New Delhi: India has decided to go ahead with the Republic Day celebrations without a chief guest this year with a truncated parade for the first time in last five decades. This comes after United Kingdom Prime Minister Borris Johnson cancelled his decision to visit India in the wake of the new mutant strain of the virus.
Ministry of External Affairs said that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, India will not have a foreign head as R-Day chief guest.
"Due to global COVID-19 situation, it was decided not to have a foreign head of state or head of government as R-Day chief guest," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
It is to be mentioned that the last time the R-Day did not have chief guest was in 1952, 1953 and 1966.
Last year, India had invited UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade later this month. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who visited India in December, had announced that Johnson has accepted the invitation to visit India.
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However, on January 5, Johnson cancelled his planned trip to India, stating that it was important for him to remain in the UK to focus on the domestic response to Covid-19, in the wake of a more contagious variant of the virus.
"The PM spoke to Prime Minister Modi this morning to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned," the spokesperson said.
The cancellation of the visit was announced a day after Johnson imposed the third lockdown in the country amid rising coronavirus infections.
Talking about India China face-off, "India and China continue to maintain close communication through diplomatic and military channels with the objective of ensuring complete disengagement in all friction points along the LAC in the western sector and for full restoration of peace and tranquillity.The latest round of WMCC was held on 18 December 2020. The two sides have agreed to hold a next round of Senior Commanders meeting, and are in constant communication through diplomatic and military channels in this regard."
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With ANI inputs
