India s Prime Minister Narendra Modi touches a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in tribute to him during an official visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 8, 2016 [Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]
Branding Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as “Mahatma” (great-souled) and marketing him to global audiences as an undisputed and all-inclusive icon of non-violent resistance was perhaps the most successful propaganda campaign ever carried out by the Indian state.
Thus any attempt to critically challenge Gandhi’s legacy, even when it takes place in an obscure small town in America, causes much controversy in India and beyond.
On the morning of January 27, a statue of Gandhi was found vandalised in the town of Davis, in the north of the US state of California. It was not immediately clear who sawed the bronze statue off its base and for what purpose, but the condemnations started flowing in right away.
India among 97 nations to offer condolences
By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
Dignitaries and friends from 97 nations have offered their condolences to Taiwan following the deadly train crash in Hualien County on Friday last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that a message from India was significant.
As of noon yesterday, 846 government officials, lawmakers, academics or group representatives from 97 nations had offered their condolences to the families of the victims of the train crash, the ministry said.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Saturday last week wrote on Twitter: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives in the railway accident in Taiwan. Our deepest condolences to the families. And our prayers for the early recovery of the injured.”
Social media statements show improving Taiwan-India relations: MOFA focustaiwan.tw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from focustaiwan.tw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
India Expresses Grief at 50 People s Death in Taiwan Rail Crash
This is the first time that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson has mentioned Taiwan in a standalone statement.
A crane lifts the wreckage of a truck which was hit by the train a day after the deadly train derailment at a tunnel north of Hualien, Taiwan April 3, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Ann Wang
Diplomacy04/Apr/2021
New Delhi:Â India expressed grief on Saturday over the death of around 50 people in a train accident in Taiwan that is said to be the country’s deadliest rail crash in decades.
India also conveyed condolences to the families of the victims. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, thanking India for this “genuinely friendly gesture”.