A day after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar slammed Rahul Gandhi for attacking the Modi government on the Galwan valley clash with China, now a senior Congress leader has come forward to say that it is wrong to do politics on the issue. Former union minister Milind Deora has expressed displeasure over the political mud-slinging over the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. While China too has confirmed suffering deaths, they have not disclosed any number, although it is speculated that more than 40 soldiers died in the fight between sides along the LAC in Ladakh that didn’t involve the use of any firearm or explosive.
Milind Deora tweeted, “It’s highly unfortunate that the national discourse surrounding the surge in Chinese transgressions has deteriorated into political mud-slinging. When we should be united in condemning China’s actions & seeking solutions, we are exposing our divisions.”
Although the Congress leader didn’t name anyone, his comments directly hit his own party and his leader, as it is former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and some other Congress leaders who are continuously attacking the union govt over the clash, instead of standing behind the govt which is the norm when faced threats from enemy nations.
This is the second time Deora embarrassed his party in a week. Earlier on Thursday, on the occasion of 45th anniversary of Emergency, he had tweeted, “The Emergency reminds us that democracies, when tested, fight back resiliently. This also applies to political parties. Democratic organisations adapt better & overcome challenges. Democracy is a constant work in progress, requiring commitment, sacrifice & honest introspection.”
In April this year, Milind Deora had publicly disagreed with Rahul Gandhi over fuel price issue. Rahul Gandhi had demanded that govt should pass the benefit of huge fall in crude oil prices to consumers. But Deora had fact-checked him saying that most fall was seen in WTI crude, but India imports Brent crude, prices of which had not fallen that much. He had also said that falling Rupees may offset gains from low oil prices, and as mose vehicles were idle due to the lockdown, consumers won’t benefit even in prices are lowered.
Ever since the clash between Indian and Chinese forces at the Galwan Valley, Rahul Gandhi has been targeting the Modi govt, often with misleading questions and twisting statements govt. In 18th June, he had asked why Indian army was ‘unarmed’, while the fact is that the soldiers of both the sides were armed, but both the sides didn’t use them respecting agreements signed between the two countries during Congress or Congress supported governments in the past. He had also accused that Modi govt has surrendered territory to China, by tweeting that “Narendra Modi Is actually Surender Modi”. This was also a completely wrong accusation, because although China had built a camp on the Indian side along the LAC, Indian soldiers had evicted, which had resulted the deadly clash. PM Modi had said that at present there is no Indian territory under Chinese control, but Rahul Gandhi had twisted that statement also to claim that India has surrendered area to China.
But now it seems many leaders from Congress and its allies are not happy with such attack on the govt on a matter of national security. Yesterday, Sharad Pawar had asked Rahul Gandhi to remember 1962 when Nehru govt had surrendered 45,000 square kilometers of area to China. He added that that Indian soldiers tried to push back Chinese army men when they tried to encroach upon Indian soil, and to say this is the failure of govt or the defence minister isn’t correct. He said that the fact that there was a scuffle means that Indian soldiers were aware of the situation, and they fought back.
