Union Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar said on Saturday that those criticising the government’s handling of the 2017 Doklam crisis had “no knowledge, understanding or IQ” about governance.
Mr. Akbar, while speaking at a function at an educational institute in Mapusa, North Goa, said the silent manner in which the government had handled the crisis was noteworthy.
Mr. Akbar’s comments assume significance in the context of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s comments during an interaction in London, where he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the manner in which the government had handled the Doklam stand-off.
Mr. Akbar, without naming Mr. Gandhi, said, “I seriously do not wish to use any harsh words because it may be inappropriate, but some people who have been talking have clearly proved over and over again that they have no knowledge, no understanding, no IQ of what governance is all about.” He said he wished the critics would not discuss Doklam and “betray their inability to understand our country and its values by words and thoughts that have been fed into their mouth”.
Calling the stand-off between the Indian and Chinese armed forces as one of the most significant events in India’s foreign policy history, he said the two countries had decided to be “mature nations”. “We have differences, of course. Our largest differences are over the borders with China. That differences must not become disputes and disputes must not become confrontations,” he said. Even the most difficult problems can be resolved through diplomatic channels, Mr. Akbar said.
Mr. Akbar also said that Naxal violence had declined. He said, “Look at the impact of Mudra scheme on some of the most important problems we are facing. It is a fact that Naxal violence has come down. Why has it come down? Because the people are seeing development come to their areas, which they have never seen before.”
