BJP hits back at Sam Pitroda’s statement on China, accuses Congress of 'soft corner' | WATCH

Following Indian Overseas Congress Chief Sam Pitroda’s statement suggesting that China should not be considered an enemy, the BJP has strongly criticised the Congress Party, accusing it of having a “soft corner” for China. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari took to the media, stating that the Congress Party, along with its leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, had been acting as “agents” for China.

Bhandari referred to a purported secret Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2008 between the Communist Party of China and the Congress Party, a claim which remains unverified by the Congress. He also pointed to past incidents, such as Rahul Gandhi's alleged meetings with China’s ambassador during the Doklam crisis, to substantiate his allegations. "The secret MOU of 2008, which took place between the Communist Party of China and the Congress Party, that secret MOU has not yet been organised by the Congress Party. At the time of Doklam, Rahul Gandhi was secretly meeting China's ambassador...," Bhandari said.

Bhandari further accused Rahul Gandhi of excessively focusing on China in his speeches, citing an instance where Gandhi mentioned China 34 times in a speech in Parliament, while not mentioning India nearly as often. “He mentioned China 34 times in his parliament speech, he has not mentioned India that many times,” he remarked, questioning the Congress leader's priorities.

In reaction to Pitroda’s recent remarks, Bhandari suggested that the statement revealed Congress's ongoing affinity towards China. He contended, “Sam Pitroda's statement clarifies that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party have a soft corner for China.”

What did Sam Pitroda say:

Congress veteran and Rahul Gandhi's close aide Sam Pitroda has said the threat from China is often blown out of proportion, and it is time to recognise and respect that country.  

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda was categorical in his take on India-China relations saying that there is a need to change India's mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy.

He said that India's approach has been confrontational from the beginning. "Our attitude is that of confrontation from day one, and that attitude creates enemies, and that creates certain support in the country. I think we need to change that pattern to assume that China is the enemy from day one. It is not just to China, but to everyone..."

"I don't know what is the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has the habit of defining an enemy," he said.

The Congress leader said the time has come for all nations to come together. "I think the time has come for all of us to learn, increase communication, collaborate, operate and co-create and not have this command and control mindset. China is around... China is growing .. you know you got to recognise that and respect that ... Every other country is going to grow, some will grow faster, some will grow slower. Those who are very poor have to grow faster, those who are well-accomplished and developed will have slower growth. Those who are developed will also have an ageing population, while those who are developing will have a young population. We will have to look at all these things together," he said.

Pitroda’s remarks come amid heightened discussions surrounding the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which included discussions on India-China border tensions.

During their joint press conference on February 13, Trump offered to help mediate the ongoing India-China tensions, signalling a willingness for the US to play a role in de-escalating the situation.

India swiftly dismissed Trump's offer to mediate in its border dispute with China.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India has maintained a bilateral approach in handling its disputes, including those with China. "Whatever issues we have with any of our neighbours, we have always adopted a bilateral approach to dealing with these issues. It's no different between India and China. We have been discussing any issues that we have with them on a bilateral plane, and we will continue to do so," he said.
IANS inputs