'China-guru': Jaishankar's veiled attack at Rahul Gandhi in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday launched a veiled attack at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha, dubbing him as "China-guru" and alleging that such people got their knowledge on China by attending Olympics in Beijing and by taking special tuitions from the Chinese Ambassador.

Jaishankar asserted that he, unlike the "China-Gurus", did not hold any secret meetings or deals during his recent visit to China, where he discussed terrorism, de-escalation and trade, besides issues of mutual interest between the two countries.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had attended the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a special invitee.

He said that the cooperation between Pakistan and China started in the 1960s, but the previous governments in India did not deal with the neighbour properly.

The minister said there has been talk of a China-Pakistan connection by some, who have alleged that he was not doing enough on China, even though he has spent 41 years in foreign service and has been the longest-serving Indian Ambassador in China.

"But there are 'China-gurus' now and one sir is sitting across from me, whose affection for China is so great that he made a deal between India and China - 'Chindia'. They had so much love for China.

"Besides him, there is another 'China Guru'. There may have been some shortcomings on my part on China, as I did not get China teaching by going to the China Olympics, as I was not invited and was not a special person. Some people got their China knowledge by going to the Olympics there. But, whom did they meet there? They did not just meet the Chinese, but also others," the minister said.

His reference to 'Chindia' was to a phrase coined by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who said "Chindia is still a vibrant idea".

"But, when you take the Olympics classroom, some things are left out and then one has to take private tuitions from the Chinese Ambassador after inviting them at home.

"This 'China guru' says that China and Pakistan have come very close, which is the reality. They came together as we left PoK," Jaishankar noted.

"By saying that he is giving a warning... were you sleeping in the history class. This cooperation and strategic partnership grew during the UPA regime, as Chinese companies were invited to invest in India," he said.

Referring to talk by the opposition about national security, Jaishankar said the biggest damage for India in the last 20 years in sea was the Chinese occupation of Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, but the then government did not act on it.

"The China-guru gives us lectures on China, they should understand that this happened during their era," he asserted.

Referring to his recent visit to China, he said, "during my visit to China, whatever I did and discussed was publicly open. It was clear, I discussed terrorism, I discussed de-escalation and I discussed restrictions on trade which China has put." "I made it clear that relations with China will develop only on three mutuals -- mutual interest, mutual sensitivity, mutual respect.

"Unlike some other people, I made no secret meetings, I did no secret deals. That only Olympic people did, only China-gurus do such things and not normal people," the external affairs minister said.

Jaishankar has been accused by the Opposition by not talking about China enough and being soft on it despite the border transgressions by the Chinese Army.