The Congress party on Tuesday (January 28) raised concerns over the Narendra Modi government’s decision to normalise relations with China, citing unresolved issues in the disengagement agreement reached in October last year.
India and China announced several measures to restore ties on Monday, including the resumption of direct flights, the reopening of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and a liberalised visa regime.
These developments followed a vice minister-level meeting in Beijing.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the timing of the move, highlighting the situation in eastern Ladakh. He alleged that China still occupies 2,000 square kilometers of land that was accessible to Indian patrols before May 2020.
"The Modi govt has not yet satisfactorily explained to the country why this is the right time to normalise relations with China," Ramesh said in a statement.
Referring to Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s remarks in October 2024 that restoring the April 2020 status quo was the first step toward disengagement, Ramesh criticized the Ministry of External Affairs for failing to clarify whether that objective had been achieved.
He also highlighted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s December 2024 statement in Parliament, where Jaishankar referred to "temporary and limited measures" at friction points to prevent further conflict.
Ramesh argued that this indicated the creation of buffer zones, suggesting a shift away from India’s previous policy of insisting on a complete restoration of territorial control, as was done in the 1986 Sumdorong Chu and 2013 Depsang confrontations.
Calling the government’s approach "a continuation of pusillanimity," Ramesh recalled Prime Minister Modi’s 2020 statement that “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai (Neither has anyone entered our borders, nor has anyone intruded),”—a claim he said misrepresented the situation.
He further argued that key areas remain inaccessible to Indian troops despite the so-called normalisation, and accused the government of prioritising the interests of corporate allies over national security.
“Even as critical areas appear off-limits to our troops, this so-called normalisation will only amplify the trends whose only beneficiaries appear to be the Prime Minister’s cronies and financiers,” Ramesh added.
Additionally, he raised concerns over India’s growing economic dependence on China, noting that Chinese imports surged from $70 billion in 2018-19 to $102 billion in 2023-24, with further increases expected.
“Even as Indian exports stagnate, China has emerged as the top supplier to critical industrial sectors like electronics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles," he wrote.
In his statement, Ramesh posed six critical questions to the government, demanding clarity on whether Indian patrols could access previously controlled areas in Depsang, Demchok, Pangong Tso, and other disputed points.
India and China announced several measures to restore ties on Monday, including the resumption of direct flights, the reopening of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and a liberalised visa regime.
These developments followed a vice minister-level meeting in Beijing.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the timing of the move, highlighting the situation in eastern Ladakh. He alleged that China still occupies 2,000 square kilometers of land that was accessible to Indian patrols before May 2020.
"The Modi govt has not yet satisfactorily explained to the country why this is the right time to normalise relations with China," Ramesh said in a statement.
Referring to Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s remarks in October 2024 that restoring the April 2020 status quo was the first step toward disengagement, Ramesh criticized the Ministry of External Affairs for failing to clarify whether that objective had been achieved.
He also highlighted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s December 2024 statement in Parliament, where Jaishankar referred to "temporary and limited measures" at friction points to prevent further conflict.
Ramesh argued that this indicated the creation of buffer zones, suggesting a shift away from India’s previous policy of insisting on a complete restoration of territorial control, as was done in the 1986 Sumdorong Chu and 2013 Depsang confrontations.
Calling the government’s approach "a continuation of pusillanimity," Ramesh recalled Prime Minister Modi’s 2020 statement that “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai (Neither has anyone entered our borders, nor has anyone intruded),”—a claim he said misrepresented the situation.
Our statement on the ‘normalisation’ of an extremely abnormal Indo-China relationship. The Modi Government owes the nation answers to six questions pic.twitter.com/WOEXcpCkXu
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 28, 2025
He further argued that key areas remain inaccessible to Indian troops despite the so-called normalisation, and accused the government of prioritising the interests of corporate allies over national security.
“Even as critical areas appear off-limits to our troops, this so-called normalisation will only amplify the trends whose only beneficiaries appear to be the Prime Minister’s cronies and financiers,” Ramesh added.
Additionally, he raised concerns over India’s growing economic dependence on China, noting that Chinese imports surged from $70 billion in 2018-19 to $102 billion in 2023-24, with further increases expected.
“Even as Indian exports stagnate, China has emerged as the top supplier to critical industrial sectors like electronics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles," he wrote.
In his statement, Ramesh posed six critical questions to the government, demanding clarity on whether Indian patrols could access previously controlled areas in Depsang, Demchok, Pangong Tso, and other disputed points.
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