Chinese Troops On Ladakh, Arunachal Borders Similar To Ukraine Situation: Rahul Gandhi In London

Congress MP from Wayanad has hit out at EAM S Jaishankar, saying the External Affairs Minister does not understand the China threat.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the basic idea behind the Chinese troops on the Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh borders is similar to what is happening in Ukraine, adding that he mentioned this to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar but he disagreed terming it a "ludicrous idea". The Congress MP, who is in London these days, made these remarks during an interaction at the Chatham House.

He said, "In my view, the basic idea behind the troops in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh is similar to what is happening in Ukraine. I mentioned this to the Foreign Minister (S Jaishankar) but he completely disagrees with me and thinks it is a ludicrous idea."

Comparing the Indian borders to that of Ukraine, the Congress leader said, "The basic principle that has been applied in Ukraine is that Russia has told Ukraine that we do not accept your relationship with Europe and America and if you do not change this relationship, we will challenge your territorial integrity."

"I think this is what is happening on the borders of my country. China doesn`t want us to have a relationship with the US. It is threatening us by saying if you continue to have a relationship then we`ll take action. That is why they have got troops in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," Rahul Gandhi added. 

BJP Will Not Be In Power Eternally: Rahul  

During his interaction, Rahul Gandhi also attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, saying the party likes to believe it will be in power in India eternally but that is not the case. And to say the Congress is "gone" is a ridiculous idea, Opposition MP Rahul Gandhi said in London on Monday.

Addressing an in-conversation session at the Chatham House think tank on Monday evening to round off his week-long UK tour, Gandhi also pinpointed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's lack of focus on a shifting nature of the political discourse in India as the key factor behind its failure.

"To put it in perspective, if you look at the time from independence to now, the Congress party has been in power for the majority of the time," he said. "Before the BJP was in power for 10 years, we were in power for 10 years. The BJP likes to believe that they have come to power in India and they are going to be in power eternally, that is not the case," the Congress leader added.

The BJP-led government came to power in India in 2014. Gandhi, the MP from Kerala's Wayanad, pointed to a set of changes taking place in India that had caught the Congress and the UPA government off guard, such as a shift from rural to urban.

"We were focusing a lot on the rural space and we missed the ball at the beginning on the urban space, that is a fact. Those things are there. But to say that the BJP is in power and the Congress gone, that is actually a ridiculous idea," he said.

Rahul Maligning India's Image: BJP 

The BJP has accused Gandhi of maligning India on foreign soil while praising China. Union minister Anurag Thakur hit out at the Congress leader on Monday for his remarks and asked him not to betray the nation.

"Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhiji. The objections to India's foreign policy are evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil," Thakur told reporters in New Delhi.