New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar — responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — Friday said New Delhi and Beijing now deal on “more equal terms politically”.
Gandhi Friday released a video on Twitter, questioning the Modi government’s foreign policy and economy, among other issues.
Responding to the video, Jaishankar, in a long twitter thread, wrote: “Rahul Gandhi has questions on Foreign Policy. Here are some answers: Our major partnerships are stronger and international standing higher. Witness regular summits and informal meetings with US, Russia, Europe and Japan. India engages China on more equal terms politically. Ask the analysts.”
.@RahulGandhi hs questions on Foreign Policy. Here are some answers:
•Our major partn’ships are strongr & internat’l standng higher.Witness regular summits&informal meetngs wth #US #Russia #Europe & #Japan.India engages #China on more equal terms politically.
Ask the analysts. https://t.co/GPf17JWSac
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 17, 2020
He further said New Delhi speaks “its mind more openly now” on controversial issues such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Belt Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC is a part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship BRI project.
Jaishankar also wrote that under the Modi government, India has addressed the border infrastructure “imbalance legacy” and also gave a comparison of the budget allocated for such activities in 2014-20 and 2008-14, stating that it has gone up by 280 per cent, road building by 32 per cent, bridges by 99 per cent and tunnels by six times.
“Ask our jawans,” he added.
Jaishankar, however, didn’t respond to a question of Gandhi’s as to “why the Chinese have chosen to violate the Line of Actual Control with India at this point of time”.
It was under the UPA government that Jaishankar was posted as India’s envoy to China from 2009 to 2013, and then to the US from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, under Modi dispensation, Jaishankar was made the Foreign Secretary.
Also read: Nehru did it 70 years ago. Now, Jaishankar is doing the same – introducing India to US
Jaishankar’s rebuttal on neighbourhood questions
Gandhi, in his video, said the relationship between India and the major powers such as the US, Russia and Europe has become “transactional” and “disturbed”, which earlier used to help India “manoeuvre around the world”.
Since 2014, the PM's constant blunders and indiscretions have fundamentally weakened India and left us vulnerable.
Empty words don't suffice in the world of geopolitics. pic.twitter.com/XM6PXcRuFh
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 17, 2020
On the issue of neighbourhood, Gandhi said the Modi government has “disrupted” the neighbourhood.
“Since 2014, the PM’s constant blunders and indiscretions have fundamentally weakened India and left us vulnerable. Empty words don’t suffice in the world of geopolitics… We’ve disrupted our foreign partners, we’ve disrupted our neighbourhood,” he said.
On India’s neighbouring countries, including the recent move by Nepal to include some of the disputed territories with India under their own borders, Gandhi said: “Today, Nepal is angry with us. They are furious with what has happened. Sri Lankans have given a port to the Chinese. Maldives is disturbed. Bhutan is disturbed.”
To this, Jaishankar said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepal got Prime Ministerial visits after 17 years.
“Nepal after 17 years is getting Prime Ministerial visits. And a swathe of developmental projects: power, fuel, housing, hospital, roads, etc. Ask their citizens,” Jaishankar said in response to Gandhi’s allegations that ordinary Nepali citizens are “furious” with New Delhi.
On the controversial issue of Sri Lanka handing over the Hambantota Port to the Chinese, Jaishankar said the “agreement between Sri Lanka and China was concluded in 2008. Ask those who dealt with it”.
Sri Lanka had taken massive loans from China, which it could not repay and, thus, Beijing took control over the port under a 99-year lease for debt relief in 2017.
Gandhi also said the Modi government has lost a friend in Bhutan.
But Jaishankar said: “Bhutan finds a stronger security and development partner. And unlike 2013, they don’t worry about their cooking gas. Ask their households.”
“A settled land boundary (2015) with Bangladesh; opens path to more development and transit. And terrorists no longer find safe haven there,” he said, adding, “Afghanistan sees completed projects (Salma Dam, Parliament), expanded training and serious connectivity.”
“Difficult ties with Maldives, after India watched President Nasheed being toppled in 2012, now stand transformed. Ask our businesses,” the minister wrote.
‘Ask yourself’ on Pakistan, Jaishankar tells Gandhi
On the issue of Pakistan, Jaishankar took a direct jibe at Gandhi, saying that “ask yourself” as he induced Gandhi to note the differences between Balakot and Uri on one hand, and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Havana and 26/11 on the other.
In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did a handshake with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in the Cuban capital, Havana, while admitting that Islamabad is also a victim of terror.
In 2009, the UPA government came under scathing criticism from the BJP for having mentioned Balochistan in a India-Pakistan joint statement in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Also read: From Kashmir to coronavirus, how Modi’s silver bullet Jaishankar is keeping troubles away
Pappu Baba is trying hard to look like his Daddy in the video.
Pity that the guy is dumber than a donkey.
RaGa Ji needs something to do. After all even a dynast needs some activity to fill 24 hours in his day. So why not politics?
Gandhi Ji should be grateful that His Excellency Mr. Jaishankar takes time to respond to comments from a gadfly. The Hon’able FM has more serious matters to attend.
It is high time that Gandhi Ji realizes that he is a nuisance; a lightweight nobody who gets airtime only because of his family name.
Gandhi Ji, why not immigrate to Bangkok and enjoy the corrupt wealth from your Mummy Daddy’s Family Trust?
Leave the serious business of politics to those who want to Make India Great Again.
RaGa is a duffer reading from scripts prepared by China and Pakistan.
Forget about what Rahul Gandhi has to say.
What do you have to say about the fact that the intelligence and the army were caught napping in Ladakh? It is alright to tom-tom that we are ready for a two front war. Are we? The amount of diplomatic capital that Modi invested on China in general and Xi Jingping in particular, to what avail? Alienating you neighbours with your “big-brother” attitude is having the obvious results. You cannot call Bangladeshis termites and promise to squash them. This is the first time in history that our leader claims that the country’s first Prime Minister is not allowing the 16th Prime Minister to operate the way he wants to. Notwithstanding the fact that the first prime minister has been dead and gone nearly sixty years.
I feel your history knowledge is very poor. Pls go and sit and read few articles on the subject before commenting senseless
Duffer Gandhi is the perfect Useful Idiot for the Chinese Communist Party and for all forces inimical to India & the country’s stability & progress.
Jaishankar is a clown at best. But then, so is the rest of the government officials, starting from Adolf Modi.
Pappu is not practical. The neighboring countries of India Don’t like If a strong leader is trying to consolidate the Indian borders by taking some hard decisions like Kashmir. In the long run India will emerge stronger.
Congress has been the name of corruption. They kept their eyes closed for all this trouble in Kashmir. Now he talks bullshit to be pm.
Strange that Rahul Gandhi is taken seriously. There are more than 300 MP,s why this Mr Nobody is given so much importance.? He has never occupied any position of responsibility to prove anything worthwhile done by him for the nation or the public. He is an irrelevant guy propped up by his sycophants. Stop taking him seriously
irrelevant. that is why right from nadda to ministers to tadipar takes him head on. hahaha.