The Congress on Sunday called for a debate on the “full gamut” of the India-China relationship in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

Congress general secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The Indian National Congress (INC) has studied the recent suo moto statement made by the External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) in both Houses of Parliament titled ‘Recent Developments in India’s Relations with China’. It is unfortunate, but typical of the Modi government, that MPs were not permitted to seek any clarifications.”

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He posed a volley of questions to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the Chinese issue.

Referring to EAM’s recent remarks in Parliament, Ramesh in a statement said, “The statement claims that ‘the House is well aware of the circumstances leading up to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020.’ It is an unfortunate reminder that the very first official communication to the nation on this crisis came on 19th June, 2020 when the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) provided a clean chit publicly to China and falsely stated: Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai.”

“Not only was this an insult to our fallen soldiers but it also weakened India’s position in subsequent negotiations. Whatever prompted the PM to make this assertion?” he said.

The Congress leader claimed on 22nd October Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi restated India’s longstanding position and said, “As far as we are concerned, we want to go back to the status quo of April 2020… thereafter we will be looking at disengagement, de-escalation and normal management of the LAC.”

“However, the Ministry of External Affairs statement following the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) on 5th December stated that ‘the two sides positively affirmed the implementation of the most recent disengagement agreement which completed the resolution of the issues that emerged in 2020.’ Does this not reveal a shift in our official position?” he questioned.

Ramesh said the EAM’s statement in Parliament stated that “[I]n a few other places where friction occurred in 2020, steps of a temporary and limited nature were worked out, based on local conditions, to obviate the possibility of further friction”. This clearly refers to so-called “buffer zones” to which our troops and livestock herders are denied access that they previously had.

“These statements taken together suggest that the MEA is accepting a settlement that does not return the LAC to the April 2020 status quo as desired by the Army and the nation. Is it not clear now that the Modi government has agreed to a new status quo and agreed to live with the ‘new normal’ after the ‘old normal’ prevailing prior to April 2020 was unilaterally disturbed by China?” he said.

The Congress leader asked why the Chinese government is yet to corroborate any details about the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok.

“The INC reiterates the demand it has been making for the past few years—that Parliament must, to reflect a collective national resolve, be given an opportunity to debate the full gamut of the India-China relationship. This discussion should focus on both strategic and economic policy, especially since our dependence on China has increased economically, even as it unilaterally changed the status quo on our borders over four years back,” he added.