New Delhi, January 13
Holding the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in dock over hosting the members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at its party headquarters, the Congress today said that the country has a right to know what transpired during these closed-door meetings. The party noted that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government has pursued a policy of “meek surrender” towards China, accusing it of rank hypocrisy and silence that, it said, has muddled India’s foreign policy and compromised national interest.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here today, Chairman, Media and Publicity (Communications Department), Pawan Khera said the BJP’s repeated claims of showing “Laal Aankh” to China had effectively turned into “Laal Salaam” to the CPC. He alleged that India’s strategic interests, territorial integrity and sovereignty have been severely undermined under the Modi government.
Referring to the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed, Khera alleged that the Prime Minister’s subsequent remarks amounted to giving China a “clean chit”, which emboldened Beijing’s expansionist posture. He said China had militarily backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, a fact acknowledged by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh, yet the Modi government was now proposing to lift restrictions on Chinese companies. He further alleged that despite China deploying HQ-9 air defence systems and supplying Pakistan with PL-15 missiles aimed at India, the government agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on Chinese terms.
The senior Congress leader criticised the Prime Minister’s silence after claims by the Chinese Foreign Minister, similar to assertions made earlier by US President Donald Trump, that China had intervened to “stop the war” between India and Pakistan. Khera alleged that China’s ban on exports of specialised fertilisers to India and its blocking of Indian companies’ access to critical rare earth minerals were directly hurting Indian farmers and industry, even as the government continued issuing tourism visas to Chinese nationals. He also flagged China’s attempts to intrude into the Siliguri Corridor via South Doklam, and alleged that the government remained “asleep at the wheel”.
Raising sovereignty concerns, Khera said China continues to claim the Shaksgam Valley as its own, depicts Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory in its official maps, renames Indian locations, and builds military infrastructure – including bridges, airstrips and villages – near the Line of Actual Control.
Khera also cited China’s military build-up in eastern Ladakh, creation of buffer zones without restoration of the pre-May 2020 status quo, construction of bridges in Pangong Tso, and a growing trade deficit with China, all of which he said had been ignored by the Modi government. Expressing concern over China’s proposed mega dam on the Brahmaputra, Khera called it a serious threat to India’s water security and the ecology of the North East. He criticised the government for failing to take the nation into confidence by not discussing China in Parliament, despite repeated infringements on India’s territorial integrity.
Alleging policy contradictions, Khera said that while the BJP and RSS publicly call for a boycott of Chinese goods, the government procured smart meters in Jammu & Kashmir from blacklisted Chinese companies, diluted app bans, granted land to Chinese firms, and accepted funds linked to Chinese companies through PM CARES.
Exposing BJP’s double standards on China, Pawan Khera further pointed to at least 12 documented interactions between BJP leaders and CPC officials since 2008, questioning the lack of transparency regarding the agenda and outcomes of these meetings. He asked whether issues such as repeated Chinese transgressions, restoration of the status quo ante in Ladakh, the widening trade imbalance, Chinese ban on specialised fertilisers and rare earth minerals, detention of Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh, and China’s role in assisting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor were ever raised during these interactions.
The Indian National Congress demanded full accountability and complete transparency from the government on its China policy, including public disclosure of the agenda, minutes and outcomes of all closed-door meetings between representatives of the Communist Party of China and BJP/RSS functionaries.
