain completely safe and secure from any kind of attack.
Speaking on issues of governance, the BJP MP spelled out what he called major governance success stories of BJP led government and said massive legislative changes like the abolition of Article 370, Triple Talaq, constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes have long term consequences for India’s polity and growth.
Next, he said, the real development of the core of this country post-independence has only happened in the last 7 years. “We have done saturated development. For people deprived of basic amenities like gas services and connections, bank accounts, and toilets at home these were provided for the first time on a war footing and accomplished in the last 7 years.”
Due to a completely, spotlessly clean, and corruption-free government at the Centre in the last 7 years, despite allegations by the opposition people of the country gave a huge vote mandate ( to BJP) in 2019.
Further, he said that with zero tolerance the mainland, Maharashtra and South India have not seen a single terror attack when the country had seen series of terrorist attacks between 2004 -2014.
While speaking on the economy, Rao said the Indian economy has rebounded faster than most other economies in the world and the country is well poised to achieve its target of 5 trillion dollars well on time which in the medium term and needs to look beyond 2030.
During Covid -19 period the government, he said has used the time to formulate and implement series of reforms that stand in good stead. Automobiles and infrastructure, particularly infrastructure have seen 100 million dollars investments coming in, and both sectors reflecting very good performance. Rao said core industries are showing a strong rebound to galvanize India to grow faster than expected.
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