New Delhi, Sep 13: The Congress on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning his government’s approach to bilateral ties and also the “mismatch” in walking the talk on matters pertaining to the neighbouring Asian giant.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a detailed press note, accused the Modi government of ‘calibrated capitulation’ before China.

Ramesh, also the Congress in-charge of Communications, questioned PM Modi’s 2020 remarks on India-China border skirmishes and claimed that India had given up traditional patrolling and grazing rights in parts of eastern Ladakh to China.

He asked whether the Prime Minister’s June 19, 2020 remarks that no one had entered Indian territory had weakened India’s negotiating position following the Galwan Valley clashes.

He also raised concerns over China’s purported territorial advances in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

“There have been reports of Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh, including loss of India’s access to patrolling points and fresh standoffs. China’s posture on Arunachal Pradesh has only hardened: renaming towns, reasserting claims to what it calls “South Tibet”, and pushing ahead with its 60,000-MW Medog mega-dam on the Brahmaputra’s Great Bend, a project that gives it a stranglehold over the water security of our entire northeast,” the Congress leader claimed.

Ramesh’s remarks come a day after PM Modi conveyed to the Chinese President that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains an ‘essential component’ of building better ties between the two nations.

The Congress leader further questioned the Modi govt over a “softening of position” onChina’s alleged backing of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and asked whether this was part of a strategy to change the atmospherics before hosting the Chinese President.

“On July 4, 2025, Lt. General Rahul Singh, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, had publicly spoken of the military establishment’s assessment of the deep and pivotal role of China in assisting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. But all of a sudden, on August 25, 2026, the former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan took a completely different position in a lecture at the VIF – with which the National Security Adviser has himself been closely associated,” the Congress leader contended.

Ramesh also came down on the government over India’s rising trade deficit with China.

“Why have you allowed the trade deficit with China to reach record levels? India’s trade deficit with China hit a record $112.6 billion in 2025/26, destroying large sections of our industry, especially MSMEs. The dependence on China for critical raw materials, manufacturing components and intermediates has reached dangerous levels,” he stated while also asking the government about its roadmap for bringing about a change in this unacceptable situation.

Hyderabad, Sep 13: A court in Telangana’s Secunderabad has sent former army NCO Upputholla Mallesh to police custody for seven days in connection with the theft of firearms and ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment’s armoury in Bolarum.

Police will take the accused into custody on Monday for further interrogation in the sensational case, sources said on Sunday.

The investigators will grill Mallesh further on the basis of information provided by him during the preliminary questioning after his arrest.

Mallesh, 37, had allegedly committed the theft on the intervening night of August 30 and 31. The police had announced the arrest of Mallesh on September 11. The same day, he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days and lodged at Chanchalguda Central Prison.

Telangana Police will also share details to be gathered during the questioning with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Army authorities for further investigation.

Telangana Director General of Police C. V. Anand had stated at the press conference on Friday that prima facie, Mallesh acted alone in committing the offence. He, however, had said that police were continuing the investigation into the possible role of others.

During police custody, investigators are likely to elicit information from Mallesh if he was helped by anyone in committing the offence and if he handed over weapons to others for hiding.

The DGP had announced that the entire cache of arms and ammunition stolen from Kote & Magazine of 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment was recovered.

Bollarum police, along with Hyderabad Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri Commissionerate, had arrested Mallesh in a joint operation.

The intention behind the theft preliminarily appears to be disgruntlement out of early retirement from service, the DGP had said.

Hailing from Nagarkurnool district, Mallesh joined the Indian Army in 2010 and worked for 16 years before retirement from service on June 30, 2026, on the grounds of indiscipline

and poor health.

After thorough investigation, police had zeroed in on Mallesh, a native of Jangareddypalle village of Nagarkurnool district who was staying with family at Balajinagar in Secunderabad Cantonment. His movements since August 27 and on the day of the offence were suspicious and did not match what he was saying.

Investigations revealed that on August 27, 28 and 29, he had gone to the area on a recce of the arms depository. On the night of August 30, he broke the lock of the arms and ammunition stores and carried the stolen cache on his bike and later transported the same in his car to Nagarkurnool district, where he hid it near his house.

The stolen arms and ammunition included four AK-203 assault rifles along with five magazines, an INSAS rifle with three magazines, six 9 mm pistols along with 12 magazines, one civil 6.35-bore pistol along with a magazine, one passive night-vision binocular, 1,156 rounds of ammunition of 9mm pistol, 720 rounds of AK-203 ammunition, 11 ball, 5 tracer and 20 blank rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition.

New Delhi, Sep 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit here on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, President El-Sisi and PM Modi joined leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, outreach invitees and heads of international organisations for a family photo in New Delhi.

PM Modi welcomed the leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping as they arrived for the second day of the BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Sunday.

President El-Sisi, several leaders and representatives of nations attended the gala dinner hosted by PM Modi for BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday evening.

On Saturday, the leaders of 11 BRICS member countries unanimously adopted the ‘New Delhi Declaration’. The declaration commended India for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the 18th BRICS Summit, asserting that India’s chairship has injected “new impetus” to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity.

The leaders of BRICS countries reaffirmed their commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus.

India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting PM Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First.”

BRICS comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The partner countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

President El-Sisi arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. He was warmly received at the airport by the Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Sanjay Seth.

“Warmly welcome the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He was received by MoS Sanjay Seth at the airport. India and Egypt share deep bonds of friendship, as we work together to build a stronger BRICS partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on X.