Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s national and economic security in relation to China, citing reported ongoing face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh and the widening trade deficit between the two countries.
Speaking at an Asia Society event in New York in late September, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said India-China ties were better today than they were a couple of years ago. “Enough clean chits to China. PM Modi must come clean before India! Since July, there have been reports of a standoff with Chinese troops in the remote Taksin area of Upper Subansiri district. Even Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman admits China obstructs Indian exports. Congress criticised PM Modi for meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit while face-offs were reportedly ongoing along the Arunachal Pradesh border. “Imagine—one side, China was clashing with our soldiers; on the other, Modi was welcoming China’s president.
Raising concerns over India’s trade relationship with China, Kharge said, “Chinese imports have surged 102 per cent, while India’s trade deficit with China has ballooned 155 per cent to $112.16 billion. India and China have attempted to rebuild their relationship after reaching an understanding in October 2024 to end a military standoff in Ladakh that lasted more than four years and took ties to a six-decade low. Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to India in seven years to attend the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, and held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi to review ties.
Kharge said in a post on X, accusing the government of “keeping the nation in the dark” over border security. Asked about this in a press conference in August, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the state of border affairs has ramifications for overall India-China ties, adding that the two sides have agreed to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the border. Kharge, meanwhile, said national security demanded accountability rather than what he termed “diplomatic photo opportunities” and “Hugplomacy”. It’s like rubbing salt in the wounds of our soldiers,” the party said on their official X handle.
