Raising questions about Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s perceived intimacy with the Chinese establishment, the BJP today pointed out that Rahul Gandhi has left for China with the Chinese ambassador to accompany him.
“If he really wanted to know the Indian perspective on Doklam he should have asked the minister of MEA or approached the NSA or talked to the foreign secretary. But he wanted to know the Chinese perspective that is why he met the Chinese ambassador’’ BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said while addressing the media.
Rahul Gandhi has left for China via Nepal. Rahul ji has an obsession for China. Why is it that Mr. Gandhi always wants to get a Chinese view on everything but does not want to have an Indian perspective? Which politicians will he meet there? : Sambit Patra,BJP pic.twitter.com/8c2Un2QssC
— ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2018
This comes close on the heels of Rahul’s Mansarovar Yatra, in which the BJP alleges Gandhi wanted to have a ceremonial send-off by China. BJP states that the same was conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs.
BJP hits out by stating that Rahul has always been keen on seeking the Chinese perspective about everything and that is why “he is obsessed about China’’ and alleges collusion between the Chinese establishment and Rahul Gandhi. Patra added, “We all know how Rahul Gandhi met Chinese embassy officials in Delhi.” After initially denying the meeting, Congress got around to admitting it after the Chinese embassy website issued the official statement confirming the meeting between Rahul Gandhi and the Chinese envoy. Later, Rahul Gandhi said that his job is ‘to be informed’ of critical issues. Amusingly, despite being ‘informed’, Rahul Gandhi recently confessed that he does not ‘have details’ about the Doklam issue to say how he would have handled it differently.
Technically, this is rather unusual more so because Rahul Gandhi does not hold any constitutional position and for a member of parliament such ‘official send-off’ or ‘ceremonial send-off’ is rare would be an understatement. The fact that the Chinese ambassador sent in an official request to the Government of India for the same is indicative of the unusual nature of relationship Rahul seems to have with the Chinese.
The allegation is not completely baseless, if one looks back to the previous months of this year, Rahul Gandhi has time and time again tried to initiate extra-governmental talks with the Chinese. In January this year, Rahul met with a Chinese Communist Party delegation led by Mr Meng Xiangfeng, a member of the CPC central committee.
He met the Chinese envoy after the Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui said in an interview that there was “no scope for compromise” and that for any dialogue to commence, India must pull back its soldiers. Delhi has ignored that warning, as also several threats in Chinese state-run media of India exposing itself to a “humiliating” defeat like the 1962 war.
If the main reason for such tier-1 talks is the bilateral exchange of information then why did Rahul tried to maintain secrecy every time he met with Chinese officials? This sudden praise of China and the reciprocation from China in the form of this official send-off is a cause of concern. This extra-governmental approach of Rahul Gandhi could very well undermine India’s position not only in front of China but also globally. For petty politics, sacrificing national security is detrimental, and it’s time Rahul Gandhi is questioned, vociferously.
