‘Nehru’s Betrayal’: BJP Vs Congress Showdown Over India-China Border Dispute

Last Updated:January 05, 2025, 14:32 IST

The BJP-Congress faceoff came after India lodged a solemn protest over two new Chinese counties in Hotan prefecture, parts of which included territories in Ladakh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress faced off again over China’s alleged territorial expansion, after India lodged a “solemn protest” over the creation of two new Chinese counties in Hotan prefecture, saying they included areas in Ladakh.

In a strong reaction on Friday, External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged the creation of new “so-called counties” in China’s Hotan Prefecture, parts of which fall in India’s Union Territory of Ladakh.

“We have never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian Territory in this area. Creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India’s long-standing and consistent position regarding our sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China’s illegal and forcible occupation of the same. We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels on this matter,” Jaiswal said.

The MEA spokesperson’s speech was used by the Congress to reinforce that the BJP government had lied to the public over China’s territorial expansions on Indian land, accusing Prime Minister Modi of giving a “clean chit” to the neighbouring country. The party also attached an old video of PM Modi refuting reports of Chinese occupation of Indian territories.

‘Congress Cannot Get Away With Such Lies’

In a strongly-worded response, BJP IT Cell In-Charge Amit Malviya blasted Congress for speaking on Chinese annexation of Indian territory despite it happening during former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure, in which the infamous war of 1962 took place.

“Imagine blaming Prime Minister Modi for Nehru’s betrayal! Congress has the dishonesty to speak of Chinese annexation of Indian territory, despite the fact that all of it occurred during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister,” Malviya said.

The BJP leader provided details about the two counties – He’an and Hekang. Several parts of teh He’an county were occupied by China from 1959 to 1962 amid growing border tensions between the two countries.

“The significance of He’an County lies in the G219 Highway, which China formally opened in 1957. Prime Minister Nehru acknowledged its construction in Parliament in 1959. Key features of He’an County include:

• Haji Langar: Occupied by China in 1959; an Indian patrol was detained here in 1958.
• Qizil Jilga: Captured by China in 1962.
• Chung Tash: Occupied by China in 1962.
• Dehra Compas: Taken over by China in 1961.
• Shamal Lungpa: Seized by China in October 1959, close to the site of a 1959 attack on an Indian patrol.”

“Congress cannot get away with such lies, even if Rahul Gandhi thinks otherwise,” he added, sharing a video of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who strongly asserted that all Indian territories occupied by China was captured between 1958-1962 under Nehru’s tenure.

“China has violated agreements and sent a large number of troops to the border, but the country shiuld take pride that despite the Covid, we counter-deployed, we have sent troops in record numbers to the border. The country should be supportive of the military,” Jaishankar was heard saying at the Viksit Bharat programme.

India Objects To China’s Mega Dam Proposal

Meanwhile, India also objected to China’s proposed plan to build a mega dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet. There have been apprehensions that the dam will have adversely impact the ecological balance of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

“We have seen the information released by Xinhua on 25th December 2024 regarding a hydropower project on the Yarlung-Tsangpo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China,” Jaiswal said during the briefing.

“As a lower riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through expert level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over mega projects on rivers in their territory. These have been reiterated alongwith the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries following the latest report,” he added.

Jaiswal further said the Chinese side has been urged to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas. China’s announcement on the dam also caused concerns in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The latest hurdle in India-China ties came weeks after the two countries ended an over four-and-a-half-year border standoff and announced steps to reduce mistrust. Following an understanding reached on October 21, the two sides completed the disengagement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang.