Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday told a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that the Narendra Modi government ‘gravely mishandled the border situation with China that has resulted in a full-blown crisis and is attributable to the wrong policies of the government’.
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While former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the border crisis could lead to a serious situation if not tackled firmly, former party chief Rahul Gandhi said it was a ‘complete and total failure of diplomacy’ and accused Mr. Modi of ‘demolishing institutional structures of diplomacy’.
After starting the proceedings with two-minutes silence and homage to Colonel B Santosh Babu and the 19 jawans who were killed in the violent face-off with the Chinese troops last week, the CWC adopted three separate resolutions: the face-off with China, the Centre ‘abandoning’ the States in handling COVID-19 cases and the ‘ extortionate increases in petrol and diesel prices ’.
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Ms Gandhi said India had been hit by a terrible economic crisis, a pandemic of huge proportions and full-blown crisis on the borders with China and the cumulative effect of “widespread misery, fear, and danger to the security and territorial integrity of the country”.
“Mature diplomacy and decisive leadership should inform the Modi government’s actions in protecting India’s territorial integrity”, she stated.
The Prime Minister was “called out” when he announced that no one had intruded into Indian territory in Ladakh, she observed.
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In a strong criticism of the government’s handling of COVID-19, she said the “mismanagement of the pandemic will be recorded as one of the most disastrous failures of the Modi government”.
Speaking about the Galwan incident in her opening remarks, she said, “The undeniable fact is that since April-May, 2020 till date, Chinese troops have committed brazen transgressions into our territory in Pangong Tso Lake area and the Galwan Valley, Ladakh. True to its character, the government is in denial”.
“The Congress party was the first to offer its total support to the armed forces and the government. However, there is a growing feeling among people that the government has gravely mishandled the situation. The future is yet to unfold but we hope that mature diplomacy and decisive leadership will inform the government’s actions in protecting our territorial integrity,” she said and added that peace and the restoration of the status quo ante should be guiding principles.
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Rahul’s charge
Targeting Mr. Modi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi said, “The established institutional structure of diplomacy has been demolished by the PM. Our relations with our once friendly neighbours lie in tatters. Our time tested relationship with our traditional allies has been interrupted”.
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“China has brazenly occupied our territory. The PM has destroyed our position and betrayed our army by accepting their position that they occupied no Indian land. The Chinese can’t be permitted to get away with this unacceptable usurpation of our land”, he asserted, adding that everything needed to be done to ensure that “sacrifice of our martyrs is not in vain”.
On the COVID pandemic, the CWC accused the Centre of abandoning its responsibilities and leaving the State governments to fend for themselves.
At the CWC, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, backed by others, is learnt to have pitched for Mr. Rahul Gandhi to take over as party chief again. But at the party’s official press conference, the party denied that it was discussed.
While party leader R.P.N. Singh is learnt to have cautioned colleagues that criticism against Mr. Modi should not be construed as an attack on the institution of the Prime Minister’s Office, party Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande raised the issue of poaching of the Congress MLAs.
Leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the party should find out why the UPA allies have not come out strongly against the Centre and suggested that it should now hit the streets against the Modi government.
