Jairam Ramesh’s statement comes days after S Jaishankar said some people deliberately spread wrong news about the China issue.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday accused the Centre of not accepting the truth and alleged that since May 2020, the Narendra Modi government’s preferred strategy to deal with the Chinese incursions in Ladakh can be summed up with “DDLJ — Deny, Distract, Lie and Justify”.
Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said in a statement “External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent remarks attacking the Congress party are simply the latest attempt to divert attention from the Modi government’s failed China policy, the most recent revelation being that since May 2020 India has lost access to 26 of 65 patrolling points in Ladakh.”
Ramesh added that the fact is that there is no comparison between 1962, when India went to war with China to defend its territory, and 2020 after which India has acquiesced to Chinese aggression with denials followed by ‘disengagements’ in which India lost access to thousands of square kilometres of territory.
Ramesh’s statement comes days after Jaishankar said some people deliberately spread wrong news about the China issue, knowing it is not true, for politics and by talking about some land, which was taken by China in 1962, they give the impression this happened recently – comments that are viewed as a dig at Rahul Gandhi.
“Sometimes, they talk about some land, which was taken by China in 1962. But they will not tell you the truth. They will give you the impression that this thing happened yesterday,” he had said without taking names. Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue of Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control, alleging that Indian land has been occupied.
Ramesh asked “EAM Jaishankar’s implied cheap shot at Rahul Gandhi for meeting the Chinese ambassador in 2017 is ironic to say the least coming from someone who as ambassador to the US during the Obama administration presumably met with leading Republicans. Are opposition leaders not entitled to meet diplomats from countries that are important from a trade, investment and security standpoint?”