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BJP’s JP Nadda, Congress spar over LAC standoff
Ruling BJP chief Nadda hit out at the Congress and the Gandhi family for questioning the government’s stand on June 15 face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, saying “a rejected and ejected dynasty is not equal to the entire opposition”.
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda on Wednesday hit out at the Congress and the Gandhi family for questioning the government’s stand on June 15 face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, saying “a rejected and ejected dynasty is not equal to the entire opposition”.
Nadda called it the opposition’s right to ask questions and added healthy deliberations took place at the all-party meeting over the face-off in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. He added several opposition leaders gave their valuable inputs at the meeting. “They also fully supported the Centre in determining the way ahead. One family was an exception. Any guesses who?” Nadda said in another tweet.
“One ‘royal’ dynasty and their ‘loyal’ courtiers have grand delusions of the opposition being about one dynasty. A dynast throws tantrums and his courtiers peddle that fake narrative. Latest one relates to the opposition asking questions to the government.”
He added “a time rejected and ejected dynasty is NOT equal” to the entire opposition. “One dynasty’s interests are not India’s interests. Today, the nation is united and supportive of our armed forces. This is the time for unity and solidarity. Relaunch of ‘the scion’ for the nth time can wait,” added Nadda.
The reference to relaunch came amid speculation over Rahul Gandhi’s return as the Congress chief a year after he stepped down following his party dismal performance in the 2019 national polls.
“Due to the misadventures of one dynasty: We lost thousands of square kilometers of our land. The Siachen glacier was almost gone. And much more. No wonder India has rejected them,” Nadda tweeted.
The Congress hit back and reminded Nadda of the BJP’s “conduct” as an opposition party until 2014. “BJP should not hide behind the army. The BJP should look back at its conduct when it attacked the government on delicate foreign policy issues during the [Congress-led ] UPA [United Progressive Alliance] rule,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.
He also referred to BJP member Tapir Gao in the Lok Sabha in November 2019 when he claimed that Chinese forces had intruded into Indian territory in his home state of Arunachal Pradesh, and said that the PM should clear up the remarks made by his party colleague. “But the government remained silent on the issue,” Tewari said.
He asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will offer an apology for the BJP’s conduct from 2004 to 2014 as the opposition party and for bringing a no-confidence motion over the India-US civil nuclear deal. Tewari said the BJP also sent a delegation to India-China border when it was in opposition in 2010 following Chinese incursions.
The BJP is taking comfort from the outcome of the June 19 all-party meeting even as the Congress attacked the government over its handling of the border standoff with China.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar spoke about the strategic importance of the Galwan Valley at the meeting. He underlined the need to evacuate the Chinese forces from there.
Other leaders like Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin backed the government’s position on the issue.
Mayawati continues to support the government, while other opposition leaders have not spoken about the standoff since the meeting.
The Congress questioned Modi’s stand and sought to know if there was an intelligence failure over the Chinese build-up along the border. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president, sought an assurance from the government that status quo ante would be restored and China will return to its original positions along the contested border.
The party has rejected as “completely wrong” suggestion that the Congress was isolated at the all-party meeting.
“All parties including the Congress expressed their solidarity with the government and armed forces and said we will stand by the armed forces, the government in the defence of India and the territorial integrity. So, there is no contradiction between Congress and other opposition parties,” Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Saturday.
He said the Congress raised questions because its representative was the first speaker at the meeting. “We have raised a series of questions through the Congress president. Now, succeeding speakers did not raise the same questions... that does not mean that they disagree with those questions or distance themselves from those questions.” He added they also want answers to the same questions. “Do not try to create a division between Congress and other opposition parties.”
