In a scathing speech during the resumed Budget session of Parliament on Monday (February 3), Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi raised a strong allegation in the Parliament, stating, “The Prime Minister has denied it and the Army has contradicted the Prime Minister that China is sitting on 4000 sq km of our territory…”
His remarks sparked a sharp response from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who intervened, saying, “You will have to present the evidence of what you are speaking in the House.”
‘We are paying a tax to China’
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition also criticised India’s approach to organising production and its foreign policy. Gandhi highlighted the country’s failure to strengthen its production capabilities, asserting that India has handed over the organisation of production to China.
“Any country basically organises two things, you can organise consumption and then you can organise production. The modern way of saying organising consumption is services. The modern way of saying organising production is manufacturing, but there is more to production than simply manufacturing. We have as a country failed in organising production,” Gandhi said.
He pointed out that while mobile phones may be assembled in India, the majority of the components are made in China, suggesting that India is paying taxes to China despite claims of domestic manufacturing.
“We have excellent companies that try to organise production…essentially what we have done is we have handed over the organisation of production to the Chinese. This mobile phone, even though we are saying we make this mobile phone in India, that is not a fact. This phone is not made in India. This phone is assembled in India. All the components of this phone are made in China…we are paying a tax to China,” Gandhi added.
Kiren Rijiju vs Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks drew an immediate response from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who objected to Gandhi’s comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to US President Donald Trump. Rijiju called the statements “serious and unsubstantial” and emphasised that such remarks regarding the relationship between two countries were unverified.
“Leader of Opposition cannot make such serious unsubstantial statement. This is related to the relation between two countries and he is making an unverified statement about the invitation of the Prime Minister of our country…,” Rijiju said.
Gandhi, responding to Rijiju’s objection, sarcastically apologised, saying, “I apologise for disturbing your peace of mind.”
PM Modi tried but failed with ‘Make in India’ project: Gandhi
“The Prime Minister proposed the ‘Make in India’ program, I think it was a good idea… The result is right in front of you, manufacturing fell from 15.3% of GDP in 2014 to 12.6% of GDP today, which is the lowest share of manufacturing in 60 years,” Rahul Gandhi said.
He added, “I am not blaming the Prime Minister, it would not be fair to say that he did not try. I could say that the Prime Minister tried, but he failed.”
The Congress leader concluded by criticising India’s foreign policy, implying that had the country built its own technological and production capabilities, the American President would have visited India to invite the Prime Minister. His comments reflect ongoing concerns within India regarding its technological and economic standing on the global stage.