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‘Make Mayawati PM candidate if you want BSP in I.N.D.I. Alliance’, says BSP MP Malook Nagar

OpIndia Staff
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‘Make Mayawati PM candidate if you want BSP in I.N.D.I. Alliance’, says BSP MP Malook Nagar

On Wednesday (27th December), BSP MP from Bijnor Malook Nagar said that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will consider joining the I.N.D.I. alliance if it makes BSP-supremo Mayawati the Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024. This statement by Mayawati’s close aide Malook Nagar has come after UP Congress president Ajay Rai suggested the BSP should seriously consider joining the I.N.D.I. alliance.

BSP MP Malook Nagar added that the Congress must apologise for weaning away BSP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after the 2018 assembly elections. He claimed that Mayawati is the tallest Dalit leader in the country and support for her cuts across states. He said, “By projecting Mayawati as the PM candidate, the INDIA alliance will be able to stop the BJP from winning a third consecutive term in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. To effectively challenge the BJP, the I.N.D.I. alliance must nominate Mayawati as their candidate for Prime Minister. If that does not happen, no coalition stands a chance against Modi.”

Malook Nagar further said, “The victory formula for the alliance is clear. In the 2022 (Uttar Pradesh) assembly election, the BJP polled 41.3% votes. The parties constituting the INDIA bloc polled around 40% votes and the BSP secured around 13% votes. If the BSP joins the alliance, the vote percentage will go above 50% which is enough to snatch power from the BJP.”

The BSP leader added, ” The projection of Mayawati as the PM candidate will also bring back the Dalit voters who have been lured by the saffron brigade. The I.N.D.I. alliance should decide to project the BSP chief as the PM candidate. Mayawati will (then) not only forgive the Congress for its misdeed to poach the BSP MLAs in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh but will also have a positive approach towards the I.N.D.I. alliance offer.”

Malook Nagar said, “No matter how much anyone discusses Ram temple, it will benefit the BJP. Ram belongs to all of us, not just the BJP, but the politics and questions raised about the temple will benefit the BJP in the coming days.”

Notably, Congress is willing to take BSP along in the I.N.D.I. alliance. However, other parties in the alliance are not welcoming BSP. Especially, the Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal of Jayant Choudhari are not willing to join hands with the BSP.

OpIndia Exclusive: Who introduced Robert Vadra to CC Thampi? ED’s chargesheet against Sanjay Bhandari mentions Sonia Gandhi link. Read here

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Exclusive: Who introduced Robert Vadra to CC Thampi? ED’s chargesheet against Sanjay Bhandari mentions Sonia Gandhi link. Read here

In its supplementary chargesheet at the PMLA court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has finally established a direct connection between the Gandhi son-in-law Robert Vadra, CC Thampi and arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. In a 84-page chargesheet, the ED has detailed how Robert Vadra was linked to Bhandari through a London property and how Vadra came in contact with CC Thampi, a crucial link in the case.

The chargesheet reveals that it was Sonia Gandhi’s PA, Madhavan, who introduced Vadra to Thampi. Cheruvathur Chakkutty Thampi, a Delhi-based real estate dealer, is the accused no 7 in ED’s PMLA case against Sanjay Bhandari and his associates.

The ED, on the chargesheet submitted on 22nd December to the Special Court, mentions that CC Thampi, who worked for the absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, is a close aide of Robert Vadra – the husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The ED established the link in the supplementary chargesheet filed against CC Thampi and Sumit Chadha (said to be a close relative of Sanjay Bhandari) in a money laundering case. This is the first time that ED has named Vadra in their chargesheet.

Source: ED Chargesheet, obtained by OpIndia

Establishing the role of Sonia Gandhi’s PA in the matter, the charge sheet’s page 43 read, “During the course of investigation in the case, statements of Sh. CCT (CC Thambi) were recorded under Section 50 of PMLA on various dates. In his statement recorded on 19.06.2019, Sh. CCT stated that he knew Sh. Robert Vadra for more than ten years, and he (Sh. Robert Vadra) was initially introduced to him (Sh. CCT) by Mr. Madhavan, P.A. to Smt. Sonia Gandhi.”

PP Madhavan has been Sonia Gandhi’s PA for a long time. In June 2022, he was accused of rape by a Dalit woman. However, Madhavan had stated that the charges against him were baseless.

The ED case against Sanjay Bhandari and its links to the Gandhi family

The Enforcement Directorate has named Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi and husband of Priyanka Gandhi, in a money laundering case linked to CC Thampi and arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. In ED’s supplementary chargesheet, it was established that Thampi was a close associate of Vadra. The connection was revealed through financial transactions, including the renovation of a London property and land deals in Faridabad.

