External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a strong address during the Operation Sindoor debate in the Rajya Sabha, despite significant opposition uproar and sloganeering, India Today reported .
He responded directly to Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that Pakistan and China are forming a nexus, emphasising that their alliance stemmed from decisions made during Congress’ time in power.
“Today, sir, people are offering great wisdom on China. In fact, some people have said I am not well-versed on China,” Jaishankar said, responding to Opposition criticism
The minister took a ‘China guru’ jibe at Jairam Ramesh and said it was the UPA government that made China a strategic partner.
“There are ‘China Gurus’. One of them is the member sitting in front of me (Jairam Ramesh), whose affection for China is so great, that he coined the term ‘Chindia’… I may lack knowledge about China because I did not learn about China through the Olympics… Some people gained their knowledge of China during their visit to the Olympics. Let’s not discuss who they met or what they signed,” he said.
He added, “They also took private tuitions at their homes from the Chinese Ambassador… ‘China Gurus’ say that Pakistan and China have close ties… We are aware of it and are tackling it… However, saying that these ties developed overnight, this means they were sleeping during the history class…”.
He also listed several agreements that were inked between China and Pakistan and other developments in the neighbouring countries of India, which involved Beijing during the UPA era.
Jaishankar said that development of the China-operated Hambantota port caused immense harm to Indian interests in marine sector.
He said that Beijing developed ports between 2005 and 2008 around India, and added that when the issue was raised in the Parliament, the UPA government at that time said that it was not a matter of concern.
Jairam Ramesh reportedly coined the term “Chindia” many years ago, and he reaffirmed in 2014 that the concept was aimed at fostering cooperation between India and China.
Speaking to China’s state-run Global Times in 2014, he stated, “Ten years ago, when I proposed the concept of ‘Chindia,’ the whole idea was that India and China could cooperate and work together to face challenges ahead”.
During the Monsoon session, Congress leaders have persistently argued that Pakistan and China were collaborating as a nexus, and they pressed the government on its approach to handling the situation.
While speaking during the Monsoon session of Parliament yesterday (24 July), Rahul claimed that while India thought it was fighting Pakistan, it was, actually fighting China.
“A few days back I said this in the House and they laughed at me. I said that India’s biggest foreign policy challenge has been to keep Pakistan and China separated… But we failed, and they have destroyed the Indian foreign policy. The Indian government thought that they were fighting Pakistan, and when they arrived, they realised that they were fighting Pakistan and China,” he said.
Jaishankar also indirectly attacked Gandhi over his remarks.
“The ‘China Guru’ says China and Pakistan have grown very close, and that’s absolutely true. But why did they come closer? Because we left the land of PoK between them,” Jaishankar said in a veiled attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.