Congress helped China's cause by weakening India's internal strength, global credibility: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday charged the Congress with promoting narratives that weaken India's position against China as it hit out at the opposition party for criticising the Modi government's handling of challenges posed by the neighbouring country.

"If China is arming Pakistan and using it as a testing ground for its military hardware, it raises a serious question. Why has the Congress party consistently promoted narratives that weaken India's position against China," BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said.

He was responding to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a top Army official said China provided all possible support to Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor.

Ramesh said the government must agree to a discussion on India-China relations in Parliament so that a consensus can be built for a collective response to the geopolitical and economic challenges that the neighbouring country poses to India, directly and through Pakistan.

This is the same China that completely destroyed the status quo in Ladakh five years ago but to which Modi gave "a public clean chit" on June 19, 2020, he said.

Hitting back, Malviya cited several incidents to back his charge that the Congress' stand seeks to weaken India's position.

He said on X, "If China is using Pakistan to destabilise India, Congress, knowingly, has helped China's cause by weakening India's internal strength and global credibility."

"Here are some facts Rahul Gandhi and the Congress cannot deny, he said, and claimed that after the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Indian government and repeated China's false claims "instead of backing the Indian Army".

His statement that "China has taken our land" was used by the Chinese state media to justify their aggression, Malviya said on X.

During the tense standoff at Doklam in 2017, Rahul Gandhi "quietly met" with Chinese officials at the Chinese embassy in Delhi, and no justification or explanation was ever given to the people of India, he said.

He added, "When the government took strong steps to ban Chinese apps like TikTok and PUBG, Congress leaders opposed the move, calling it emotional and reactionary. This, despite clear evidence that these platforms were misused to collect data and strengthen China's digital footprint."

The BJP leader also targeted the Opposition party over China's financial contributions to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. This represents a serious conflict of interest and a threat to national security, he alleged.

Malviya said, "The Congress has consistently taken a soft and compromising line on China, whether in public debate, policy positions, or private dealings."

He asserted that India needs a strong and clear-headed leadership on national security. "Not a party that is confused in its priorities or compromised in its loyalties."

Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said on Friday that China used Pakistan to "cause pain" to India, and it was providing all possible support to its all-weather ally during the four-day conflict between the Indian and Pakistani militaries in May.

In an address at industry chamber FICCI, the senior official said China also used the India-Pakistan conflict like a "live lab" to test various weapon systems.