Furthermore, links between Rahul Gandhi and CC Thampi were revealed, and it was suggested that HL Pahwa, reportedly funded by Thampi, was involved in the case. Priyanka Gandhi purchased land from Pahwa at a reduced price. The land was later sold back at an inflated price. The funds for these transactions were reportedly provided by Thampi. Our detailed report on the matter can be checked here. OpIndia had broken the HL Pahwa story and Priyanka Vadra connection back in 2019.

Former MP from Bihar duped of over Rs 35 lakhs by his caretakers, three accused booked

OpIndia Staff
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Former MP from Bihar duped of over Rs 35 lakhs by his caretakers, three accused booked

On Wednesday (27th December), the Delhi Police lodged a case against three persons identified as Aditya Dubey, his father Sunil Dubey, and Manoj Shah for duping a former Member of Parliament for Rs 35 lakh. The complaint has been filed under sections 408, 420, and 120 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. According to the reports, the accused persons were employed as the caretakers of the former MP.

Although the former MP has not been identified, the complaint mentions that he was a former MP and MLA from the Sikta assembly constituency in Bihar’s west Champaran district.

The former MP filed a police complaint against the three in which he mentioned that he recently had bypass surgery and so had employed three attendants to look after his schedules and monetary management.

“Aditya primarily managed my banking affairs and handled other responsibilities in Patna. Manoj used to do manual banking work and other errands, including leasing the farmland for the cultivation of crops while Sunil took care of me,” the former MP mentioned in the complaint.

He stated that on 18th February, he received an SMS regarding a Rs 18,396 transaction. He told cops that his phone was with his security guard, who informed him of the transaction.

“The same message was shown to Aditya but he refused that any such transaction happened. I never used any online payment method, thus it created suspicion. I visited Delhi with my grandnephew Rohit Verma, to visit a bank in Parliament Street to meet the branch manager,” he said in the FIR.

“I asked my grandnephew to register an FIR when he got a call from Aditya Dubey who confessed his crime of making a withdrawal of Rs 1.25 lakh and requested not to pursue an FIR. But he later deleted all the chats,” the FIR read.

He also told police that Manoj was also involved in the case. Aditya and Manoj are said to have misappropriated a total of Rs 35,10,717.

The FIR against three has been filed by the Parliament Street cyber police under sections 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant), 420 (cheating or fraud), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

“Further investigation is underway. Our teams are checking all the documents related to the fraud and the accused will be arrested soon,” a senior police officer stated.

West Bengal: College girl receives love letter on college letterhead with Principal’s signature

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: College girl receives love letter on college letterhead with Principal’s signature

A strange case has emerged from East Burdwan, West Bengal wherein a love proposal written on the letterhead of a college for a girl went viral online. The principal’s signature is also stamped on the letterhead. It is mentioned in the letter that a former student of the college has been long attracted to a fifth-semester student at Gushkhara Mahavidyalaya. However, since the girl is not responding to his romantic advances, he is unable to focus on his studies.

The letter dated 25th December 2023 read, “A fifth-semester student studying in Guskara College is informed that for quite some time an ex-student of our college has developed a soft spot for you, in short, has fallen in love with you. But you are not giving any reply, due to which he is not able to concentrate on his studies. I sincerely request you, please do something so that our student does not face any problems in future, and can study properly.”

The viral letter bearing the seal of the college and principal Sudip Chattopadhyay’s signature sparked an uproar. Subsequently, the principal informed the police about the matter. Moreover, the girl and the accused youth were also called along with their families. According to the local media reports, the accused wrote this letter by scanning an old notice, sealed and signed.

Meanwhile, principal Sudip Chattopadhyay said, “Two female students and an ex-student confessed to us that they were the ones behind the incident. But he did it by forging the seal and signature of the college. They apologized and gave bond. He promised that such an incident would never happen. We have not specifically filed an FIR thinking about their future. However, the entire matter has been reported to the police.”

The girl said that the ex-student sent her this letter over WhatsApp and that she jokingly shared it in her status but deleted it after a while. However, it quickly went viral. The student stated in writing to the college that the college and the principal had nothing to do with this incident. The college letterhead has been altered.

Kick them out: Indonesian protesters storm convention center housing Rohingya refugees in Banda Aceh, demand their deportation

OpIndia Staff
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Kick them out: Indonesian protesters storm convention center housing Rohingya refugees in Banda Aceh, demand their deportation

The campaign against the Rohingya refugees in Indonesia intensified on 27th December when a large number of protesters charged a temporary refugee facility in the Aceh state and pressed for their deportation. A video showed the students, many of whom were sporting the insignias of various universities, running into the building’s basement where large numbers of refugees from the Rohingya ethnic group were present.

