India being ‘forced to normalise on China’s terms,’ Congress tears into Modi ahead of Xi meet

Jairam Ramesh claimed Beijing is exploiting soured Indo-US ties while the PM, still avoiding Manipur, risks talks with no restoration of the pre-2020 status quo.

New Delhi: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a visit to Japan and then scheduled to travel to China, the Congress on Friday alleged that India is being "forced" to normalise its relations with China which is "trying to take advantage of the downturn in Indo-US ties".

The opposition party also took a swipe at the prime minister, saying the long-suffering people of Manipur are still awaiting his visit but he has "simply washed his hands off" the state.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The Frequently Flying (and more frequently lying) Prime Minister is off to Japan and China."

"His visit to China is a moment of some reckoning for India. We are being forced to normalise relations with China -- largely on their terms, with China trying to take advantage of the downturn in Indo-US ties as well," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"China's jugalbandi with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor - revealed by our own military establishment itself - has been forgotten," the Congress leader said.

"The extraordinarily bizarre statement of the Prime Minister of June 19, 2020, when he proclaimed that 'Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai' greatly hurt our negotiating strength," Ramesh claimed.

It left India with little room to manoeuvre and this visit, despite the failure to restore the pre-April 2020 status quo, is the inevitable result of that "notorious and cowardly clean chit", he said.

"Even as the PM jets off abroad, the long-suffering people of Manipur are still awaiting his visit there to heal the wounds of May 2023," he said.

But the PM simply and "stubbornly refuses" to engage with the state, its political parties and leaders, civil society organisations, and the people themselves, he alleged.

"He (Modi) has simply washed his hands off Manipur - which stands as a tragic testimony to the blundering of the Union Home Minister," Ramesh claimed.

Embarking on a tour of Japan and China, Prime Minister Modi on Thursday exuded confidence that the visit would further national interests and priorities, and contribute to building fruitful cooperation in advancing regional and global peace.

In the first leg of his trip, Modi is visiting Japan on August 29 to 30, and he arrived in Tokyo this morning.

In his departure statement, Prime Minister Modi said his visit to Japan will be an opportunity to strengthen civilisational bonds and cultural ties between the two countries.

From Japan, Modi will travel to China on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1.

On Sunday, the prime minister is set to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that is expected to focus on further steps to normalise bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border row.