Jalandhar, December 26

As part of their ongoing plan to gherao leader of the BJP, members of the BKU (Rajewal) gheraod the residences of BJP leader and singer Hans Raj Hans and party leader KD Bhandari here on Saturday.

While the protest on Friday led to a standoff between the police and protesters due to barricades put outside the house of Manoranjan Kalia – no barricades were put to obstruct farmers today who held a peaceful protest outside the BJP leaders’ residences. The farmers forced closure a Reliance godown at the Pathankot Chowk on Saturday. While goods were being brought to the godown, which was officially declared closed, famers stopped all activity at the godown. Carrying flags and posters, farmers went across in files outside the leaders’ residences raising slogans against the Central government. — TNS

http://

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, December 26

A group of 12 persons, including farmers and members of their families, reached Karnal on Saturday after walking more than 200 km from Anandpur Sahib. They had started their journey seven days ago.

Their destination is the Singhu border, about 100 km from here. They said they wanted to be part of the massive agitation launched by farmers against the new farm laws. “We had started on December 20 from Anandpur Sahib. The single-point agenda is to get the three laws repealed. These laws will ruin small and marginal farmers,” said Dilbag Singh, a farmer who is leading the group.

Sunita, who is part of the group, said: “Thousands of our brothers, sisters, elders and children are protesting across the country. We will protest in support of our brethren.”

Ajit Pal Singh, another farmer, criticised the Centre for ignoring the demand of farmers. He added it would take them seven more days to reach Singhu. In high spirits, they march on.

AD also condemns Punjab BJP for calling Punjab farmers ‘urban naxals’

http://

Tribune News Service
Jhajjar, December 27

A lawyer from Fazilka poisoned himself at the Tikri border, a site of the ongoing farmers’ protests, sources said on Sunday—at least the third such incident to be reported in the last two weeks.

Sources said the victim, Amarjit Singh from Jalalabad, was immediately taken to Rohtak’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, where he died.

A suicide note found in his pocket was addressed to  “Modi, The Dictator”. The note said he was offering himself as “sacrifice” in support of the protests. The typewritten letter is dated December 18 and bears the advocate’s signature.

“The General Public of India has given you absolute majority, power and faith for saving and prospering their life,” the letter read. “But with great sorrow and pains, I have to write that you have become the Prime Minister of special groups like Ambani and Adani etc. The common people like farmers and labourers are feeling defrauded by your three agriculture black bills and the worst life is inevitable. The public is on tracks (sic) and roads not for votes but for the livelihood of their families and generations. In order to feed some capitalists you have destroyed the common people and agriculture which is the backbone of India.”

“Kindly do not snatch the bread and butter (Roti) of farmers, labourers and common people for a few capitalists and do not compel them to eat sulphos (read: celphos, a fumigant). Socially you have betrayed the public and politically you have betrayed your associate parties like SAD.”

“Listen, the voice of the people is the voice of God,” the letter said. “It is said that you wish for sacrifices like Godhra and I also offer my sacrifice in sport (support) of this wordwide agigation for the shaking of your deaf and dumb conscious (conscience),” the letter said.

Jaspreet Singh, a protesting farmer from Jalalabad, said Amarjit Singh had been staying at a camp in his neighbourhood near Pakoda Chowk in Bahadurgarh for a fortnight before his death.

“In the morning, a farmer informed me over the phone that Amarjit had consumed some poisonous substance. We rushed him to Civil Hospital in Bahadurgarh from where Amarjit was referred to PGIMS Rohtak following his critical condition where he succumbed,” said Singh.

Jhajjar’s Civil Surgeon Dr Sanjay Dahiya said Amarjeet Singh was brought to the civil hospital in Bahadurgarh in the morning, and was then taken to PGMIS in critical condition.

At least two other such incidents reported in the past two weeks.

A 65-year-old farmer tried to kill himself at the Singhu border—another prominent site of the ongoing protests—on December 21. A prominent head priest of a gurdwara in Karnal shot himself dead at the protests last week. His suicide note attributed his action to the ongoing farmer protests. The letter said he could not bear to see the plight of protesting farmers.

A 22-year-old farmer who was part of the protests killed himself in Bathinda’s Dayalpura Mirza village a few days after the incident. In this case, the reason for the act remains unknown.

