By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: After the emergence of satellite images the Chinese build-up at Doklam, the main opposition Congress on Thursday came down heavily on the Prime Minister and Government of India alleging that India’s national security and strategic interests are being severely compromised by this government. It said the PM has mastered the art of ‘Electoral Rhetoric’ but in ‘Reality’ miserably failed to secure the borders of the country.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here that the Modi Government has been caught snoozing while the Chinese were a planning a repeat of Doklam 2.0 type of face-off.
“The satellite images emerged in the public domain which indicates a high degree of Chinese military buildup at the Doklam plateau, just a few meters away from the Indian Army post”.
While releasing the satellite imagery, the spokesperson particularly lashed out at PM Narendra Modi saying he has only mastered the art of electoral rhetoric.
“It seems that Shri Modi’s Government is living a make belief cuckoo world of TV Studio Warfare, superbly engrossed in loudmouth rhetoric by hired commentators that for them the line between ‘Virtual’ and ‘Real’ has completely vanished”!
Recalling the Ministry of External Affairs’s statement in on Aug 28, 2017, stating that both India and China have agreed on “expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam”, Surjewala said then in October, PM Modi had taken on his ‘critics’ and came very close to acknowledge ‘victory’ at Doklam.
Citing media reports that the Chinese made 1.3km of the road inside Arunachal Pradesh too before they were stopped and their equipments were finally seized, he asked that “Will Shri Modi acknowledge that there is a fresh threat to our borders now?”
In response to a question, he said the BJP is so consumed in headlines management, false bravado, self-promotion that it has conveniently forgotten that serious issues of national security.
However, he said the Congress party is in favour of resolving the conflict at Doklam through diplomatic means.
To a question on rape cases in Haryana, the Congress demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatter saying under his command “Haryana has become a crime hub”,
Khatter is unable to check the sexual predators as also the crimes against the daughters and women of Haryana, he has no right to continue even for a day, Surjewala said.
The NCRB data reflects that there were 1,198 rape cases in Haryana in 2016 and 191 gang rape cases. In fact, Haryana has got the highest average of gang rape cases in the country now.
“The latest incident of murder, gang rape with a Dalit girl and mutilation of her body in a most inhumane manner is a stark reminder of the failure of the BJP Government, he said.
Prime Minister and BJP Government at the Center cannot shirk responsibility for the border of Haryana and Delhi is porous and criminals tend to travel across the two States freely and without any checks and balances, he added.
“The truth also remains that the State which said that we will start the movement of ‘Beti Bachao’, the most number of gang rape and rape cases are happening in that very State and it is all happening on account of ignorance, apathy of an incompetent Government, which has failed to check crime”.
On the question of screening of ‘Padmavat’, Surjewala avoided the direct answer pleading that the matter is “subjudice”.
“Once the matter is subjudice, we should await the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”
When asked Congress’ reaction on Assaduddin Owaisi’s statement on triple talaq bill, he said what we can say about a person who often works on the agenda of BJP as its B-team.
