New Delhi: The opposition in India has a new critic — Chinese state-affiliated English newspaper, The Global Times.
An editorial published in the newspaper Wednesday accused the Indian opposition of turning “New Year sweets into bullets”.
“On the first day of 2022, Chinese and Indian soldiers exchanged greetings and sweets along the LAC. But the opposition in #India has taken the chance to hype this event, accusing the #Modi administration of “capitulating to #China”, The Global Times‘ official Twitter handle posted, while sharing the piece on social media.
#环球时报Editorial: On the first day of 2022, Chinese and Indian soldiers exchanged greetings and sweets along the LAC. But the opposition in #India has taken the chance to hype this event, accusing the #Modi administration of "capitulating to #China." https://t.co/Vi0JyZU618 pic.twitter.com/f7yEJZAiJ6
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 4, 2022
The comment seems to have been triggered by a remark made by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who had rebuked the BJP-led central government for allowing the Indian Army to exchange sweets with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the first day of the New Year.
On 2 January, the Ministry of Defence had said that sweets were exchanged between the Indian Army and the PLA in the Hot Springs, Demchok, Nathula, and Kongra La areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). A similar exercise was also carried out with the Pakistani Army along the Line of Control (LoC).
However, on the same day, Chinese state media Xinhua and state officials and dignitaries had shared a video on Twitter of the Chinese flag being unfurled in the Galwan Valley by the PLA.
The Galwan Valley had seen a massive face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in 2020, leading to casualties on both sides.
Reacting to these developments, Owaisi, in a series of tweets on 2 January, had alleged that the Modi government was “capitulating to Beijing’s bullying”.
“By exchanging sweets at areas where Chinese soldiers have come in and occupied our territory in Ladakh, what is the message Modiji (is) trying to send to Xi Jinping? In contrast, China is putting out belligerent videos from Galwan”, Owaisi said in the tweets.
Our government is scared to take China’s name. My questions in Parliament were all denied. And now we have this shameful spectacle of total capitulation to China in Ladakh. Why are we endorsing Chinese aggression in our territory?
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 2, 2022
Tagging the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the tweets, he added: “Why has the Chinese ambassador not been summoned so far? This government is incapable of defending Indian territory against Chinese aggression and is capitulating to Beijing’s bullying. Has India ever seen a weaker PM and a more scared government than this one?”
The Congress too had attacked the Prime Minister and the Indian government after the video of the Chinese flag being unfurled in Galwan surfaced.
“Mr Prime Minister, the entire country and the world want to know as to how the Chinese unfurled the Chinese flag in Galwan Valley and wrote in the Chinese language that they will not give an inch of land back”, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala had asked.
However, it was later reported that the Chinese flag was not unfurled on the Indian side.
Photos of Indian soldiers holding the tricolour in Galwan had also surfaced.
Also read: China building bridge over Pangong Tso on its territory to counter possible Indian Army ops
Modi should ‘cope with domestic populist voices carefully’
The Global Times wrote in its editorial piece that the tradition of exchanging sweets on major festivals was a long-standing one between the two countries, which had been discontinued for the past two years due to border conflicts. The resumption of the gesture this year had received appreciation and adulation from people in China, it added.
“Messages about the resumed tradition have received many likes on social media. A Chinese netizen said that it is better to send each other sweets than bullets. But unfortunately, the opposition in India has taken the chance to hype this event, accusing the Modi administration of ‘capitulating to China’,” stated the editorial.
Claiming that domestic politics in India had become “Americanised”, as it allowed politicians “to throw mud at China-India relations unscrupulously for their own political ends”, the paper urged Prime Minister Modi to “cope with domestic populist voices carefully”, in order to prevent them from “kidnapping policies”.
It further said that Prime Minister Modi’s “grand target of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2025 and the third largest economy in the world by 2030′, show that India is “looking for development and not war”.
‘As if our own anchors are not enough…’
Reacting to the Global Times piece, the Congress compared it to Indian news anchors, who they alleged defend PM Modi while attacking the opposition.
“As if our own anchors are not enough, why is China defending Modi and attacking the opposition?”, tweeted Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.
As if our own anchors are not enough, why is China defending Modi and attacking the opposition? https://t.co/YawYC4dKGh
— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) January 5, 2022
Khera was among Congress members who had criticised the Modi government, after the flag hoisting video circulated by China started grabbing eyeballs.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also commented, “In the same valley where our soldiers were martyred, China hoisted its flag and sang its national anthem on January 1. So, why are you silent? Why are you breaking the morale of our Army? Why are you not giving any reply to China?”
However, even within the Congress, there was disagreement over the video. While most Congress leaders and the party’s official stance had been against the BJP government for allowing China to make such claims, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said that the Indian media should not take China’s “propaganda machinery seriously”.
“Would urge the Indian media to not take the CCP & Global Times propaganda machinery seriously. They are nothing but an absolute joke especially in the digital age, a psy ops that can be easily busted by few minutes of Google search”, Singhvi had said in a tweet Tuesday.
Would urge the Indian media to not take the CCP & Global Times propaganda machinery seriously. They are nothing but an absolute joke especially in the digital age, a psy ops that can be easily busted by few minutes of Google search.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) January 4, 2022
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: In 2022, India-China glass is both half-full and half-empty. Russia can be tipping factor