Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 23: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has questioned the Union government’s handling of relations with China, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take Parliament and the people into confidence instead of targeting the Opposition.
In a strongly worded post on X, Kharge said, “Enough clean chits to China. PM Modi must come clean before India!” He raised three key concerns relating to national security, economic security and diplomatic accountability.
On national security, Kharge expressed concern over the reported confirmation by the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police of continuing face-offs with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Arunachal Pradesh.
Referring to the earlier confrontations at Doklam and Galwan, he questioned whether another serious confrontation was unfolding along the border. He also cited reports of Chinese incursions near Taksing that emerged in August and pointed out that the confrontations had reportedly continued even 47 days after Corps Commander-level talks held at Wacha–Damai, around 180 km away.
Kharge questioned whether India’s patrolling access had been compromised and reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh was an inseparable part of India. He asked why the government was keeping the country in the dark over such a critical national security issue.
On economic security, the Congress president said Chinese imports into India had increased by 102 per cent since the Galwan clash in the 2020–21 financial year, in which 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives. He claimed that the bilateral trade deficit had widened by 155 per cent to reach USD 112.16 billion.
Kharge also pointed out that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had acknowledged that China continued to obstruct Indian exports.
Despite these concerns, he alleged that the government was easing restrictions on Chinese investments and considering extending Production Linked Incentive (PLI) benefits to eligible China-linked ventures. He questioned whether the ‘Make in India’ initiative had effectively turned into ‘Import from China’.
On diplomatic accountability, Kharge cited the numerous high-level engagements between India and China, including at least 23 reported meetings and interactions between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, 25 rounds of Special Representatives’ talks involving National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and 36 meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs.
He also referred to successive summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS, questioning what tangible outcomes these engagements had delivered.
Kharge sought clarity on whether India’s patrolling rights along the border, as they existed before May 2020, had been fully restored. While expressing complete confidence in the Armed Forces, he said national security demanded genuine accountability rather than diplomatic photo opportunities, which he described as “Hugplomacy”.
The Congress president urged the Prime Minister to stop targeting the Opposition and instead present the full facts before Parliament and the people of India.