NEW DELHI: Pakistan illegally handed over Shaksgam valley to China when Jawaharlal Nehru was the PM of India, defence minister Rajnath Singh said in a public meeting on Thursday even as he said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Parliament a day earlier were an “insult to Galwan martyrs”.
“I would like to remind him (Rahul Gandhi) that Pakistan had handed over the Shaksgam Valley illegally to China when Jawahar Lal Nehru was PM of India. Karakoram Highway was constructed through PoK when Indira Gandhi was PM and China — Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was started in 2013 when Congress was in power,” Rajnath said while addressing a public meeting in Amroha. Rahul in his speech had claimed that the foreign policy decisions of the BJP-led government had brought all-weather allies China and Pakistan closer
Other Cabinet colleagues of Rajnath also rubbished Rahul’s speech in the House with minorities affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi telling Rajya Sabha on Thursday, “It has been said that there are two Indias. It is beyond my understanding as I believe India is one, ek bharat, shreshth bharat. But to appreciate India’s culture and tradition, we need to shed the Indira is India and India is Indira or Congress is country and the country is Congress line of thinking.”
In a social media post, law minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Two Indias are: (1) People enjoy high-class society life, attend rave parties, frequent vacation trip to foreign destinations… (2) People live simple life in India, remain with the needy all the time, think Indian and follow Indian traditions.” The minister tweeted, “Earlier, he used to behave like India’s ‘Yuvraj’ and now he thinks he is the ‘King’ of India!” He was reacting to Rahul’s remark that the growing disparity between India’s rich and poor gave the impression that there were “two Indias”.
Rajnath also said, “We do not doubt our policies. Rahul Gandhi is raising questions and doubt over sacrifices and valour made by jawans in Galwan Valley while saving the honour of the country. Jawans didn’t allow an inch of land to be taken away by China”.
With reference to Gandhi’s allegation of the government using the judiciary and Election Commission as “instruments to destroy the voice of the union of states”, Naqvi said the Congress government made 312 laws to negate SC/HCs rulings, including the abolition of Triple Talaq. On the other hand, the Modi govt brought law to fructify the SC observation on Triple Talaq, he said.