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Politics

‘Make in India Has Failed, China is Inside Our Territory,’ Rahul in Parliament; Remark on Jaishankar’s US Visit Sparks Row

Later in the day, EAM S. Jaishankar refuted Gandhi’s claim, stating that his visit to the US in December 2024 had nothing to do with securing an invitation for PM Modi.

‘Make in India Has Failed, China is Inside Our Territory,’ Rahul in Parliament; Remark on Jaishankar’s US Visit Sparks Row

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha on Monday. Screengrab from a Sansad TV video.

On the third day of the Budget session in Parliament, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi delivered a sharp critique while responding to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Gandhi raised questions about India’s foreign policy, economic performance, and national security under the Modi government.

Gandhi took a swipe at the content of President Droupadi Murmu’s recent address to Parliament, suggesting that it lacked substance and merely reiterated past claims.

"I must say, I struggled through the President's address to maintain my attention on what was being said because I had heard pretty much the same President's address the last time and the time before that. It was the same laundry list of the things that the Govt has done," he remarked.

Addressing the employment crisis, Gandhi admitted that neither the previous UPA government nor the current NDA government had been able to tackle the issue effectively.

“Even though we have grown, we've grown fast, growing slightly slower now but we are growing. A universal problem that we have faced is that we have not been able to tackle the problem of unemployment. Neither the UPA govt nor today's NDA government has given a clear-cut answer to the youth of this country about employment,” he stated.

‘Make in India’ Failure

While acknowledging the potential of Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, Gandhi claimed it had ultimately failed to deliver results.

Gandhi said, “The Prime Minister proposed ‘Make in India’, a good initiative. We saw the statues, functions, and the so-called investors, and the result is right in front of me today.”

“Manufacturing fell from 15.3 per cent of GDP in 2014 to 12.6 per cent of GDP today i.e. the lowest share of manufacturing in 60 years,” he added.

Questioning Modi’s Absence at Trump’s Inauguration

Gandhi also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy, questioning why he was not invited to the inauguration of former US President Donald Trump on January 20.

He alleged that had India possessed a robust production system, there would have been no need for the External Affairs Minister (EAM) to make multiple visits to the US to ‘seek’ an invitation for the Prime Minister.

“When we talk to the USA, we would not send our Foreign Minister multiple times to request an invitation for the Prime Minister to the coronation,” he said.

“Because if we had a production system and if we were working on these technologies, the American President would come here and invite the Prime Minister,” Gandhi added.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had represented India at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Gandhi’s remarks drew a sharp response from the government, with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju calling the statement ‘unsubstantiated’ and ‘misleading.’

“The Leader of Opposition cannot make such serious and unverified claims about diplomatic relations between two nations,” Rijiju countered.

Responding to the objections, Rahul Gandhi quipped, “I apologise for disturbing your peace of mind.”

Later in the day, EAM S. Jaishankar refuted Gandhi’s claim, stating that his visit to the US in December 2024 had nothing to do with securing an invitation for PM Modi.

“Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi deliberately spoke a falsehood about my visit to the US in December 2024. I went to meet the Secretary of State and NSA of the Biden Administration. Also to chair a gathering of our Consuls General. During my stay, the incoming NSA-designate met with me,” Jaishankar posted on social media platform X.

He further clarified that it is a well-established practice that Indian Prime Ministers do not attend such events and are usually represented by special envoys.

China’s Presence in Indian Territory

Rahul Gandhi also targeted the government over its handling of national security, alleging that Chinese forces had intruded into Indian territory. He linked this to the failure of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, asserting that India's economic dependence on China posed a major security risk.

“Our Chief of Army Staff has said the Chinese are inside our territory. This is a fact,” Gandhi stated.

He argued that India’s inability to develop a robust manufacturing sector had resulted in strategic vulnerabilities.

“The reason China is sitting inside this country is because India is refusing to produce, and I am worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again,” he warned.

Gandhi further cautioned that in the event of a conflict, India would be forced to rely on Chinese-made components.

“If and when we fight a war with China, we will be fighting with Chinese electric motors, Chinese batteries and Chinese optics, and we will be buying Chinese motors, Chinese optics and Chinese batteries,” he said, drawing protests from BJP MPs.

Gandhi stressed the importance of India’s partnership with the United States, emphasizing that both countries must collaborate to build a strong industrial base.

“We have a strategic partner called the United States. The partnership should focus on how India and the United States can work together to take advantage of this revolution,” he stated.

Highlighting India’s cost advantage in manufacturing, he argued that the US could not build an industrial system without India.

“The Americans simply cannot do what India can do because their cost structure is much more expensive than ours. We can build things that the Americans would never imagine,” he said.

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