Farmers mainly Punjab and Haryana have been protesting three controversial farm laws Parliament passed in September. Farmers primarily fear that the laws would render the APMC, or the mandi system, weakened and would leave them open to exploitation. Another objection is the clause that allows contract farming, which they say could lead to losing their lands to big corporations. Centre disputes both claims.

Farmers laid siege to Delhi in November—they blocked national highways leading into Delhi and have since refused to budge. Their numbers have continued to swell since, as farmers from across the country began joining the protests. Talks with the central government have so far yielded no results, with both parties sticking to their guns—farmers want a complete repeal of the laws and another legislation to promise a minimum support price, while the central government has offered several “concessions” short of rescinding the laws.

Farmers’ unions meanwhile claim that the central government has been trying to malign the movement by calling them variously as “Khalistanis” and “urban naxals”. The central government meanwhile accuses opposition and what they claim are vested political interests of misleading protesters.

http://

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that people should to remember the sacrifices made by Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri and the four “Sahibzadas”.

In his last ‘Mann ki Baat’ address of the year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to several revered Sikh personalities, including sons of Guru Gobind Singh, saying their sacrifices helped keep our culture safe.

“We pay tributes to the brave Chaar Sahibzaade, we remember Mata Gujri, we recall the greatness of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. We remain indebted to these greats for their sacrifices and their spirit of compassion,” he said.

He also spoke of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it taught the country hard lessons.

“It was challenging,” Modi said, “but taught people resilience. This resilience had its source from the inner resource strength of ‘Aatam Nirbhar’,” he said.

His remarks that come as Modi’s government grapples with an ongoing farmers’ protest that comprise, in large part, of Sikh farmers.

The prime minister and has government has been trying to mollify protesters and has been trying to reach out to the Sikh community in particular since the protests escalated in November.

PTI reported that the IRCTC sent out nearly two crore emails between December 8 and December 12 to its customers listing 13 decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the Sikh community, amidst farmers’ protest against the Centre’s three farm laws.

Read also: 

Protesting farmers clang ‘thalis’, ask PM Modi to Listen to their ‘Mann ki Baat’ too

PM, ministers should sleep on floor till farmers out in cold: Bittu

Punjab 2020: State’s farmers lay siege to Delhi’s borders

Additionally, the prime minister’s recent visit to Delhi’s Gurdwara Rakabganj amid a standoff with farmers also drew attention from the press.

Farmers mainly Punjab and Haryana have been protesting three controversial farm laws Parliament passed in September. Farmers primarily fear that the laws would render the APMC, or the mandi system, weakened and would leave them open to exploitation. Another objection is the clause that allows contract farming, which they say could lead to losing their lands to big corporations. Centre disputes both claims.

Farmers laid siege to Delhi in November—they blocked national highways leading into Delhi and have since refused to budge. Their numbers have continued to swell since, as farmers from across the country began joining the protests. Talks with the central government have so far yielded no results, with both parties sticking to their guns—farmers want a complete repeal of the laws and another legislation to promise a minimum support price, while the central government has offered several “concessions” short of rescinding the laws.

Farmers’ unions meanwhile claim that the central government has been trying to malign the movement by calling them variously as “Khalistanis” and “urban naxals”. The central government meanwhile accuses opposition and what they claim are vested political interests of misleading protesters.

Given the ongoing India-China standoff on the LAC, there has been speculation on the significance of the change of guard. Who is Gen Zhang, and what does his appointment mean?

Former DA Beijing & AMU Prof, Maj Gen (Dr) GG Dwivedi reviews the situation in wake of the change of PLA Theater Cdr opposite India & assesses him to be a rising star, who, although new to Tibet, will have enough time to settle down. However, the author expects the LAC impasse to continue, even as the new incumbent may spare no efforts to prove his worth. _In absence of any credible inputs in public domain, little else can be extrapolated

Members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) march during a flag raising ceremony at an open day at the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks in Hong Kong, China, on Sunday, June 30, 2019. (Bloomberg Photo: Eduardo Leal)

On December 18, 2020, President Xi Jinping as the Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) promoted four officers to the rank of General, including General Zhang Xudong, the new Commander, Western Theatre Command (WTC). Gen Zhang has replaced Gen Zhao Zongqi who superannuated on attaining the retiring age of 65.

