External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that he was taking classes on China from the Chinese ambassador.
Speaking on ‘Foreign Policy of Modi Government,’ he said, “I would have offered to take classes on China from Rahul Gandhi but I discovered he was taking classes on China from the Chinese ambassador,” responding to the Congress leader’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s handling of relations with China.
Jaishankar referred to Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with the Chinese ambassador to India during the Doklam crisis. He attacked the government, suggesting that new territory had been lost to China’s salami slicing. “I know everything in politicsis political. I accept that. But I think on certain issues, we have a collective responsibility to at least behave in a way that we do not weaken our (India’s) collective position abroad to do what we have seen in the last three years in China,” Jaishankar said, adding, “often very misleading narratives are put in.” Jaishankar also hit out at misleading narratives and misrepresentations, adding, “We had, for example…a bridge which the Chinese were building on Pangong Tso. Now, the reality was that the particular area first Chinese came in 1959, and then they occupied it in 1962. But that’s not the way it was put across. This happened in the case of some of the so-called model villages as well, that they were built on areas which we lost in 62 or before 62. I do not necessarily attribute political colouring to it. I would like to see is actually a serious China conversation. I’m prepared to accept that there are different viewpoints on that, but if you reduce it to kind of slanging match, what can I say after that?” Speaking about his interaction with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa, he said, “If I have a good guest, I am a good host…” He also dealt with Bhutto’s India media engagement raking several issues barring SCO and said, “Pakistan conducts terrorism and asserts its right to do terrorism…,” pointing out how SAARC has a member – Pakistan that doesn’t “follow basic rules international relations…” supporting terror and blocking connectivity. “Not in our interest to be locked into perpetual hostility with Pakistan, nobody wants that….somewhere we have to draw and stand by our red lines…” said EAM Jaishankar, adding, “if neighbour attacks my city…I dont think it should be business as usual.”
