New Delhi: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi currently in Japan and scheduled to visit China next, the Congress on Friday alleged that India is being “compelled” to normalise ties with Beijing, largely on China’s terms, as it seeks to exploit the strain in Indo-US relations.
The opposition also criticised the prime minister, saying while he is busy with foreign tours, the people of Manipur — still suffering since the violence of May 2023 — await his presence.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “The Frequently Flying (and more frequently lying) Prime Minister is off to Japan and China. His China visit is a moment of reckoning for India, as we are being forced to normalise relations on Beijing’s terms, with China trying to take advantage of the downturn in Indo-US ties.”
He further alleged that China’s partnership with Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor” — acknowledged by India’s own military establishment — has been forgotten. Ramesh also recalled the prime minister’s controversial statement of June 19, 2020, that “na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai” (no one has entered our territory, nor is anyone inside it), claiming it severely weakened India’s negotiating position.
“The failure to restore the pre-April 2020 status quo is the direct result of that cowardly clean chit,” he said.
On Manipur, Ramesh accused the PM of ignoring the crisis: “Even as he jets abroad, the long-suffering people of Manipur are still waiting for him to visit and help heal the wounds. But he has stubbornly refused to engage with the state’s leaders, parties, civil society, or its people. He has simply washed his hands off Manipur, which remains a tragic testimony to the failures of the Union Home Minister.”
Meanwhile, ahead of his tour, Modi expressed confidence that the visit would serve India’s national interests, strengthen partnerships, and contribute to regional and global peace.
On the first leg, Modi is in Japan (August 29–30) and arrived in Tokyo this morning. In his departure statement, he said the trip would deepen civilisational and cultural ties between the two nations.
From Japan, the PM will travel to Tianjin, China, on August 31–September 1 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. He is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, with talks likely focusing on steps to stabilise relations strained since the eastern Ladakh border standoff.
