Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari on Tuesday criticised External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar's stance on China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh, labeling it as "weak" and not befitting the stature of the Indian government and its top diplomat.
Tewari's criticism comes after Jaishankar on Monday dismissed China's assertion over Arunachal Pradesh. This came after China released a fourth list containing 30 new names for different locations in the northeastern state.
"If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect...Our army is deployed there (Line of Actual Control)..." the minister was quoted by ANI as saying at a briefing in Gujarat's Surat.
Tewari's criticism was triggered by Jaishankar's analogy during a statement where he questioned the validity of China's claim, comparing it to changing the name of someone's house. He rhetorically asked, "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine?" Tewari interpreted this response as feeble, asserting that such a reaction was inadequate, especially coming from the External Affairs Minister.
At a press conference, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, "EAM S Jaishankar gave a wonderful statement yesterday. He said, "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine?"...Such a weak response does not suit the Government of India and the External Affairs Minister of the country...Those who have been espousing muscularity about Katchatheevu, it is unfortunate and regrettable that they are scared of even uttering the word China."
The Congress MP further highlighted what he perceived as a contradiction in India's approach, referencing the government's assertive stance on territorial issues in the past. Tewari pointed out that those who had previously advocated for a robust response in matters like the sovereignty of Katchatheevu seemed reluctant to address China's claims directly. He characterized this apparent hesitation as "unfortunate" and "regrettable," insinuating a lack of consistency in India's diplomatic posture.
On Monday, Jaishankar echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim about the Opposition's role in the Katchatheevu island dispute. He stated that the country's first Prime Minister intended to hand over the island to Sri Lanka.
The matter goes back to 1974 when the government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi acknowledged that the island belonged to Sri Lanka as per the India-Sri Lanka maritime agreement. Recently, the issue gained attention again due to a media report citing an RTI response received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai regarding the 1974 pact.
Jaishankar said, "Today, it is important for the public to know and the people to judge, this issue has been hidden too long from the gaze of the public."
"... We are talking about 1958 and 1960... The main people in the case wanted to make sure that at least we should get the fishing rights... The island was given away in 1974 and the fishing rights were given away in 1976... One, the most basic recurring (aspect) is the indifference shown by the then central government and the PMs about the territory of India...
"That fact is they simply did not care...," Jaishankar said in his press conference.