The demonstrators were shouting slogans such as “kick them out” and “reject Rohingya in Aceh.” After being driven out of there, 137 refugees were loaded onto two trucks and transported to a new location.

The incident was denounced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) which stated, “Deeply disturbed to see a mob attack on a site sheltering vulnerable refugee families.”

“Hundreds of youngsters stormed a building basement on Wednesday where refugees were sheltered. The mob broke a police cordon and forcibly put 137 refugees on two trucks, and moved them to another location in Banda Aceh. The incident has left refugees shocked and traumatized,” alleged the refugee agency.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia has attributed the current increase in immigration to human trafficking. He confirmed that the interests of the local population would take precedence over those of the refugees and that the government would offer them temporary humanitarian support.

The people of Aceh became irate when hundreds of Rohingya started to arrive on the province’s coast in boats starting mid-November. They first rejected a vessel and then demanded that the migrants be turned back. Some villagers mentioned they had bad encounters with the Rohingya who had arrived earlier and were “troublesome” while others disclosed that supplies were already scarce for the locals.

Subsequently, little demonstrations arose to internet campaigns against the Rohingya in which Indonesians advocated their deportation and accused the refugees of being colonizers, according to recent statements from officials.

Texas: Malfunctioning robot inflicts serious injuries on Tesla engineer ‘leaving a trail of blood’

OpIndia Staff
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Texas: Malfunctioning robot inflicts serious injuries on Tesla engineer ‘leaving a trail of blood’

A robot went rogue at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory in Austin, Texas seriously injuring a software engineer. The robot malfunctioned while the engineer was programming software for robots tasked with cutting car parts from freshly cast aluminium.

The incident dates back to two years ago and was revealed in a 2021 injury report. The robot reportedly pinned the engineer and inflicted wounds on his back and arm by sinking its claws and leaving a trail of blood on the factory floor.

As per the report, while two of the robots were disabled, a third was inadvertently left active leading to the attack. The injured engineer reportedly suffered an open wound on his left hand.

Despite the severity of the incident, the engineer did not take any time off work. The injury report was filed with federal and Travic County health authorities detailed the injuries as a “laceration, cut or open wound.”

Tesla has not given a comment on the matter yet. As per reports, safety lapses have not been uncommon at the facility although no other robot-related injuries have been reported at the Texas factory in 2021 or 2022.

As per reports, injury reports submitted to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration reveal a high injury rate at Giga Texas.

Nearly one in 21 workers have been injured last year. The median injury rate is one of 30 workers in the automotive industry.

As per reports, current and former Tesla workers have alleged that the company often compromises on construction, maintenance and operations. An explosion was also reported in 2022.

DMDK chief Vijayakanth passes away at 71 in Chennai, the actor-politician was getting treatment for pneumonia

OpIndia Staff
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DMDK chief Vijayakanth passes away at 71 in Chennai, the actor-politician was getting treatment for pneumonia

On Thursday (28th December), DMDK (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam) chief, actor-politician Vijayakanth passed away at 71 in MIOT Hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, December 26, for pneumonia.

A statement from the hospital said, “Captain Vijayakanth was on ventilatory support following his admission for pneumonia. Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he passed away in the morning on 28th December 2023.”

According to reports, he also tested positive for COVID-19 after hospitalisation and was kept on ventilatory support. Earlier, Vijayakanth was admitted to the hospital on 20th November as he had serious respiratory issues during the last month. He remained hospitalised for 14 days and came back home on 4th December.

Vijayakanth’s public life has been distinguished by a prolific career in cinema, with roles in 154 films, followed by a transition into politics. Known as “Captain” due to his memorable portrayal of military roles on screen, he carved a niche for himself as a versatile actor with a remarkable career in the Tamil film industry.

In 2005, Vijayakanth entered the political arena by establishing the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). The party marked its electoral debut in the 2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, where it contested independently and secured a considerable number of seats, making a significant impact on the political scene of the state. In the 2011 elections, DMDK joined forces with the AIADMK-led alliance.

Vijayakanth was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly on two occasions, representing Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam constituencies. His political journey reached its zenith when he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016. Recently, concerns about Vijayakanth’s health prompted him to reduce his political involvement.

