New Delhi: The Indian Foreign Service, which the Congress leader claims has become arrogant and does not listen, was the latest target of Rahul Gandhi’s “not enough talk” theme on Saturday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded angrily and publicly to the remark.
“I was talking to some bureaucrats from Europe and they were saying that the Indian foreign service has completely changed. They don’t listen to anything; they are arrogant. Now, they are just telling us what orders they are getting. There is no conversation. You can’t, you can’t do that,” alleged Rahul Gandhi at ‘Ideas for India’ conference in London.
Minister S Jaishankar, a career diplomat, responded by saying it was a display of “confidence” and “defending national interest.”
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala joined the conversation and responded to the Minister’s rebuttal.
“Yes, it is also called being subservient to the political masters in face of foreign policy bloopers. Yes, it is called not being able to stand up to China in face of illegal occupation of our territory. Yes, it is called furthering the agenda of a party rather then the Nation,” Randeep Surjewala responded to the Foreign Minister’s tweet attacking Mr Gandhi.
Mr Gandhi drew analogies between the Russian-Ukraine crisis and Chinese efforts in Ladakh when asked about it during the conference. He claimed that, like Pakistan, India’s “deep state” is devouring the country.
According to reports, China is building a second bridge across the Pangong Tso Lake in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
India stated on Friday that China is building a second bridge across Pangong Lake in a region that has been under its illegal possession since 1960.
“We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge,” said the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. “Both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s,” Mr Bagchi said.
Mr Gandhi blasted the BJP government at the Centre on a number of fronts at the conference, alleging that India’s “deep state” is assaulting and conquering institutions.
“What is happening today is that there is a systematic attack on the institutions that allow conversations to take place. There is an attack on the Constitution of India. The result of this attack is that the states of India are longer able to negotiate with the government,” said Mr Gandhi.
The BJP claimed that the Congress leader’s “hate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was damaging India, and that his repeated disparaging remarks about the country from foreign land amounted to “betrayal.”
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