‘Rahul Gandhi is indisciplined and unpredictable’: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on India-China Tawang border clash row

New Delhi: Days after Rahul Gandhi said that China is preparing for war but the Indian government is “deep in slumber” without realising the gravity of the situation, Union Law Minister on Wednesday slammed the Congress MP for his irresponsible remarks on a highly sensitive issue.  Rijiju also labelled Rahul Gandhi as an indisciplined and unpredictable type of leader who speaks anything and uses any words.

“I don't want to comment on Rahul Gandhi, he is an indisciplined and unpredictable type of leader who speaks anything and uses any words, which isn't good for him,” Union Law Minister said while replying to a question on Union Health Minister's letter to Congress MP for suspending the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the best interest of nation amid fresh concerns over Covid-19.

 

Delhi | I don't want to comment on Rahul Gandhi, he is an indisciplined & unpredictable type of leader who speaks anything and uses any words, which isn't good for him: Union min Kiren Rijiju on Union health minister's letter to Rahul Gandhi on covid protocol in Bharat Jodo Yatra pic.twitter.com/F0eqdWemCU — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022

 

Reacting to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion in Parliament on the Sino-India border dispute, the Law Minister cited past instances when the UPA government had denied deliberations in the House on such matters and said it is not good to rake up sensitive issues politically.

 

In 2005, when we were in opposition & raised the China border issue, the then leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee & then PM Manmohan Singh said that instead of discussing it in Parliament, we should deal with it internally as the issue is sensitive: Union min Kiren Rijiju pic.twitter.com/VmlUaMyivp — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022

 

Speaking to reporters in Parliament complex, Rijiju said the border issue is very sensitive and there is a convention in Parliament of not discussing such matters in the House. "You would recall that in 2005 when I was in the Opposition I had raised the issue of the China border. Then, the late Pranab Mukherjee was the Leader of the House and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called me and said China border issue is very sensitive, therefore, it should not be discussed in Parliament and should be dealt with internally. We did not press," he said.

 

Delhi | After that, we didn't raise the issue. Congress is forgetting that and is raising a sensitive issue which isn't good. It was congress who didn't work on infrastructure at border areas: Union min Kiren Rijiju pic.twitter.com/96Qj9mBXi1 — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022

 

In 2008, when the Chinese President visited India, BJP had once again demanded a discussion and gave a notice in Lok Sabha, he recalled. "Then Mukherjee once again said the issue should not be raised in Parliament and the government would internally look into the issues (relating to China) and the solutions would be conveyed personally and not through Parliament," the Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh said.

Then Leader of the Opposition L K Advani had agreed not to press for a discussion as the matter was sensitive, he said. "Today, the same Congress party is repeatedly demanding a discussion. One should think about what is important in the national interest. It is not good to rake up a sensitive issue politically and mislead (people)," Rijiju said.

Congress’ Wayanad MP had on Friday said that China is preparing for war but the Indian government is “deep in slumber” without realising the gravity of the situation. China’s preparations were not just for incursions, but for a full-scale war, he added.

“If you look at China’s weapon pattern, it is clear that they are preparing for a full [military] offensive. In contrast, our government is asleep and is not able to accept it,” Gandhi said while alleging that the BJP government was working on events rather than dealing with the matter strategically.

Addressing a press conference on the completion of 100 days of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said while the threat from China was very clear, which he had been pointing out for quite some time, the government was trying to conceal and ignore it. 

He also alleged that China, which occupied 2,000 sq. km of Indian territory and killed 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan in 2020, was now thrashing the jawans in Arunachal Pradesh.

It may be recalled that the Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9 in the first such major flare-up after the deadly hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

Since then, top opposition parties, including Congress, have been demanding a debate in both Houses on the China border issue. The Winter session of Parliament, which began on December 7, is likely to conclude on Friday.