Supriya Shrinate expresses shock over Jaishankar’s statement suggesting that India’s relations with China were improving
NEW DELHI — The Congress on Tuesday took strong exception to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s bonhomie with the Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, especially at a time when Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul Singh had recently revealed how China helped and supported Pakistan against India during Operation Sindoor.
The operation was launched in the wake of a terror attack in Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which resulted in the death of 28 tourists.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party spokesperson and chairperson of the Social Media and Digital Platforms, Supriya Shrinate, also asked the government to tell the nation what happened to the terrorists who killed 28 tourists in Pahalgam.
She pointed out that they seem to have simply vanished, and even after 85 days of the incident, nothing is known about them, not even their identity.
She also raised objections to Foreign Minister Jaishankar claiming that India’s relations with China were improving. “By saying this, the minister has once again insulted and berated our armed forces, who have pointed out how China was backing Pakistan”, she said.
Ms Shrinate asked what the urgency was for Jaishankar to visit the hostile nation when a very senior army officer of our country had only recently revealed how China helped Pakistan from behind during the Operation Sindoor. She pointed out, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had been continuously cautioning the government and the country against coming together of China and Pakistan. He had described it as an ominous sign for India, which was proved right during the Operation Sindoor.
Ms Shrinate showed some of the pictures of the EAM with Chinese leaders, including the president and the vice president.
She expressed shock over Jaishankar’s statement suggesting that India’s relations with China were improving, when “that country (China) had supported Pakistan with real-time intelligence and weaponry against us just a couple of months ago. What is the compulsion for such a one-sided love affair with China?” she asked.
The senior Congress leader also questioned the travel blogger-turned-spy Jyoti Malhotra’s links with the BJP. She showed a video showing that while crossing over to Pakistan, she (Jyoti Malhotra) is heard identifying herself as a member of the Haryana BJP.
She said Jyoti was also seen on multiple high-profile events of the BJP and the government, like the inauguration of the Vande Bharat train in Kerala, where she was seen with the then Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan.
Ms Shrinate wondered whether someone was protecting her, as nothing had been revealed about what she disclosed during her questioning, even after two months of her arrest. She said Jyoti was not the only example, as there were many others linked with the BJP and the RSS who have been caught spying for Pakistan.
Blasting the BJP’s claims about safeguarding the national interest, Ms Shrinate pointed out that it was during the BJP regime in the year 1999 when dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar was released. She also referred to the BJP government allowing the ISI of Pakistan to come to India to investigate the Pathankot terror attack, when it was actually the ISI that was behind this attack. She said the Union Home Minister had even expressed satisfaction over the ISI probe.
She pointed out how Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed uninvited in Pakistan to savour biryani with Nawaz Sharif, which was followed by multiple terror attacks like those in Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama.
Ms Shrinate quoted the then BJP Deputy Chief Minister of J&K Dr Nirmal Singh, describing terrorist Burhan Wani’s killing as an accident. Besides, she also referred to Asiya Andrabi, an alleged hardcore separatist, being made the mascot of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.
