Congress Manifesto 2024: What 'Nyay Patra' Says About India's Relations With Maldives, China, And Pakistan

The Congress Manifesto 2024, titled 'Nyay Patra, promises to focus on repairing relations with India's neighbours and also work on the issues with Maldives, Sri Lanka, and China.

The Congress Manifesto 2024 for the Lok Sabha elections released on Friday promised to repair India's relations with the Maldives, a favourite holiday destination for Indians. The manifesto also assured that if the Congress won, it would work to restore the status quo ante along the borders with China. "We will work to restore the status quo ante on our borders with China and to ensure that areas where both armies patrolled in the past are again accessible to our soldiers. We will take the necessary steps to adjust our policy towards China until this is achieved," the manifesto, titled 'Nyay Patra, promised.

Congress Manifesto 2024: Foreign Policy

The Congress in its manifesto's 'foreign policy' section, accused the BJP-led NDA government of moving away from India's consensus on the nation's foreign policy on the ongoing Gaza conflict. Congress pledges to restore India’s global reputation as a voice of peace and moderation in world affairs. It promised to strengthen India’s role in multilateral institutions and coordinate positions with other countries of the Global South on vital issues.

The Congress said that it was aligned with the interests of India's producers and consumers and would try to complete pending trade deals.

Accusing the BJP government of intolerance and suppression of human rights, the Congress said that it would repair the damage that India’s global image had suffered due to the Centre's policies.

The party said that it would "re-establish" the special relations with Nepal and Bhutan for mutual benefit. "Congress will pay greater attention to our immediate neighbours... We will enhance economic and cultural relations between India and Bangladesh that are the two most populous countries in South Asia," the manifesto further read.

It has also promised to restore the political and commercial relations with Sri Lanka and help resolve its political issues, especially in the context of Tamils". "We will repair relations with the Maldives and work with Myanmar to protect the political and human rights of the people of Myanmar," it added.

On the matter of how to take further the bilateral relations with Pakistan, the Congress has put the ball in the neighbour's court, saying that  India's level of "engagement will depend on its willingness and ability to end cross-border terrorism".

Congress Manifesto 2024 On China

The Congress manifesto mentioned that Chinese intrusions in Ladakh and the 2020 Galwan clash were the "biggest setbacks to Indian national 
security in decades". The Congress also accused PM Narendra Modi of giving a "clean chit" to China and weakening India's position on the negotiation table. "Despite 21 rounds of military-level talks, Chinese troops continue to occupy Indian territory and deny Indian forces access to 26 out of 65 patrolling points, equivalent to an area of 2,000 square km in eastern Ladakh. A Chinese buildup in Doklam threatens the Siliguri Corridor that connects northeast India with the rest of the country," the Nyay Patra further read.