'Non-Official' Talks With Taliban In Sync with Indian Policy: Centre

Agencies

November 10, 2018

New Delhi, Nov 10: India on Friday made it clear that its participation at a multi-lateral conference on Afghanistan in Moscow in a 'non-official' capacity was in sync with its Afghanistan policy, asserting that it was not talking to the Taliban.

India sent two former diplomats to the meeting Russia hosted on Friday for peace in Afghanistan which was attended by representatives from several countries and the Taliban.

Replying to questions on why India sent representatives to the meeting, although in "non-official" capacity, when the Taliban was participating in it, foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India will be part of any peace process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

"We will participate in any process which is consistent with the policy we have for Afghanistan... It was decided by the government that our participation will be at non-official level," he said.

"Where did we say that there will be talks with Taliban. We did not say that," he said, to a question on participation of Taliban in the meeting.

The conference organised by Russia was attended by representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries including the US, Pakistan and China.

"In our policy on Afghanistan which we have articulated and which has been consistent for quite some time that we will be supportive of any process in Afghanistan is a party to the process," said Mr Kumar.

Initially, the meeting was proposed for September 4 but it was called off after the Afghan government pulled out of it. India had also declined an invitation to the meeting then.

Official sources said India sent Amar Sinha and TCA Raghavan as non-official participants for Friday's meeting. While Mr Sinha served as India's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mr Raghvan was a former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, invitations to take part in the event had been sent to Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, Pakistan, the US and some other countries. India has been actively engaged in reconstruction activities in war-ravaged Afghanistan and has already spent USD 2 billion in various projects there.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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