‘Drooling over China and dismissive about India’: EAM Jaishankar slams Rahul

By PTI

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his feedback referring to China throughout his current go to to the UK, saying he’s troubled to see the Congress chief “drooling over” China whereas being dismissive about India.

Jaishankar’s feedback in an interactive session on the India Today conclave got here days after Gandhi focused the External Affairs Minister and the federal government on their method to coping with challenges from China.

Referring to feedback made on the conclave by US-based writer Michael Pillsbury, the minister stated “When Panda huggers tried to be China hawks, it does not fly.” In his remarks, Pillsbury had referred to some “Panda huggers” within the US.

“I also, like many others, followed some of what Rahul Gandhi said when he was in the UK. Obviously, a lot of it is politics. I am putting that aside. There is a discount when it comes to politics,” he stated replying to a query.

ALSO READ | ‘Quite harmful and really fragile’: EAM on China state of affairs 

“I am troubled as a citizen of India when I see somebody drooling over China and being dismissive about India. And I would give you examples. He puts his description suo motu of China in that Cambridge talk,” Jaishankar stated.

“You know what’s the word that comes to his mind when he talks of China, ‘harmony’. His one-word description of China is harmony; his one-word description of India is discord,” Jaishankar added.

The exterior affairs minister, replying to a query, additionally cited Gandhi’s feedback referring to China’s manufacturing capabilities. “He talks admiringly of how China is the greatest manufacturer, nobody can…And yes China has done a tremendous job and nobody. But when it comes to manufacturing in India, he runs it down in every possible way,” Jaishankar stated.

“He says ‘Make in India’ won’t work. I mean when you made Covaxin, the Congress party was saying Covaxin does not work. You can have objective assessments of the progress of other countries. There is nothing wrong with that. But in this current situation, to talk of a competitive relationship…,” the minister stated.

ALSO READ | Not nationalism however cowardice: Rahul on Jaishankar’s China remarks

Jaishankar additionally accused Gandhi of undermining India’s nationwide morale.

“You are telling me I am scared, I am asking you why is somebody undermining national morale like this. It is not just the economy, let’s even look at security. He talks about connectivity, he speaks admiringly in the same talk about the Belt and Road Initiative,” he stated.

“He compares Belt and Road with the Yellow river in China gushing forth…Guys the Belt and Road goes through PoK (Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir). It violates our national integrity and sovereignty. He does not have a word to say about that,” Jaishankar added.

Gandhi’s current feedback at Cambridge University that Indian democracy is beneath assault and several other politicians, together with himself, are beneath surveillance, invited sharp reactions from the BJP which accused him of maligning the nation’s picture on international soil after dealing with successive electoral setbacks.

“Everybody knows and it’s in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy: Parliament, a free press, the judiciary and just the idea of mobilisation, these are all getting constrained. We are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy,” Gandhi had stated.

While talking on the “two divergent perspectives” of the US and China since World War II, the Congress chief stated that along with shedding manufacturing jobs, the US had change into much less open after the September 11, 2001, terror assaults. Meanwhile China, he stated, “idolises harmony” by means of organisation across the Chinese Communist Party.

During his interplay with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter, Gandhi took a swipe at Jaishankar for his remarks on China throughout an interview.

“If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” Gandhi had stated.

At an India Insights occasion organised by the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA), Gandhi expressed remorse that democratic elements of the world, together with the US and Europe, have failed to note {that a} “large chunk of democracy has come undone.”

WATCH | Modi govt doesn’t perceive precise risk from China: Rahul

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his feedback referring to China throughout his current go to to the UK, saying he’s troubled to see the Congress chief “drooling over” China whereas being dismissive about India.

Jaishankar’s feedback in an interactive session on the India Today conclave got here days after Gandhi focused the External Affairs Minister and the federal government on their method to coping with challenges from China.

Referring to feedback made on the conclave by US-based writer Michael Pillsbury, the minister stated “When Panda huggers tried to be China hawks, it does not fly.” In his remarks, Pillsbury had referred to some “Panda huggers” within the US.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

“I also, like many others, followed some of what Rahul Gandhi said when he was in the UK. Obviously, a lot of it is politics. I am putting that aside. There is a discount when it comes to politics,” he stated replying to a query.

ALSO READ | ‘Quite harmful and really fragile’: EAM on China state of affairs 

“I am troubled as a citizen of India when I see somebody drooling over China and being dismissive about India. And I would give you examples. He puts his description suo motu of China in that Cambridge talk,” Jaishankar stated.

“You know what’s the word that comes to his mind when he talks of China, ‘harmony’. His one-word description of China is harmony; his one-word description of India is discord,” Jaishankar added.

The exterior affairs minister, replying to a query, additionally cited Gandhi’s feedback referring to China’s manufacturing capabilities. “He talks admiringly of how China is the greatest manufacturer, nobody can…And yes China has done a tremendous job and nobody. But when it comes to manufacturing in India, he runs it down in every possible way,” Jaishankar stated.

“He says ‘Make in India’ won’t work. I mean when you made Covaxin, the Congress party was saying Covaxin does not work. You can have objective assessments of the progress of other countries. There is nothing wrong with that. But in this current situation, to talk of a competitive relationship…,” the minister stated.

ALSO READ | Not nationalism however cowardice: Rahul on Jaishankar’s China remarks

Jaishankar additionally accused Gandhi of undermining India’s nationwide morale.

“You are telling me I am scared, I am asking you why is somebody undermining national morale like this. It is not just the economy, let’s even look at security. He talks about connectivity, he speaks admiringly in the same talk about the Belt and Road Initiative,” he stated.

“He compares Belt and Road with the Yellow river in China gushing forth…Guys the Belt and Road goes through PoK (Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir). It violates our national integrity and sovereignty. He does not have a word to say about that,” Jaishankar added.

Gandhi’s current feedback at Cambridge University that Indian democracy is beneath assault and several other politicians, together with himself, are beneath surveillance, invited sharp reactions from the BJP which accused him of maligning the nation’s picture on international soil after dealing with successive electoral setbacks.

“Everybody knows and it’s in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy: Parliament, a free press, the judiciary and just the idea of mobilisation, these are all getting constrained. We are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy,” Gandhi had stated.

While talking on the “two divergent perspectives” of the US and China since World War II, the Congress chief stated that along with shedding manufacturing jobs, the US had change into much less open after the September 11, 2001, terror assaults. Meanwhile China, he stated, “idolises harmony” by means of organisation across the Chinese Communist Party.

During his interplay with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter, Gandhi took a swipe at Jaishankar for his remarks on China throughout an interview.

“If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” Gandhi had stated.

At an India Insights occasion organised by the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA), Gandhi expressed remorse that democratic elements of the world, together with the US and Europe, have failed to note {that a} “large chunk of democracy has come undone.”

WATCH | Modi govt doesn’t perceive precise risk from China: Rahul