Rs 5.5 lakhs from Taj Palace Hotel, 1.6 crores from Rishabh Pant: How a conman ‘ex-cricketer’ duped money by posing as IPS officer

OpIndia Staff
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Rs 5.5 lakhs from Taj Palace Hotel, 1.6 crores from Rishabh Pant: How a conman ‘ex-cricketer’ duped money by posing as IPS officer

The Delhi Police arrested a 25-year-old former cricketer Mrinank Singh on Monday (December 25) for allegedly defrauding multiple luxury hotels, including the Taj Palace, of lakhs of rupees. The accused, defrauded the Taj Palace in Delhi of Rs 5.5 lakh in July 2022. He also cheated cricketer Rishabh Pant of Rs 1.6 crore between the years 2020-2021.

Mrinank Singh claimed to have played for the Haryana Under-19 team and the Mumbai Indians in the India Premier League (IPL). Singh, according to police, used to cheat luxury hotels by posing as Karnataka’s Additional Director General of Police, Alok Kumar. According to Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg, Mrinank along with his accomplice was arrested from a club in Panchkula. The identity of the aide has not yet been revealed.

In the recent case, Vijay Singh, a Jalandhar-based travel agent, alleged that the accused, posing as an assistant director general of police, had domestic air tickets and hotel rooms booked for 5.78 lakh. Later, he visited him in Mohali, where he borrowed 50,000 rupees and promised to return it in 15 minutes. Accused Mrinank, however, escaped without returning the money.

How Mrinank Singh duped hotels

According to a complaint filed by the Taj Palace at the Chanakyapuri Police Station in Delhi in July 2022, Mrinank Singh stayed at the hotel for a week in July last year and left without paying his bill of Rs 5,53,362. When asked to pay the bill, Mrinank Singh said that Adidas, who he claimed was his sponsor, would do so.

The hotel staff proceeded to give Mrinank Singh the hotel’s bank details, and he gave them a transaction ID indicating that a payment of Rs 2 lakh had been processed. However, the hotel’s system did not record the transaction.

Mrinank and his manager, Gagan Singh, were called, and the conman informed the hotel personnel that he would send his driver to pay the outstanding amount. However, he did not make the payment, following this, a complaint was lodged against him. 

Police issued a notice to Mrinank’s address during the investigation, but he could not be traced there either. Singh’s father informed the police that he and his family had disowned and expelled Mrinank Singh from their properties since they had no control over him. The authorities were unable to track Mrinank’s whereabouts since he frequently changed it, and his phone was switched off.

The police subsequently issued a non-bailable warrant against Mrinank Singh and a lookout circular was also issued to arrest him in case he tries to flee the country. Mrinank Singh was stopped by Immigration police at Delhi’s IGI Airport on December 25 while attempting to board a flight to Hong Kong.

Mrinank Singh posed as Karnataka ADGP to evade arrest

Mrinank Singh attempted to dupe the immigration authorities during his detention at the IGI Airport. He called senior police officials, posing as Alok Kumar, ADGP Karnataka, and asked for assistance in helping his son Mrinank Singh, who had been “illegally detained” at the IGI Airport. The accused, however, was turned over to the Delhi Police by immigration officers.

Mrinank Singh continually tried to deceive authorities during interrogation, claiming that his “father,” Ashok Kumar Singh, was also an international cricket player who played for the Indian cricket team from the 1980s to the late 1990s. Mrinank Singh reportedly told police that his “father” was a manager for Air India and was posted at IGI Airport.

During the questioning, conman Mrinank Singh admitted to defrauding several luxury resorts and hotels of lakhs of rupees while posing as the Karnataka ADGP. He would also claim to be a player of the Mumbai Indians from 2014 to 2018 and use it to leave hotels without paying the bills. Mrinank Singh’s targets, according to the police, included hotels, bars, restaurants, young girls, cab drivers, small eating outlets, etc.

How Mrinank Singh duped Rishabh Pant of Rs 1.6 crore

Mrinank approached Pant and his manager, Puneet Solanki, in January 2021, claiming to be in the business of buying and selling luxury watches, bags, and jewelry. He claimed to have sold the products to several other cricketers as well.

Pant believed his lies and gave the accused a luxury watch and a few other jewelry items to resell. In return, the accused gave him a 1,63,00,000 cheque in February 2021, which eventually bounced when Pant tried to cash it in.

Objectionable videos of young women, drugs, and obsession with luxury lifestyle

Upon checking the accused Mrinank Singh’s phone, police found that he had known several young female models and had multiple videos and pictures of them, including some that the police described as “highly objectionable.” The police said that by pretending to be an IPL player, Singh used to befriend models and young girls.

Mrinank Singh, according to police, had an obsession with living a luxury lifestyle that included staying in five-star hotels, partying with models and taking photos with them, and flying abroad with his girlfriends. Furthermore, the contents of his phone proved that he used to buy and consume drugs regularly.

Mahadev betting scam: Saurabh Chandrakar under house arrest in Dubai, diplomatic channels activated to facilitate deportation

OpIndia Staff
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Mahadev betting scam: Saurabh Chandrakar under house arrest in Dubai, diplomatic channels activated to facilitate deportation

On Wednesday (27th December), authorities in Dubai reportedly detained Sourabh Chandrakar, the key accused in the Mahadev betting scam case. Chandrakar has been reportedly put under house arrest.

Another prime accused Ravi Uppal has been put in jail. Agencies are working through diplomatic channels to get the accused deported. Reports quoting sources claim that the ED has been informed of Chandrakar’s location in Dubai.

The Enforcement Directorate may reportedly file a new charge sheet in the case. ED is also expected to file a supplementary charge sheet in the case against two people arrested in November from Chhattisgarh including Asim Das, who allegedly couriered cash, and Bheem Yadav, a police constable.

In its first charge sheet, the ED had named Chandrakar and Uppal along with some others. The agency had quoted the statement of Dilip Chandrakar, uncle of Sourabh Chandrakar. As per the statement, before Sourabh went to Dubai in 2019 and ran a juice shop called ‘juice factory’ along with his brother in Bhillai town of Chhattisgarh.

As per the charge sheet, Sourabh got married in a lavish wedding at Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates in February 2023. A whopping Rs 200 crore of cash was spent, private jets were hired to get his relatives from India and celebrities were paid to perform.

About a week ago, Ravi Uppal was detained in Dubai on a red notice issued by Interpol at the behest of ED. Another prime suspect, Deepak Nepali was arrested from Chhattisgarh’s Durg district.

Nepali’s arrested was carried out by the Durg Crime Branch and Vaishali Nagar Police. He was reportedly directly involved in procuring fake IDs for the betting racket. Nepali was absconding for a year.

Nepali was caught when he was trying to jump off the terrace. At least 13 criminal cases are registered against him for loot, abduction, illegal betting and petty crimes.

‘We will be glad to see our friend in Russia’: President Putin invites PM Modi to visit Moscow in 2024

ANI
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‘We will be glad to see our friend in Russia’: President Putin invites PM Modi to visit Moscow in 2024

President Vladimir Putin has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia next year.

“We will be glad to see our friend, Prime Minister Modi in Russia,” Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Kremlin on Wednesday.

During PM Modi’s visit, “We will be able to discuss all the relevant, current issues and talk to the prospects of the Russian and Indian relationship,” Putin added.

Jaishankar also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

During a joint media appearance, Jaishankar expressed confidence that Prime Minister Modi and President Putin would meet for their annual summit next year, highlighting the frequent contact between the two leaders.

The summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President is a key institutional dialogue mechanism in their strategic partnership, with 21 annual summits having taken place alternately in India and Russia.

The most recent summit occurred in New Delhi in December 2021.

Putin mentioned the growing trade turnover between Russia and India, attributing it to increases in crude oil and high technology areas. He noted the steady and higher growth rate in trade turnover for the second consecutive year.

Jaishankar is on a five-day Russia visit from December 25 to 29 as a part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and held discussions on a wide range of global issues including the Indo-Pacific, the Ukraine conflict as well as Gaza.

The meeting resulted in the signing of significant agreements related to the construction of power-generating units at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

The two leaders also discussed progress in economic cooperation, connectivity efforts, military-technical cooperation and people-to-people exchange. Jaishankar noted that ties between India and Russia reflect geopolitical realities, strategic convergence and mutual benefit.

In a post shared on X, Jaishankar stated, “A wide ranging and useful meeting with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. As strategic partners, discussed the international situation and contemporary issues. Exchanged views on Indo-Pacific, the Ukraine conflict, the Gaza situation, Afghanistan and Central Asia, BRICS, SCO, G20 and the UN. Noted the progress in our economic cooperation, energy trade, connectivity efforts, military-technical cooperation and people to people exchanges. Signed Protocol on Consultations for the period 2024-28. India-Russia relations reflect geopolitical realities, strategic convergence and mutual benefit.”

After the meeting, Jaishankar and Lavrov held a joint press conference.

Jaishankar appreciated the India-Russia trade, which is at an all-time high. He said that the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union will resume in January next year.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia.

Despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the relationship between India and Russia has remained robust. India has refrained from explicitly condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine, emphasising the importance of resolving the crisis through diplomatic means and dialogue.

This stance underscores India’s commitment to maintaining bilateral ties with Russia, even amid international concerns over the invasion.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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