The Congress on Thursday, December 15, accused the union government of evading a debate on India-China border face-off and asked why the Modi government has been running away from the issue. All India Congress Committee (AICC) head of media and publicity Pawan Khera wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on China, and that whenever he does speak on it, he gives the country a clean chit.
Khera alleged that when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was very keen on introducing Mandarin in its government schools, a proposal that was opposed by Congress. He also made the allegation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used a Chinese company in elections which, the union government had said, was a threat to Indian sovereignty.
“A company which was blacklisted by World Bank, USA, and Europe was given the contract to install smart meters in the border district of Jammu and Kashmir. The government wants the opposition and the media to turn a blind eye towards the China issue. The government does not want a debate on the issue in parliament and is running away. The Prime Minister does not say anything and when he does, he gives a clean chit to China," Khera said at a press conference during morning break of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Dausa.
"Our soldiers are brave and they want to push back the Chinese soldiers. We are proud of our army, but when the PM gives a clean chit, how can our borders remain safe?" he asked. Khera claimed that the government allotted land to Chinese companies in Dolera in Gujarat over the local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) units, who were in contention for it.
The Congress leader also alleged that Chinese companies donated money to the PM Cares Fund and the ruling government must clarify the Chinese companies’ intention behind the move. "Military experts warn the government, China has renamed 15 areas of Arunachal Pradesh, a village has been settled but why is the government silent? What is the reason behind the silence of the government?" he asked.
In connection with the ongoing row in parliament over the debate on China issue, Khera said during the 1962 India-China war, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had demanded a debate in parliament and Nehru accepted that. "One MP had suggested that it should be a secret debate and should not be published in the media but the then PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, refused the suggestion," he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should learn from the pages of history.