The Congress on Thursday urged the Narendra Modi government to deploy all its energies and resources to protect India’s territorial integrity at a time when fresh Chinese incursions have been reported, instead of diverting the nation’s attention by digging up trivia about political rivals.

The BJP has gone into overdrive and targeted the Congress after some news channels pulled out reports of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a charitable organisation helmed by Sonia Gandhi, accepting a donation of Rs 10 lakh from China in 2005-06. The RGF has countless donors, including from Pakistan, and all donations are duly reported in financial statements. Congress leaders laughed away allegations that donations of a few lakh rupees could influence the party’s perspectives and politics.

There have also been media reports about a 2008 deal between the Congress and the Communist Party of China for cooperation and exchange of information.

The Congress leadership is astonished that the government is wasting time and energy in casting aspersions on the relationship the political opponent had with China, wondering if party-to-party contact wasn’t normal the world over and if the BJP was an exception to this politico-social familiarisation.

The Congress leaders recalled how Narendra Modi had walked the extra mile to befriend China, meeting President Xi Jinping 18 times in less than six years, in addition to several RSS-BJP interactions with the Communist Party of China that certainly cannot be categorised as criminal activity in normal times.

Accusing the BJP and the government of using pliable media outlets to execute diversionary ploys, Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “Who diverts attention? One who lies, one who has to hide the truth. The Chinese have made fresh incursions and are fortifying their positions in the Galwan Valley, which will have serious national security ramifications for us. But the government is busy fighting the Congress.”

He pointed out that partisan interests could no longer be important amid the heightened tensions with China which have led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

“The government should ensure the entire country stands behind the army, which is grappling with brazen Chinese aggression at the border. Weaving stories to malign the Congress instead of standing up to China is playing with national interest. We appeal to everybody, including the media, to focus on intrusions by the enemy and hold the government accountable for our territorial integrity,” Surjewala said.

Insisting that national security was the overriding concern now, the Congress spokesperson pointed to the grave situation at the border.

“The place (Patrolling Point 14) where our brave soldiers sacrificed their lives on June 15-16 while pushing the Chinese troops back has been captured again. Security experts, retired generals and the media are reporting that the Chinese have moved in with bulldozers and armoured vehicles and set up tents and bunkers in our territory. Satellite images confirm heavy Chinese presence. We also see that the Chinese army is at the Pangong Tso, Finger 4 to Finger 8, with military equipment. They have constructed roads,” Surjewala said.

Recalling Modi’s claim at Friday’s all-party meeting that there had been no intrusion into Indian territory, Surjewala said: “Why is the Prime Minister trying to contradict this? What is he trying to hide? Why is the Prime Minister demoralising our brave soldiers by making such statements that favour China? The Chinese have come to places like Daulat Beg Oldie road, the Depsang sector. Has the government taken notice of this?”

Senior leader P. Chidambaram tweeted: “Foreign Ministry and PLA of China once again assert their claim to the entire Galwan Valley and demand that India should vacate the Valley. Extraordinary demand! Will BJP-led NDA Government once again reassert India’s claim and demand that ‘status quo ante’ must be restored? Contrary to what the PM said, it is undeniable that the status quo was changed by Chinese troops in April-June 2020. People are watching if the Modi Government will succeed in restoring status quo ante.”

On the BJP’s incisive attacks on the Congress by digging up old party-level connections, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “It is unfortunate that the government has decided to give a clean chit to China and show red eyes to those who are asking valid questions. It is a tradition to make contacts with parties in other countries in… diplomacy. Even the BJP did the same.”

Giving details, Khera said: “A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) came to meet former BJP president Rajnath Singh on January 30, 2007. A key CPC functionary again met Rajnath on October 17, 2008, and it was stated that the purpose was to strengthen party-to-party ties. In January 2009, an RSS-BJP delegation went for a weeklong China visit. On January 19, 2011, the then BJP president, Nitin Gadkari, led a BJP delegation to China.”

Stressing that party-to-party contact was normal, Khera said: “In November 2014, BJP MPs again went to China to learn how the Communists run the ‘party school’. When Modi was Gujarat chief minister, China was one of the two countries to maintain relations with him. The Global Times (newspaper), the CPC mouthpiece, wrote in 2014 that China is more comfortable dealing with Modi, who went there five times after becoming Prime Minister. Even Xi Jinping was hosted by him in India three times. No Chinese President had visited India so many times.”