Jaishankar serves a reality check to Congress

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar reminded Rahul Gandhi the other day that it was during the Congress regime under Nehru in 1962 that India had lost land to China and not under the current Narendra Modi government. Responding to the Wayanad MP’s dig at him that he should deepen his understanding of international affairs, the Foreign Minister said that while it is possible that he probably needed to learn more, he would certainly not rush to the Chinese Ambassador to seek knowledge. Jaishankar further reminded the audience that the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi has been carrying out a sustained misinformation campaign that India has lost land to China. Does the grand old party need to be reminded that it was during PM Nehru’s time that India had conceded 38,000 square km to China? Is it not true that when Nehru said that “not a blade of grass grows there”, he was pointedly asked whether his head was useless because no hair grew on it? The Congress appears to have been stung by the suave, dignified diplomat- turned Foreign Minister’s sharp riposte. As usual, it resorted to the line of propaganda it has been carrying out against the Narendra Modi government saying that while India fought against China and lost precious land in 1962, between 2020 and 2023, India under PM Modi lost land to China without a fight. The Congress, strangely, is committing itself to a line of propaganda that even the Chinese do not acknowledge. Assuming for a moment that China would not admit to acquiring land that it considers its territory in these skirmishes, no international organization related to strategic and defence affairs has pointed out that India had conceded land to China over the last few years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If anything, international media has recognized the fact that India stood up to Chinese aggression during the Galwan Valley clashes of 2021. Does the Congress realize that by saying that India conceded land without a fight, it is also questioning the valour of our brave soldiers? Would our jawans let PLA troops walk into large tracts of Indian Territory without resisting them? Is this what Congress wants us to believe? To Jaishankar’s pointed accusation that Rahul Gandhi met the Chinese ambassador during the Doklam clashes between Indian troops and PLA soldiers, Jairam Ramesh is believed to have wondered as to what is wrong with a Member of Parliament of India, meeting with the Chinese envoy. This is indeed political naïveté at its worst. It is the timing of Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with the Chinese ambassador which has cast a shadow over the entire matter as pointed out repeatedly by spokesmen of the BJP. Why the national media has been silent on this issue is another matter altogether. There are also multiple unanswered questions on the MoU signed between the Communist Party of China (CCP) and the Congress party inked during the UPA regime. Why is it shrouded in mystery? Why have its contents not been made public to this day, questions the BJP. The grand old party needs to come clean on these matters of grave national importance before it tries to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government on China.