The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday criticized the administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for jeopardizing India’s sovereignty and security in its interactions with China, alongside infringing on the constitutional freedoms of Ladakh’s residents. Kharge voiced the Congress party’s dedication to defending Ladakh and ensuring the nation’s interests along its frontiers are safeguarded.
“The slogan ‘Modi Ki Chinese Guarantee’ resonates strongly in Ladakh, where there’s widespread communal support for granting tribal communities protection under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule. However, the promises under ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ for safeguarding the constitutional rights of Ladakh’s people have turned out to be profoundly deceptive, resembling more a sham with a resemblance to Chinese duplicity,” Kharge remarked on the social media platform X.
These comments surface while environmental advocate Sonam Wangchuk persists in his hunger strike, demanding statehood and constitutional protections for the Union Territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. Wangchuk, an esteemed educational innovator, has been fasting in Leh since March 6, following a stalemate in discussions between representatives from Leh’s Apex body, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and the central government, who were advocating for a four-point agenda.
The Sixth Schedule details the governance of tribal areas within Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram through autonomous district councils. Kharge accused the Modi administration of intending to exploit Ladakh’s environmentally sensitive Himalayan glaciers for the benefit of their “crony allies.”
“Following the Galwan Valley incident and the loss of our 20 soldiers, PM Modi’s exoneration of China has only encouraged the latter’s territorial ambitions at our critical borders. The Modi government is, on one side, endangering our land’s unity and national safety, and on the other, it’s infringing upon the Constitutional Rights of Ladakh’s citizens,” the Congress leader claimed.
Regarding the standoff in eastern Ladakh, Kharge highlighted the failure of the Modi administration to restore the pre-2020 status despite “at least 19 face-to-face negotiations between PM Modi and the Chinese leader since 2014.” He alleged that China still occupies Indian territory in areas such as the Depsang Plains, Hot Springs, and Gogra.
Congress’s Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary in charge of communications, also criticized the government’s stance towards China, posing several questions to the prime minister. “During an all-party meeting concerning China on June 19, 2020, the prime minister insisted that not a single Chinese soldier had invaded Indian territory. Despite this, Chinese troops continue to block our patrols from accessing areas like the strategic Depsang Plains, which were previously accessible without restriction,” he stated on X.
Ramesh highlighted instances of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) abducting Indian nationals within Indian borders, including a 19-year-old from Arunachal Pradesh, Miram Taron, who was held for ten days in 2022. During the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Itanagar, Rahul Gandhi met the family of Tapor Pullom, who has been missing since being kidnapped by the PLA in 2015.
“By publicly clearing China of any wrongdoing, the prime minister has limited his ability to act and revert to the status quo prior to the Chinese incursions. Was the prime minister deceiving the populace at that time? Why hasn’t there been a more forceful response, including counter-incursions to maintain our position and pressure the Chinese into a full withdrawal, as seen in 1986 and 2013?” Ramesh inquired.
He questioned when the government would announce its goal to return to the pre-2020 status quo. Ramesh noted that India’s import share from China was around 11% before 2014, which has since surged, averaging about 15% in recent years. This increase in imports from China, coupled with their rising value, has severely impacted domestic industries.
“For example, approximately 30-35% of India’s stainless steel MSMEs in Gujarat, the prime minister’s home state, were forced to close between July and September 2023 due to a flood of cheaper Chinese imports. Gujarat accounts for 80% of the sector’s MSMEs,” he stated.
“This devastation of a key domestic industry like steel presents not only an economic dilemma amidst Modi’s era of injustice but also poses a threat to national security,” Ramesh argued. He questioned the prime minister’s strategy to protect the country’s domestic sectors from the onslaught of inexpensive Chinese goods.
“Interestingly, several firms based in China or owned by Chinese entities have contributed to Modi’s favored initiative, the PMCARES Fund,” he claimed. Since 2017, the Chinese government has issued at least three batches of Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, Ramesh noted. “In 2023, Chinese authorities provided ‘stapled’ visas to wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh who were traveling to China for the World University Games. The silence from the Modi administration in response to these unprovoked actions raises questions. Why has the Prime Minister engaged in at least 20 meetings with Xi Jinping since assuming office in 2014?” he questioned.
Ramesh also highlighted how China has managed to undermine India’s longstanding relationships with countries like the Maldives. “China has emerged as the Maldives’ largest external creditor, amassing an outstanding debt of about USD 1.37 billion. The Maldives has even begun using Turkish-made military drones with combat capabilities, replacing Indian surveillance assets. What measures is the Prime Minister taking to counteract Chinese interference and preserve India’s strategic interests in its immediate neighborhood?” he queried, urging the Prime Minister to address these concerns publicly.
This critique by Congress leaders underscores a broader concern about India’s geopolitical strategy, particularly in how it manages its relationships with China and safeguards its interests both domestically and regionally. The call for more assertive actions and clear strategies to address these challenges highlights the ongoing debate over India’s position on the global stage, especially in the context of its rivalry with China.