New Delhi, Oct 23: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday lashed out at the weak-kneed policy of the government of India towards China, saying enough clean chits and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean before the country.
In a post on X, Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Enough clean chits to China.
PM Modi must come clean before India.”
Kharge’s remarks came after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director general Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor said on Friday that face-offs with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops were continuing at multiple locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border. The developments follow reports of face-offs in the Taksing area and Corps Commander-level talks held at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point to address tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In his post, Kharge referred to reports of Chinese incursions near Taksing in August and questioned whether India’s patrolling access had been compromised. He also asked whether the confrontations signalled the possibility of another serious border crisis after the Galwan clash in June 2020, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.
“Has India’s patrolling access been compromised? Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India. Why is the nation being kept in the dark?” Kharge questioned.
He said since July, there have been reports of a standoff with Chinese troops in the remote Taksin area of Upper Subansiri district. Asked about this in a press conference in August, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the state of border affairs has ramifications for overall India-China ties, adding that the two sides have agreed to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the border.
He also said that since Galwan sacrifice of 20 Indian Army bravehearts, (FY2020–21), Chinese imports have surged 102 per cent, while India’s trade deficit with China has ballooned 155 per cent to $112.16 billion.
“Even Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman admits China obstructs Indian exports. Yet, the Government is easing Chinese investment restrictions and considering PLI benefits for eligible China-linked ventures. Has Make in India become Import from China?” Kharge asked.
Raising questions on India’s foreign policy, he said, “At least 23 reported Modi–Xi meetings and interactions, 25 Special Representatives’ rounds involving NSA Ajit Doval, 36 WMCC meetings, and successive SCO and BRICS Summits. What tangible results have these engagements delivered? Have India’s pre-May 2020 patrolling rights been fully restored?
“Our Armed Forces have our complete confidence. But National security demands accountability, not diplomatic photo opportunities & Hugplomacy! Instead of attacking the Opposition, PM Modi must take Parliament and the Nation into confidence,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera addressed a press.cknferrnce and said that it was all because the Prime Minister was acting cowardly and had given “clean chit” to China after the Galwan incident, in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred.
Quoting Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Shatrujeet Kapoor, Khera pointed out, China continued to pursue an aggressive and hegemonic approach towards India, with face-offs between Indian and Chinese PLA troops continuing at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border. He said the Modi government could no longer afford to remain silent on such serious issues. He asked what is PM Modi scared of and whether China holds some sensitive information and secrets about him as he is repeatedly compromising on national interests. He pointed out, Modi had visited China four times while being the Gujarat Chief Minister and about five to six times as Prime Minister.
Khera said, India has brave soldiers and is a powerful country, yet Modi is scared of China due to his cowardice. He said, Modi was being repeatedly browbeaten by China and the United States but he had no courage to react and respond.
The Congress leader said that from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, China had been emboldened because of the clean chit Modi gave to the country in the aftermath of the Galwan skirmishes. He reiterated his party’s concern over Indian forces’ restricted access to 26 of the 65 patrolling points which have remained inaccessible for Indian soldiers in Eastern Ladakh and asked the government whether the pre-May 2020 status quo ante had been fully restored.
Khera also questioned the rationale behind the special favours being accorded to China in trade and business. He said, despite India accepting all the terms and conditions put by the Chinese, the trade deficit with China had risen from $99 billion to $112 billion.
Besides, he added, China had been provided special concessions like relaxations in travel and visa norms. “What did we get in return?” he asked the Prime Minister, telling him, “You are being blackmailed every time”.
He also referred to China’s role during Operation Sindoor when it had actively supported Pakistan.
The Congress Rajya Sabha member also noted that despite such huge concessions provided to China, it had restricted or stopped the export of crucial machinery like the Tunnel Boring Machines, which are essential for building infrastructure, to India. He said, similarly China was restricting and blocking the supply of rare earth minerals, fertilisers and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) which are crucial for manufacturing medicines.
Khera also mocked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for comparing his visit to Mumbai to meet Marco Rubio with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s meeting with her Pakistani counterpart in Shimla.
He said Jaishankar didn’t even understand the basic difference between travelling somewhere on being asked by the US Secretary of State and deciding independently to convene a meeting at a place of one’s choosing.
He also recalled Jaishankar’s earlier statement that India could not confront China because the latter had a bigger economy.
“This can be the sentiment of a cowardly government only”, he remarked, adding that India is a powerful country with brave people. “Just because you are a coward doesn’t mean the country is also coward,” he saud.
The Congress leader also took a jibe at Modi’s obsession with the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, likening him to a “toxic lover”.
“He (Modi) just cannot look beyond Congress and Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
Khera said that the government was only concerned about its image and not about the interests of the country. “The fact that China has entered our territory does not bother; what bothers them is that this has been reported,” he noted, remarking that “image is more important for them than the country’s interests”.