In the recent clashes at Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), the biggest casualty is Rahul Gandhi’s political image. Serious observers of politics would be dumbfounded imagining the motivation for the Congress scion to indulge in such bizarre acts that undermine his reputation as a leader and serious contender for power.
What happened at Tawang was there for the world to see. Some 300 Chinese troops tried incursion across the LAC in Yangtse of Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh with intention to unilaterally change the status suo. The Indian army, one third of the strength of the Chinese, resisted, beat them up and forced them to pull back.
One was reminded of the Galwan clash of June 2020 where 20 soldiers of the Indian army embraced martyrdom while opposing Chinese aggression and guile in the Galwan valley. The bravery of Colonel Santosh Babu of the Bihar Regiment became a part of the army folklore and the Chinese received double the casualty.
That time, too, Rahul Gandhi had questioned the government version of Galwan and alleged that the government was hiding something. The bravery of our soldiers got overshadowed by the political slugfest.
This time too, Rahul Gandhi has gone on the wrong tangent. He has questioned the bravery of our soldiers and the official version. In trying to push the government on the backfoot, he is undermining the valour of our professional soldiers who work in sub-zero temperatures to keep the Indian flag high.
His version is that the Chinese troops beat up the Indian soldiers. Even China has not claimed this and described the clashes as skirmishes. This leads us to the larger question why is Rahul Gandhi saying something that would embarrass or dampen the spirit of our soldiers and all patriotic Indians and embolden the Chinese. Is he acting at the behest of the Chinese?
People would not forget how determined he was to oppose the acquisition of the Rafael fighter aircraft and the way he tried to weave a narrative of corruption in the deal. When the matter went to the Supreme Court it observed that it did not find anything objectionable. A delay in procurement of Rafale would have meant a weaker India. Today these well-equipped fighter aircraft are deployed to tackle border security.
Rahul Gandhi met two Chinese ministers during his visit to Kailash Mansarovar in 2018. He did not inform anything about this meeting to the government. The Congress had been denying this meeting until he spoke about this at a rally in Bhubaneshwar in 2019. He said he discussed job creation with the Chinese side. Strange that the Chinese ministers come to meet him to discuss job creation. This clearly shows that he has a personal rapport with the Chinese and something more that needs explanation.
There are reports that Rahul Gandhi wanted the Chinese Ambassador to India to give him a ceremonial send-off and the Chinese ambassador had sought permission of the Indian Government for this Mansarovar visit. After all, the Gandhi family members were given ceremonial see off at the airport when they were going to China to be that host country’s official guest during the 2008 Olympics.
Amid border tension between India and China in Dokhlam, Rahul Gandhi had a secret meeting with Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui in July 2017. When caught, Rahul Gandhi justified that he wanted to be informed of the situation: “It is my job to be informed on critical issues,” he said. But the Congress did not answer why it did not take a brief from the government on the issue. Does it not mean that he trusts the Chinese side more than the Indian government?
The special relation with China becomes clearer when we know that the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Foundation (RGF), a Trust run by the Gandhi family, took donation of Rs 1.35 crore from the Chinese embassy. It also took donation of Rs 50 lakh from Dr Zakir Naik, who is a fugitive. The registration of the RGF has been cancelled due to blatant violation of the FCRA.
The relationship between the Chinese and the Gandhi family is not limited to professional relations between leaders of the two countries. At Union Home Minister Amit Shah rightly said, it appears to be personal even at the cost of the nation. Was it this special relation that persuaded Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to sacrifice India’s permanent seat at the UN Security Council to China?
Nehru was influenced by the Leftists and he allowed himself to be misguided by the Left perception that China and India were similarly placed and that the former would not attack India. He was mesmerised by the slogan of “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” and was lulled into complacency of not taking care of the army. When the Chinese backstabbed Nehru and attacked India, our soldiers did not even have proper shoes or weapons to fight the enemy troops.
A few reasons for Rahul’s bizarre statement that seeks to belittle India becomes obvious. It is possible that he is scared of the protein pumped muscle of the Chinese. When you are super-awed by someone you may genuinely believe that your own army is no match. Many commentators of the early generation commit the same mistake while speaking about China. They forget that our army is one of the most professional and the conscript army of the Chinese is no match when it comes to one-to-one fighting on the ground.
The other reason could be the genuine indignation of the Gandhi family members when they are reminded of the crushing defeat India faced in 1962 due to failure of the political leadership to anticipate such a crisis. Even when the UPA was in power, the government looked the other when Chinese incursions happened. It did not take military action.
There was so much frustration at the incompetence of Dr Manmohan Singh government in dealing with the Chinese that ex-defence minister and Samajwadi Party chief the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was supporting the government from outside, could not hold his tongue. Speaking in the Lok Sabha in April 2013, Yadav described China as the “biggest enemy”.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav described China as India’s “biggest enemy.” He warned that China has been occupying Indian territory and said: “This government is cowardly, incompetent and good for nothing.” He was angry that the government was not acting despite everyone knowing about Chinese incursions.
The Gandhi family suffers from insults for being seen as weak. How can the Narendra Modi government act so tough when it comes to defending the borders? Now the army does not need permission to remove encroachers. For the last many years, adequate army is deployed at the borders to take care of any eventuality. Rahul Gandhi wants China to beat India when Modi is at the helm.
In his love or fear of China, Rahul Gandhi is making the Congress a vehicle to browbeat India. The Chinese know fully well that this is Modi’s India and it would not take things lying down. The massive support the Prime Minister enjoys nationally and internationally would not allow any adventurism. So, try to create internal strife, find weaklings and try to undermine the Prime Minister’s authority.
One would really wonder why Rahul Gandhi is doing something that is sure to make him unpopular. Undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra and trying to become spokesperson of China at a time when there is disdain in people for China is inexplicable. Political maturity demands that the leader should know the nerve of his people. In India, the army is held in high esteem and if you speak against the army, you do it at your own peril. It gives you reverse political dividend.
Is it that the Chinese control Rahul Gandhi and the family so much that he cannot dare to speak against China? Clearly this relationship is not normal. This is possible only if the Chinese have one or the other secret of the family that would defame and embarrass it forever. A Russian intelligence officer has written how they used to give cash to certain Indian political leaders and how the leader was so shameless that he or she would ask them to give the suitcase as well. This special love for China or Chinese may prove to be nemesis for the Congress and the Gandhi family members.