The Congress on Sunday demanded a parliamentary debate on the “full gamut” of India-China relations, including strategic and economic policies, following External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent remarks on the border situation in Ladakh.
Congress MP and General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said Parliament must address growing economic dependence on China, even as the border situation remains unresolved.
“This discussion should focus on both strategic and economic policy, especially since our dependence on China has increased economically, even as it unilaterally changed the status quo on our borders over four years back,” Ramesh said in a statement.
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Jaishankar, in his parliamentary address last week, detailed disengagement efforts in friction areas such as the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso. While he noted that temporary measures were implemented to prevent further conflict in other areas, opposition MPs walked out of the session after being denied an opportunity to seek clarifications by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Calling the Modi government’s approach “unfortunate but typical,” the Congress criticised the lack of transparency and accused the government of shifting its position on the border issue.
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Ramesh questioned the government’s handling of the crisis, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 2020 statement that “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai’”.(no one has intruded into our territory).
“Not only was this an insult to our fallen soldiers but it also weakened India’s position in subsequent negotiations. Whatever prompted the PM to make this assertion?” he said.
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The Congress highlighted discrepancies in official statements, including remarks by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who recently reiterated India’s position of restoring the status quo as of April 2020. “These statements taken together suggest that the MEA is accepting a settlement that does not return the LAC to the April 2020 status quo as desired by the Army and the nation,” the party said.
The Congress also questioned why China has not corroborated details about disengagement in areas like Depsang and Demchok, raising doubts about the government’s claims of progress in resolving the 2020 border standoff.