WASHINGTON : Slamming President Donald Trump for his comment on India’s air pollution, former vice president and Democratic Party’s presidential nominee Joe Biden on Saturday said he and his running mate Kamala Harris deeply value America’s partnership with India.
“President Trump called India ‘filthy’. It’s not how you talk about friends and it’s not how you solve global challenges like climate change,” Biden said in a tweet, two days after Trump during a presidential debate accused China, India and Russia of not taking care of their “filthy” air.
“Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy,” Trump had said during the final presidential debate with Biden in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday.
“Kamala Harris and I deeply value our partnership and will put respect back at the centre of our foreign policy,” Biden said in a tweet Saturday as he retweeted his op-ed in the latest issue of ethnic India West weekly.
“The Obama-Biden years were some of the best we’ve ever had between our two countries. A Biden-Harris administration will build on that great progress and do even more. We can and should be natural allies,” Biden wrote in the op-ed.
“That’s why if elected President, I will continue what I have long called for: The US and India will stand together against terrorism in all its forms and work together to promote a region of peace and stability where neither China nor any other country threatens its neighbours,” he said.
“We’ll open markets and grow the middle class in both the United States and India, and confront other international challenges together, like climate change, global health, transnational terrorism and nuclear proliferation,” said Biden. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said India wants peace along its border with China. He made the statement after performing “Shastra Puja” – the customary worship of weapons – at Sukna War Memorial in Sikkim’s Darjeeling, on the occasion of Dussehra today.
He was accompanied by army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, besides other officers and jawans.
“India’s brave soldiers have sacrificed their lives (for India’s safety). We want that the Indo-China border tension should end and peace should be preserved. But unpleasant incidents keep happening. However, I am confident that our soldiers will not let anyone take even an inch of our land… History will remember the courage of Indian soldiers,” Rajnath Singh said after the ceremony.
He worshiped weapons, equipment and armoured vehicles as a priest chanted prayers in Sanskrit.
The “Shastra Puja” near the Line of Actual Control or LAC with China comes amid the standoff with the neighbouring country in eastern Ladakh. A tense confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers also took place in north Sikkim in early May.
The Defence Minister – on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim to review the preparedness of the forces along with the army chief – also inaugurated the Alternate Alignment Gangtok-Nathula Road via video conferencing from the Sukna-based headquarters of 33 Corps, which guards the de-facto border with China in the Sikkim sector.
On Saturday, Mr Singh reviewed the combat preparedness of the Indian Army at Sukna, officials said. The Defence Minister and the army chief were also briefed about the situation along the border in Sikkim sector.
The army has significantly strengthened its troops and weaponry along the nearly 3,500 km-long border with China, including Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors, given that tension in Ladakh has shown no sign of easing. The standoff continues despite several rounds of high-level talks, taking Indo-China ties to a new low.
Mr Singh has been performing Shastra Puja on Dussehra for the last several years including during his tenure as the Union Home Minister in the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

NAGPUR: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said India needs to grow bigger than China in terms of shakti and vypati (power and scope), adding the world knows that country’s expansionist designs.
Mr Bhagwat was speaking at the RSS’s annual Vijayadashami rally, which this time was limited to an indoor event attended by 50 swayamsevaks (volunteers) due to COVID-19 guidelines.
The RSS chief said India needs to be militarily better prepared against China. Many countries are now standing up to China, he said.
“China was shocked at India’s response to its intrusion. India needs to grow bigger in power and scope than China,” he said. “China encroached on our borders amid the pandemic,” he said, adding the world knows the expansionist nature of that country. He cited Taiwan and Vietnam as examples of the Chinese expansion plans.
“We intend to be friendly with all. This is our nature. But mistaking our benevolence for weakness and attempts to disintegrate or weaken us by sheer brute force is unacceptable. Our detractors must know this by now,” he said.
Mr Bhagwat said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is not against any particular religious community, adding “some people misled our Muslim brothers” claiming it was aimed at restricting their population.
Before the issue could be discussed further, the focus shifted on coronavirus, he said. “The communal flare in minds of a few people stayed in their minds only. Coronavirus overshadowed all other topics,” he added.
“We need not fear coronavirus, but should be alert and cautious. We cannot stop living. Coronavirus is spreading but fatalities are less. Due to the pandemic, we have started learning the importance of hygiene, cleanliness, environment, family values all over again,” he said.
“Coronavirus has given rise to challenges of unemployment. Many lost jobs and labourers are now returning to cities. But the jobs may not be there. The challenge is to create employment opportunities in different places,” he said.
Mr Bhagwat said before the pandemic, several issues which were in the public discourse took a backseat.
“Article 370 was abrogated, the country accepted the Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple with patience and understanding,” he said.
“There was opposition to CAA claiming it was being used to check the Muslim population in the country. In fact, no Indian citizen was threatened due to CAA. Before any step could be taken to resolve the issue, the coronavirus pandemic happened,” he said. —PTI