“Why Is China Praising PM Narendra Modi?”: Fresh Jab From Rahul Gandhi On Ladakh

New Delhi: Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, whose “Surender Modi” dig at the Prime Minister topped Twitter trends yesterday, today had a tough question: Why is China praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the clash in Ladakh. Since PM Modi’s all party meeting on Friday, where he said China has not captured any Indian territory or crossed the border, Mr Gandhi has been making repeated jabs at the Prime Minister, accusing him of ceding Indian territory to the Chinese.

Today, Mr Gandhi posted a news report on Chinese mouthpiece Global Times’s praise for the Prime Minster over his comments on Friday’s all-party meet. The accompanying tweet read, “China killed our soldiers. China took our land. Then, why is China praising Mr Modi during this conflict?”

China killed our soldiers.
China took our land.

Then, why is China praising Mr Modi during this conflict? pic.twitter.com/iNV8c1cmal

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 22, 2020

In a report titled “India knows it can’t have a war with China’,” published yesterday, the Global Times had quoted experts who said that PM Modi is “playing with words in order to avoid an escalation”. “China’s capability not only in terms of the military, but also overall and international influence, is superior to India’s,” the report read.

Also PM Modi’s “assertion that Indian forces can take all necessary steps is a show of strength for domestic audiences to appease the Indian masses and boost the Indian troops’ morale,” the report read.

Mr Gandhi has been repeatedly targetting the Prime Minister over the June 15 violence at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley – the the worst face-off since 1967, in which 20 Indian soldiers had died and 76 were injured in a clash with Chinese troops.

His tweets became sharper after Friday’s all-party meet, where PM Modi had said, “Neither is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured”.

“While we have given a free hand to our armed forces, diplomatically too we have made our stand clear to China. India wants peace and friendship but protecting its sovereignty is supreme,” the Prime Minister had said.

The day after, Mr Gandhi suggested that PM Modi surrendered Indian territory to China. Yesterday, posting an article in a foreign publication, he tweeted, “Narendra Modi Is actually Surender Modi”.

It drew angry responses from the BJP leaders, one of whom, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said “surrendering is the hallmark of Gandhi-Nehru family”.

“In 1962, Assam was almost given away by Pt Nehru. When Chinese Army had captured Bomdila, Nehru said, “My heart goes out to people of Assam.” Shame,” his tweet read.

The Prime Minister’s Office said it was an attempt to give a “mischievous interpretation” to PM Modi’s comments.