The Congress party has acted in quite a partisan manner during the ongoing conflict with China in Ladakh. At every turn, they attempted to undermine the position of the Indian government and the situation turned so dire, that the father of one of the soldiers who was injured during the clash at Galwan valley had to come forward and beg the Congress party to not play politics at this juncture.
That did not have too much of an impact on Rahul Gandhi as he continued on his merry run of politicking. However, certain disturbing details about the Congress party have gained great attention during these troubling times. It has now come to light that the Congress party signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Communist Party.
On the 7th of August, 2008, the Congress party and the Chinese Communist Party signed a deal to ensure the exchange of high level information and cooperation between them. On behalf of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi signed the agreement and for the CCP, it was none other than Xi Jinping who put his signature on the agreement.
The MoU provided the two parties with the “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”. It is something that is completely unheard of and utterly bizarre. How could a political party of one country sign an agreement for cooperation and exchange of information with a political party of an enemy country?
Let alone an enemy country, such a deal between the political parties of any country would be extremely inappropriate if not downright treasonous. And worse, the conduct of Rahul Gandhi during recent conflicts between India and China have been very suspicious. For instance, his secret meeting with Chinese officials during the Doklam standoff can no longer be viewed in isolation. It has to be viewed keeping in mind that there was an MoU in place between the Congress party and China.
If it was bizarre enough that a major political party in India had an agreement in place with an autocratic regime that happens to be India’s enemy, it would be utterly inconceivable if we were told that such problematic relationships did not exist with only one country. However, as it turns, that is exactly the case as OpIndia reported recently.
Recently, Anand Sharma of the Congress party attended the launch of an ‘anti-racism campaign’ organised by the African National Congress (ANC), the governing party in South Africa. From the coverage of the event, it was quite obvious that the matter at hand was more internal rather than a global alliance against racism. The campaign was also criticised in South African media itself.
During his address, Anand Sharma went so far as to call the ANC a fraternal party of the Indian National Congress. He also called for Indians to stand up for justice and human rights, which was a bit perplexing considering the fact that the campaign was launched in light of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Police in the US of A.
The Congress party could not escape by saying that Anand Sharma attended the event in his individual capacity as he repeatedly invoked the INC during his address. However, there is a more significant reason why the Congress cannot do so. As it turns out, the Congress party had also signed an MoU with the ANC.
And the buck does not stop there. The Congress party was also accused of funding the ANC’s election campaign as far back as in 2009. Among others accused of the same was the Chinese Communist Party. It is pertinent to note that these allegations were made merely a year after the Congress party signed MoUs with both, the CCP and the ANC.
Thus, one is forced to ask here, what was the precise agreement that was signed between INC and ANC? And if the allegations of INC helping the ANC with money for campaigning are true, did the MoU involve pledging support for the party during elections in South Africa? And if the answers are in the affirmative, as it could very well be, is the MoU that was signed between the Congress party and CCP of a similar nature? Such questions have to be answered.
There are other problematic aspects to the affair as well. For instance, when Prime Minister Modi visited South Africa in 2016, a large portion of the ANC and several Islamic organisations had protested against his visit. Were these protests with the obvious support of certain factions within the INC a return on investment the Indian National Congress had made earlier? It cannot be ruled out.
It is also pertinent to note that the Congress party was not involved in such shady dealings with only the ANC and the CCP. During the UPA regime, there were literally individuals associated with foreign funded NGOs, who as part of the extra-constitutional National Advisory Council, were drafting laws for India.
One NAC member was Harsh Mander whose links with the Italian Secret Service have been exposed by OpIndia recently. The same person is also closely associated with George Soros, who declared a war upon nationalism and nationalists, including Prime Minister Modi. Others in NAC included individuals associated with dubious organisations such as Oxfam.
Harsh Mander is not the only individual linked to the Congress party who is closely associated with George Soros. Shivshankar Menon, who served as the National Security Advisor (NSA) of India from January 2010 to May 2014 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Crisis Group along with George Soros.
Thus, we see that the Congress party has a history of associating itself not only with individuals linked to dubious foreign agents but also with the political entities of other countries vying for political power. It is quite unprecedented. It begs the question, what purpose does it serve the Congress party in signing an MoU with the ANC and the CCP?
Furthermore, the only loyalty that any Indian political party should feel is towards Indian citizens. Can Indians trust a party to place their interests above all else when the Congress party goes around signing MoUs with the CCP and other political parties around the world? Can Indians be certain that the Congress party will prioritise the interests of its citizens over the its obligations to the CCP and other foreign entities?
From a national security perspective, the Indian government must investigate whether such agreements involved meddling in Indian elections by foreign elements. These are questions that the Congress party will struggle to answer in the coming days. And as unfortunate as it may appear, the Congress party could very well have undermined national sovereignty in the past and might do so again in the future.
