Congress veteran Sam Pitroda, who heads the party’s overseas unit, has courted a new controversy after claiming that the threat from China is often blown out of proportion. The BJP lambasted the grand old party saying that friendship between Congress and China is quite old.

In an interview, Pitroda has said he does not understand the threat from China that India is facing. He claimed that the threat from China is often blown out of proportion and that the US always has a ‘tendency to define an enemy’.

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Hitting back, the BJP said the crux of the Congress’s obsession with China lies in a 2008 Memorandum for Understanding between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party, the party that runs the neighbouring country.

The Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s statement about China and said that his statements were not the views of the party.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said,” The views reportedly expressed by Mr Sam Pitroda on China are most definitely NOT the views of the Indian National Congress.”

He stressed that ” China remains our foremost foreign policy, external security, as well as economic challenge. The INC has repeatedly raised questions on the Modi Government’s approach to China, including the PM’s public clean chit to it on June 19, 2020. Our most recent statement on China was on 28th January, 2025. ”

It is also extremely regrettable that Parliament is being denied an opportunity to discuss the situation and express a collective resolve to meet these challenges effectively, he pointed out further.

Taking on the Congress, BJP leader Ajay Alok said, “…Sam Pitroda is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi…Rahul Gandhi has also signed a secret treaty with the People’s Liberation Party of China. Rajiv Gandhi had taken funds from China. Jawaharlal Nehru gave Aksai Chin and India’s seat in UNSC to China. The friendship between Congress and China is quite old…”

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters at party headquarters here, “…Sam Pitroda has openly revealed the Congress party’s agreement with China… The serious thing is that the kind of thing Sam Pitroda has said is a very deep blow to India’s identity, diplomacy, and sovereignty…

”Rahul Gandhi has also given many similar statements abroad… Some time ago, on his foreign tour, he had said that China has solved the problem of unemployment very well… Our 20 soldiers were martyred in Galwan and after that, if your overseas President speaks such language, then it is condemnable…”

Pradeep Bhandari, another BJP spokesperson, pointed out that Pitroda is a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and accused the Congress of prioritising China’s interest above India’s.

He said, “Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, and George Soros work as China’s agents. The secret MoU of 2008, which took place between the Communist Party of China and the Congress Party, that secret MoU has not yet been disclosed by the Congress Party. At the time of Doklam, Rahul Gandhi was secretly meeting China’s ambassador… Sam Pitroda’s statement clarifies that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party have a soft corner for China…”