The Congress has come down hard on the Centre’s foreign policy, questioning its stance on the prevailing tension along the China borders, and wondering why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been silent on the issue.
Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also said on Twitter: “Why is our Prime Minister silent on China?”
The Modi government’s foreign policy is defined by “the Prime Minister’s search for holiday destinations and photo opportunities”, instead of serving India’s interests, the Congress said in an article on its website, while accusing the Centre of being indifferent towards incursions on the Sino-Indian border.
“Hyperbole and empty rhetoric — this has been the defining feature of Modi’s foreign policy. He believes, falsely, that talking tough in election rallies is the same as being tough on China on the diplomatic front.
“During the 10 years of the UPA government, Manmohan Singh ensured that India balanced her relations with all the major world powers. We ensured that any transgression on the part of China was deftly handled,” the party said.
The article added that the Chinese media had begun making open threats to India after realising that Modi was a “master bluster rather than a man of action”. It alleged that there had been nearly 120 Chinese incursions in the last 45 days. “What has surprised and shocked the nation is the meek response of the Modi government. This is the same Modi whose spin doctors said that he would show ‘Red Eyes’ to China, and they would go running back. The only ‘red’ we have seen is the aggression of China,” it added.
‘What perception?’The Congress also stated that in the face of provocative statements by China, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had “merely said that Chinese intrusions were about perception”.
“Perception? Tell that to our brave jawans who had to resist the Chinese aggression,” the party said.
Indian bunkers have been destroyed and Chinese warships and submarines reportedly spotted in the Indian Ocean, the Congress said.
“China recently halted the passage of religious pilgrims of the Mansarovar Yatra and posted pictures of the destroyed bunkers. In June, 2017, two Chinese Army choppers also violated the Indian air space in Uttarakhand,” the article said further.