Congress' Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi For Giving Clean Chit To China After Galwan Clash

New Delhi : On the fourth anniversary of the clashes that began between Indian and Chinese troops at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, Congress' RS MP Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a clean chit to China and insulting the fallen soldiers.

In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said, "Today is the fourth anniversary of the clashes that began between Indian and Chinese troops at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. These culminated in the fatal engagement in Galwan on 15 June 2020 in which 20 of our brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. The PM's clean chit to China four days later - when he said "Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai" - was a profound insult to our fallen soldiers and became the legitimisation of Chinese control over 2,000 square kilometres of land in eastern Ladakh."

Ramesh also said that despite 21 rounds of military talks over four years, the situation remains unfavourable. He added, "Leh's Superintendent of Police has clearly shown that our troops were unable to reach 26 out of 65 patrolling points that they could access prior to 5 May 2020."

Jairam Ramesh highlighted five points in his post and said, "Chinese forces continue to block Indian access in the strategic Depsang Plains in five locations (Patrolling Points 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13); three critical patrolling points in Demchok also remain out of bounds for Indian soldiers; in Pangong Tso, our troops can no longer go beyond Finger 4 when earlier they could go as far as Finger 8; Indian nomads are no longer able to access Helmet Top, Mukpa Re, Rezang La, Rinchen La, Table Top and Gurung Hill in Chushul; and in the Gogra-Hot Springs area, our nomads can no longer access Patrolling Points 15, 16 and 17."

Ramesh also pointed out that China's aggressive build-up and intrusions are not restricted to Ladakh but also along Arunachal Pradesh, where China continues to build forces and infrastructure that pose a direct threat to India's Siliguri Corridor, which connects northeast India with the rest of the country. He said, "The Modi government has overseen the destabilisation of Manipur and other parts of the northeast, playing directly into the hands of the Chinese."

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramesh said, "This sorry situation is a complete indictment of the PM's gullibility and naivete regarding China. As CM of Gujarat, Modi was lavishly hosted by China three times. As PM, he made five official trips to China and held 18 meetings with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, including a friendly jhoola session on the banks of the Sabarmati on the PM's 64th birthday."

Ramesh also talked about how India's economic dependency on China increased even as the northern neighbour takes a more aggressive approach towards India.

"Chinese exports to India shot up from $70 billion in 2018-19 to a record $101 billion in 2023-24, while Indian exports to China stagnated at $16 billion. China is the top supplier to critical industrial sectors like electronics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles. India's MSMEs continue to suffer under the joint onslaught of demonetisation, GST and cheap Chinese imports," Ramesh said.

He also talked about how China strengthened its ties with neighbours like Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. "Its strategic ties with Pakistan and the Maldives have only strengthened, with the Maldives announcing the removal of all Indian military personnel and the purchase of advanced Turkish drones. In Sri Lanka, where successive Indian governments worked to keep foreign powers out, China has signed a 99-year lease on Hambantota Port. There is tremendous Chinese pressure on Bhutan to agree to a border settlement that is favourable to China, even as its hold on Doklam grows stronger despite hollow claims of "victory" in 2017."

Ramesh ended his post by questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asking if the PM still believes in the 19 June 2020 statement of "Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai"?

Ramesh added further, "Has your government surrendered to Chinese control over thousands of square kilometres in Depsang and Demchok for the foreseeable future or are you still trying to return to the status quo ante before 5 May 2020; has anyone been held accountable for India's biggest strategic and intelligence lapse in several decades; When will you take responsibility for the abysmal failure of your China policy?"