New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of praising China in Parliament more than the country's own spokespersons. Rijiju demanded that Gandhi apologize for the Indian territory lost to China in 1959 and 1962, during the tenure of his grandfather and then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
During a debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, Gandhi made remarks concerning China, India's foreign relations with the U.S., and last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections. Rijiju criticized Gandhi for making these statements and leaving the House without substantiating them.
"The leader of opposition praised China more than its own government representatives. I have never heard such admiration for China in Parliament before," Rijiju remarked. He urged the chair to take appropriate action if Gandhi failed to authenticate his claims.
Rijiju further argued that if Gandhi were allowed to make such remarks without consequences, it would set a precedent for future leaders of the opposition. "If we let Rahul Gandhi go unchecked, tomorrow any other opposition leader will feel entitled to do the same. He must either verify his statements or face action from the chair," he asserted.
The minister also reminded the House that China's territorial incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh occurred under the Congress regime. "Rahul Gandhi must apologize because his grandfather was in power when China occupied our land in 1959 and 1962," Rijiju stated.
BJP Leaders Criticize Congress Over Past China Policy
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also took aim at the Congress, alleging that Nehru had ignored military warnings about China before signing the Panchsheel Agreement. "Top Army officers had cautioned Nehru that China would attack India after signing the Panchsheel pact, but he dismissed their concerns in this very Parliament," Dubey claimed.
He further pointed out that subsequent Congress prime ministers, including Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, engaged in multiple rounds of border talks with China between 1981 and 1989, which ultimately failed. "Why did they hold eight rounds of talks if China had not occupied Indian territory during Nehru’s tenure?" Dubey questioned.
Dubey credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for recent progress in resolving the border dispute, citing External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that Indian and Chinese forces had retreated to the Line of Actual Control. He also accused the Congress of having undisclosed agreements with China.
"If Prime Minister Modi successfully resolves the issue with China, all of your concerns will disappear. But no one knows what deal the Congress has made with the Chinese Communist Party," Dubey alleged.
Opposition Criticized for Undermining Modi’s Foreign Policy
Dubey also dismissed Gandhi’s claim that Jaishankar visited the U.S. seeking an invitation for Modi to attend former President Donald Trump’s inauguration. "The White House itself clarified that Trump had invited Modi, not the other way around," he countered.
Highlighting electoral reforms, Dubey criticized the Congress for appointing former Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill as a sports minister after his retirement. He praised the Modi government for instituting a transparent process for appointing the CEC in consultation with the opposition leader.
As political tensions continue to rise, the BJP remains firm in its stance that Congress must take accountability for past territorial losses and foreign policy missteps, while the opposition challenges the government’s current approach to national security and international relations.
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