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Congress veteran Sam Pitroda, who heads the party's overseas unit, has courted a new controversy after claiming that the threat from China is often blown out of proportion. His suggestion that India needs to stop considering China as an enemy drew a sharp backlash with the ruling BJP calling out the Congress party over its "obsessive fascination for China".
The remarks by Mr Pitroda, who is not unknown to controversies, follow his leader Rahul Gandhi's assertion in the parliament that India had lost a part of its territory to China, a claim that has been trashed by the government. Speaking to IANS, the Congress leader claimed that India's approach to China has been confrontational and that mindset needed to change.
"I don't understand the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has a tendency to define an enemy. I believe the time has come for all nations to collaborate, not confront. Our approach has been confrontational from the very beginning, and this attitude creates enemies, which in turn garners support within the country. We need to change this mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy from day one," he said in the interview.
The reply came to a question on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump would be able to control the threats from China.
Hitting back, the BJP said the crux of the Congress's obsession with China lies in a 2008 Memorandum for Understanding between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party, the party that runs the neighbouring country.
"Those who ceded away 40,000 square km of our land to China, still see no threat from the Dragon. No wonder Rahul Gandhi is in awe of China and was rooting for BRI one day before the IMEEC was announced. The crux of Congress party's obsessive fascination for China, lies hidden in the mysterious 2008 Cong-CCP MOU," said the BJP's national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha.
China has been among the US' major headaches in view of security concerns and trade implications. India too has been engaged in a border dispute with China, which was marked by violent clashes in 2020.
The opposition in India claims the country had lost a chunk of its land to China during these clashes - a claim that resurfaced in Mr Gandhi's parliament speech earlier this month. Mr Gandhi had claimed China has control over 4,000 sq km of Indian territory, which was refuted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Pradeep Bhandari, another BJP spokesperson, pointed out that Mr Pitroda is a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and accused the Congress of prioritising China's interest above India's.
"Rahul Gandhi's right-hand man Sam Pitroda : 'China isn't our enemy'! This man sings endless praises of China while Congress party's signing of MoU in 2008 reveals a cozy betrayal of India's interests & prioritising China's! It's crazy how Congress always manages to keep China & Pakistan's interests above ours,"
"Rahul Gandhi's remote control is in the hand of George Soros and China," alleged Mr Bhandari, referring to the billionaire philanthropist accused of trying to influence global politics through his Open Society Foundation.