The entire BJP, from party president J.P.Nadda to the spokespersons, is trying to portray Rahul Gandhi as someone close to China but has been unable to come up with the sort of ammunition that the Prime Minister has gifted the Congress against himself.
At a time Beijing has been threatening India’s borders, the Opposition party released two videos that show Modi boasting about his “special relations” with China and its President Xi Jinping.
In one, Modi says: “Cheen ke saath mera niji roop se bhiek vishesh nata hai. Main ussey bahut gehra rishta samajhta hun (I have a special personal bond with China. I consider that a very profound relationship).”
He adds: “Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang stayed at my ancestral village, Vadnagar, and then went to Xian, Xi Jinping’s hometown. Ye bhi badavishshit prakar ka sanket mainsamajhta hun (This also is an exceptional signal, I believe).”
In the other video, Modi says: “Do deshon ke mukhiya — itni aatmeeyata, itni nikatata, itna bhaichara. Ye apne aap mein jo paramparagat roop se vaishwik sambandhon ki charcha hoti hai, ussse plus one hai. Aur ye plus one samajhne ke liye kaiyon ko samay lagega (The heads of two nations — so much emotional connect, such closeness, such brotherhood. This amounts to the traditional understanding of global relations, ‘plus one’. And many people will need time to understand this ‘plus one’).”
In the absence of anything similar against Rahul, the BJP has been flagging Chinese funds for the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rahul’s meetings with China’s President and envoy, although the PM Cares Fund and several trusts linked to the RSS-BJP too are said to have received Chinese funding.
Modi has on several occasions recalled how Xi had himself told him about the famous Chinese traveller’s stay in Modi’s ancestral village, stressing his strong personal bonding with the Chinese President.
Congress leaders flagged these statements and wondered how Nadda and other BJP leaders would have reacted had they found a video of Rahul or Manmohan Singh speaking this language about China.
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh issued a statement saying: “Sometime ago you expressed brotherhood and closeness for President Xi Jinping and described your relationship as ‘plus one’. You said that ‘Xi ne adhyayan karake rakha tha akhir Modi cheez kya hai (Xi had done his homework on Modi)’. Is China’s renewed aggressiveness the result of such a close study? Could it be, as you said in 2013, ‘The problem is not at the border, the problem is in Delhi’?”
Ramesh, who is participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, began his statement saying: “Pradhan Mantriji, Cheen par chuppi todo, Bharat jodo (Break your silence on China, unite India).”
Releasing a new set of questions for the Prime Minister, he said: “1. After two years of a protracted ‘disengagement’ what emboldened the Chinese to try and take over the Indian post in the Yangtse area of Tawang? India has dominated Yangtse since PM Rajiv Gandhi deployed forces there in 1986 during the Sumdorong Chu confrontation. How have the Chinese dared open a new front?”
He added: “There are reports that Chinese intrusions have become bigger and more frequent in the eastern sector. Previous governments had the confidence to take journalists and MPs to the front in 1965, 1971 and Kargil 1999. Even Doklam was discussed in the parliamentary standing committee on defence. What is the Prime Minister hiding from the people of India? Why is he running away from a discussion?”
He asked two more questions: “3. After 16 rounds of military-level talks the Chinese remain ensconced 18km deep in Depsang. Indian patrols are unable to access hundreds of square kilometres of territory in this critical strategic area. What does PM Modi propose to do about this?
“4. Why do critical gaps in our capabilities persist despite a rising China threat? The Indian Air Force chief has stated on record that he is 12 squadrons short of the desired fighter strength of 42 squadrons. While the UPA ordered 6 Scorpene submarines, Project 75I for 6 more submarines faces repeated delays. Army recruitment under the Agnipath Scheme has sharply dropped.”