Shiban Khaibri
If Congress leader Rahul Gandhi really wants to prove politically mature coinciding with his entering matured years of age, he should think twice before he makes a sweeping statement or dishes out manufactured data. He must know that this land, Bharat, has been excelling in knowledge and dispensing the same to the world in every field and sphere. By that tradition, not only the vast educated strata of society but even those who can be classified ”not educated” possess enough prowess to distinguish fact from the fiction, a reality from the ‘thing which is not’, from bragging to modesty and un-arrogance and from feigning to real appearance. Entire world knows that China was taught a lesson by India right from Dokhlam to the current stand-off at the Ladakh borders without actually fighting a battle with that country to which China was never accustomed to. It used to gulp and grab as much as it wanted of our territory without ”rowing hands encountering no resistance”.
It is intriguing as to how Rahul Ji could calculate that China had entered deep into our territory saying “had the UPA been in power, we would have evicted and thrown out China and it would have not taken more than 15 minutes to do so.” Besides being so much overwhelmingly confident and perhaps possessing a magic wand to “throw away” the Dragon in less than 15 minutes, he questioned the patriotism of the Prime Minister by saying, “The prime Minister calls himself Desh Bhakat and the whole country knows that China’s forces are inside our territory, what kind of patriot is he?” What pains is not his oft unsubstantiated claims and brags in a vain attempt to score some political points and try to regain the lost and slipped political base but the way Prime Minister of this country is addressed by him using abrasive and colloquial phrases like “Kehta Hai”, “Bolta Hai”, “Desh Bakht Nahi – Voh Kayar Hai”. Even in levelling charges having no base or criticising virulently, the “Maryada” of using a normal civilized language should never be crossed to be trampled.
On anyone’s birthday, one is entitled to receive words of greetings or a good wish even if a sworn enemy. If not, at least on that day which otherwise signals the person of having crossed one more year of one’s life and that way also must on that day be “spared” from harsh treatment. Unfortunately, a tweet from Congress was disappointingly revealing that saner elements there are as if on strike in not pointing out such an attitude full of ridicule and hate for the constitutionally and democratically elected Prime Minister. Having due regard for discretion and civility, let that tweet be not reproduced in these lines. It is not known whether any good for the party was the be-all and the end-all of using such language let alone claiming 15 minutes time in ”throwing out ” the Chinese had UPA been in power.
We have not forgotten Rahul Ji’s claims and promises of loan waiving in Madhya Pradesh of all farmers just within 10 days and ”not more by a single day even”, immediately after his party under Kamal Nath forming the government there. That deflated claim, instead, has cost Congress the power in that state. Speaking at “Kheti Bachao Yatra” which in itself speaks about the genuineness of the “yatra”, he says that China took away 1200 square kms of our area. Congress, claims he, would have thrown them “out” in less than 15 minutes. Now, let certain records and facts in this connection be relived. Could PM Nehru do anything in 1962 or even till he was alive and in power to retrieve even an inch of our vast areas from China which was occupied by it by means of aggression? After him, could the strong Indira Gandhi who ruled India for 16 long years get back any part of our territory taken away by China? Could her son Rajiv Gandhi with unprecedented majority in Parliament do that ? Could Dr. Manmohan Singh during his 10 years tenure do it or at least prevent fresh incursions and encroachments of more Indian areas by the Chinese.? The proof of the pudding, we simply know, is in the eating.
A.K. Antony, the Defence Minister in UPA government had admitted at a platform of highest seat of democracy – the Parliament that it was the ”policy” of the Congress government since independence that border areas should not be developed much. He honestly admitted that such a policy did not prove right and China took its advantage “and infiltrated into India.” We all know that is only when Congress was in power in 1962, China took the entire area of Aksai Chin which is spread over an area of whooping 38000 square kilometres and Nehru’s Chinese policy totally failed even though Sardar Patel had forewarned him about the ill mechanisations of China. In 1963, Pakistan “gifted” 5200 Sq. Kms of PoK to China. What did the then powerful government of Nehru do in that ? Between the years 2010 to 2013 when UPA was in power, it occupied our areas measuring 640 Sq.Kms in eastern Ladakh. There was massive uproar over it but the then government of Manmohan Singh simply kept silent and avoided to face the issue. It was the time when Smt. Sonia Gandhi wielded enough powers and influence and could have impressed upon her Party’s government to do even a fraction of what Rahul Gandhi claims now to having been done in respect of the current impasse with the Chinese by his Party’s government if it were in power.
What did Rahul Gandhi do since he entered active politics right from 2004, an MP in 2013 and an aspiring Prime Ministerial candidate could have stolen the opportunity to at least manage to throw China ”away” just 100 kilo metres if not in 15 minutes, even in 15 weeks or as many months. The scenario of ‘great boast and little roast ‘ should not lead to daydreaming to claim doing something which was simply a figment of imagination and thus practically impossible. About the loss of the vast area of Aksai Chin, a Congress MP Mahavir Prasad Tyagi asked Nehru Ji in Parliament about losing Aksai Chin and what was he doing to get it back. Nehru replied,”It was a barren land where not a blade of grass grew.” Incensed over such a vague and evasive reply, Tyagi took off the cap from his (partially bald) head and asked Nehru, “If nothing rises here, should I cut my head and give it to someone else.” Till date, now for than 58 years Congress has not found any answer to Late Tyagi’s answer. Better late than never, at least, now, Rahul Gandhi should come forward with a suitable reply.
On the contrary, Congress through Rahul Gandhi signed an “agreement ” in 2008 with Chinese President Xi-Jinping who at that time was the Gen. Secretary of the Communist Party of China. What were the provisions of that “agreement” continues to be a mystery but by all accounts, it was nothing, even in the least, about reclaiming Aksai Chin or the parts of Indian territory which China kept nibbling with unspecified intervals. Soft attitude towards China by Congress governments emboldened them to keep on grabbing our areas and this bragging of ”15 minutes throwing out ” is laughable just like his political theory of ” Jupiter escape velocity ” of development which he shared with a bewildered audience in October 2013 who till date are busy in deciphering the intricate theorem.
It may be noted that China has illegally grabbed as much as 43180 square Kilometres of Indian territory during the years of Congress rule right from 1962 till 2013. Had Rahul Gandhi been the Prime Minister of this country this time, going by the traditions of the Congress in its relations with China, it is left to no conjectures as to how many minutes not- but even decades would have been just wasted in mustering the steadfast courage India has shown this time for the first time in connection with the stand- off with China in eastern Ladakh. Even China is shell shocked and bewildered. It is only now that India has reversed its lackadaisical approach towards building an effective infrastructure on and along the areas of our border with China and acquire the requisite latest military equipment, weaponry and assets to get to call the shots.
Rahul Ji should leave aside issues like China etc which his party’s governments right from independence have made intricate and more complicated. He should rather ask his party to review the continuance of alliance with National Conference whose well known leader, three times Chief Minister, a former Union Minister and presently an MP has reportedly solicited the active support of belligerent China in restoring back the contagious Article 370. Since such a stance is highly uncalled for as it is an ”invitation” to China to attack India to the extent of pressurising it to scrapping of Parliamentary decision of doing away with the said temporary Article, any continuance of alliance of Congress with it would give room to many speculations. And after his visit to Hatras UP, Rahul Ji’s visit is desperately needed in Balrampur -UP, in Karauli Rajasthan and in Walayar in Kerala.
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