What is patriotism? It’s not only standing straight when the national anthem is being played, it’s not only hoisting Indian flags on occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day. It is more than that. It is fighting for your country’s respect even when the whole world is against your nation. It is protecting your country from inner enemies as well as outsiders and their propaganda to demean your country.
T S Tirumurti, however, is well aware of what patriotism actually is. He never fails to stand for the rights of his country and the man is back with yet another exemplary response that shut the Dutch Ambassador down as the latter was trying to ‘preach’ India for its stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Stop Patronizing Us”- T S Tirumurti
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti took the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the UK to the cleaners saying that “Kindly don’t patronise us.” When the Dutch envoy attempted to preach to India that the nation should not have abstained in the UN General Assembly on Ukraine, Tirumurti taught him the lesson of his life and stated that New Delhi “knows what to do.”
“Kindly don’t patronise us, Ambassador. We know what to do,” Tirumurti said in response to a tweet by Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Karel van Oosterom.
On Wednesday, Tirumurti delivered a statement at the UN Security Council meeting. Posting the full text of his statement on Twitter, he tweeted, “At the UN Security Council meeting on #Ukraine this afternoon, I made the following statement.”
In response to the tweet, Dutch Ambassador van Oosterom commented that India should not have abstained in the GA. It should Respect the UN Charter.
India abstains in the UN
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24. The military operations occurred three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.
India has abstained on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.
In March, India abstained from the UN General Assembly on a resolution by Ukraine and its allies on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Afterwards, in April, India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a vote moved by the US to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution was moved in the UNHRC over allegations that Russian soldiers killed Ukrainian civilians.
India however believes that there will be no winning side in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The nation has told the UN Security Council that “Diplomacy will be a lasting casualty while underscoring the immediate need to evacuate innocent civilians from areas witnessing intense fighting in Ukraine.”
Speaking at the UNSC briefing on Ukraine on Thursday, Tirumurti said India remains on the side of peace.
Tirumurti said, “Ever since the commencement of the conflict in Ukraine, India has been consistently calling for complete cessation of hostilities and for pursuing the path of dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out.”
He further added, “However, the conflict has resulted in loss of lives and countless miseries for its peoples, particularly for women, children and (the) elderly, with millions becoming homeless and (being) forced to take shelter in neighbouring countries.”
When Dutch queen arrived Pakistan
Ironically, the Netherlands, which now wants India to ditch its diplomatic stand in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, had gone numb when Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Pakistan in 2019 for a three-day visit in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate (UNSGSA) for Inclusive Finance for Development.
The Dutch queen was reportedly welcomed by senior officials of the foreign ministry and representatives of the embassy of the Netherlands at Nur Khan Air Base.
Isn’t it hypocritical that the nation which wants India to support Ukraine on a humanitarian basis couldn’t stop their queen to visit Pakistan, the country that is infamous for sponsoring terrorism? The country that keeps looking for opportunities to destroy India.
T S Tirumurti is a voice for voiceless
While putting forward India’s views on the international day of Islamophobia sponsored by OIC, TS Tirumurti, India’s Ambassador to the UN asked the UN to recognise all forms of religious violence, rather than just one.
Read more: With its stand against the UN’s resolution on Islamophobia, India is giving voice to the voiceless
Asserting that resolution to recognise phobia against one particular religion may lead to divide the UN, Trimurti said, “We hope that the resolution adopted today (Tuesday) does not set a precedent which will lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions and divide the United Nations into religious camps.”
Tirumurti pointed out the pro-Abrahamic bias of the United Nations and said that phobias against religion are not limited to Abrahamic ones. Informing the UN about the anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh violence, Trimurti said, “such (religious) phobias are not restricted to Abrahamic religions only. In fact, there is clear evidence that over decades such religiophobia has, in fact, affected the followers of non-Abrahamic religions as well. This has contributed to the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias.”
Given the above facts, it could be concluded that nations like the Netherlands are hell-bent on portraying India in a bad light. However, India will no longer tolerate such propaganda and retaliate in the best way possible.