On late Friday, India successfully thwarted a move by China and Pakistan to censure India at the UN Security Council (UNSC) in the wake of revoking Article 370 of its constitution. France and the US unreservedly supported India while China was the only nation that backed Pakistan. The UNSC meeting concluded that India and Pakistan should sort out their differences over Kashmir bilaterally. However, the response of Congress and that of its spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi was rather interesting.
Straying astray from the Congress’ avowed stance vis-a-vis China, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that India should be aggressive and expansive in exposing China’s undemocratic and non human rights oriented policies and practices on global forums.
#Personal #noncong view- its time #India started speaking up at intl fora incl #UN, against #Chinese undemocratic &non human rights oriented policies &practices, both in #Tibet & qua #DalaiLama & also re #Uighurs in #Xingjiang. #China ustands Language of paying back in own coin.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 17, 2019
Asking the Indian government to raise issues of Chinese atrocities and their blatant disregard of democratic and human rights policies on International platforms, Singhvi explicitly mentioned that this is his personal and “Non-Congress” view. He further added that India should highlight the Chinese inequities in Tibet and regarding Uighur in Xinjiang. He claimed that China needs to be responded in the same coin.
One of the interesting facets of this post was Singhvi’s candid admission that his views are in opposition to the opinions held by the Congress party. Despite China overtly manifesting its scant regards for Indian sensitivities, Congress party has avoided accosting the Dragon for its anti-India moves on any global forums.
Historically, Congress and its most revered leader Jawaharlal Nehru’s international policies were directed at striking a bonhomie with the communist nation. India, under the leadership of Nehru, gifted the permanent seat on UNSC granted to it to China. India also lost a considerable area of Jammu and Kashmir, termed as Aksai Chin to China in the disastrous Indo-Sino war in 1962. Far from reciprocating India’s largesse, China refused to even acknowledge it. Congress party had always been accommodative of Chinese sensitivities and studiously avoided confronting China on its fallacies.
In fact, the Congress party has relied on China’s peremptory advances to slam its political rivals. A few months back, with the aim to undermine PM Modi, the Congress party Twitter handle had shared an offensive video disparaging their political rival PM Narendra Modi. In the video, Congress derided the nation and PM Modi while unduly lionising Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and holding him on a high pedestal.
Earlier, in 2018, while on his visit to Kailash Mansarovar, then Congress President Rahul Gandhi had secret meetings with Chinese leaders without informing the democratically elected government of the day. China claims Arunachal Pradesh to be their territory, their forces regularly intrude into the Indian side of the border. Therefore, any unpublished meeting with the Chinese government by Indian politicians is a cause of massive concern and grave implications for the sovereignty of the country.
Yesterday, after China called an informal UNSC session to discuss the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress said that it is a grave diplomatic failure on the part of the Indian government for allowing the internationalisation of the Kashmir issue.
“This is a grave diplomatic failure of the government to allow internationalisation of the Kashmir issue,” Congress spokesperson @DrAMSinghvi told reporters here.#DHPoliticalTheatre | #Kashmir https://t.co/TLKrZ4WRfJ
— Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) August 16, 2019
Even as Congress slammed the government on its failures, criticism of China was conspicuously absent from its press conference. The fact that Singhvi had to clearly mention in no uncertain terms that taking China head-on is his personal opinion and not of Congress speaks volume of the party’s stand with regards to China.
AM Singhvi’s latest remarks wittingly or unwittingly reveal Congress’ modus operandi with regards to China. When in power, behave obsequiously to the Dragon and go to an extra mile to humour their demands. While being in the opposition, conspire with them to undermine the government of the day. This is perhaps the plausible reason why Congress finds no merit in attacking China on the international forums. Congress’ avenues of scoring political brownie points against the opposition are rapidly shrinking. By advocating exposé of China in the global arena, Congress doesn’t want to shutter one more avenue.