The WTC is a very important Theatre strategically, being the largest of the five Theatre Commands. Its area of responsibility includes China’s two sensitive states, namely Tibet and Xinjiang, besides the complete border with India. The WTC was created by amalgamating the erstwhile Chengdu and Lanzhou Military Regions as a sequel to the process of ‘theaterization’, part of the pathbreaking military reforms initiated by President Xi since 2013.

Given the ongoing standoff and tense situation on the LAC in the Ladakh Sector for the last seven months, there has been speculation on the significance of the change of guard, particularly with respect to the profile of the new incumbent, the timing of the turnover, impact on the operational situation, and prospects of breakthrough in the deadlocked negotiations.

The new incumbentWhile General Zhao, a 1979 Vietnam War veteran served mostly in Tibet (including command of Tibet Military District and Group Army), General Zhang apparently has no previous experience in the Western Theatre. He commanded 79 Corps in the Northern Theatre opposite the Russian border in 2017-18, and is believed to be a mechanised warfare expert.

General Zhang also served as Deputy Commander of the Central Theatre Command, which is responsible for the security of the Chinese capital Beijing. He was also the Deputy Commander of the mega ceremonial Parade held in 2019 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

 Gen Zhang

Given the fast-track promotions during the last few years, and the fact that he has assumed command of the strategically important WTC at a comparatively young age of 58, Gen Zhang must be seen as a rising star, and well up with the CMC. Whereas Gen Zhao is a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the apex body that elects members to the all-powerful Politburo and CMC, Gen Zhang is not. However, it is customary for all senior military officers to be members of the CPC, as the People’s Liberation Army is the army of the Chinese Communist Party.

THE EXPERTMaj Gen (Dr) GG Dwivedi is a veteran of the 1971 War; he has commanded Battalions in Siachen-Chushul, and formations on the LOC/LAC; and has served as Defence Attaché China and North Korea

The timing of change

Gen Zhao had taken over the WTC in 2016, and is believed to have been the brain behind the Doklam standoff in 2017. Although due to retire towards the middle of this year, he was given an extension in view of the situation on the LAC. The timing of the turnover has been planned with due deliberation, as no major operations are expected during winter. Gen Zhang will, therefore, get adequate time to settle down in his new job.

An Expert Explains |The PLA and its relationship with China’s Communist Party

Impact on LAC situation

As the PLA’s operations in Ladakh are being overseen directly by the CMC, no tangible change is likely on the prevailing situation on the ground. Also, all the other commanders in the WTC, including the Political Commissar Gen Wu, Commander Ground Forces Lt Gen Xu Qiling, Commander PLA Air Force Lt Gen Wang Qiang, and Commander South Xinjiang Military Region (SXMR) Maj Gen Liu Lin, whose troops are involved in the current incursions, remain the same.

Even with regard to the talks on the disengagement and de-escalation process, no breakthrough is expected in the near future, as the PLA continues to insist on the Indian Army pulling back from the Kailash Range first, even while the Chinese remain unwilling to discuss the Depsang Sub Sector where they have gained significant advantage.

Maj Gen Liu Lin, who represents the WTC at the Corps Commander-level talks, had taken over the SXMR in 2019 after serving as its Chief of Staff. He is well versed with both the operational dimensions and the complexities of the disengagement process. Therefore, the current state of impasse is expected to continue.

The command tenures in the PLA generally vary from three to four years and even beyond, which enables the commanders to make effective contributions in enhancing the combat readiness of their units and formations. As Theatre commanders in the PLA report directly to the CMC, Gen Zhang would have been assigned a very clear mission and tasks to be achieved over the next couple of years.

President Xi as the Commander-in-Chief has given a clarion call to the PLA to be on a par with the US Army by 2027. In the coming year, the CPC will be celebrating its centenary, which will be followed by the crucial 20th Party Congress in 2022. As the General Secretary of the CPC, Xi will be required to showcase his achievements.

As the Commander of WTC, Gen Zhang will therefore have his task cut out, and he can be expected to spare no effort to prove himself. The Indian Armed Forces will have to continuously enhance their operational preparedness, besides working towards remaining fully geared to effectively respond to any future challenge and eventuality.