New Delhi: The Congress party has once again questioned PM Narendra Modi-led government's approach towards conflict with China in Ladakh and said that the strategy of the Centre is 'DDLJ-Deny, Distract, Lie, Justify'.


"Since May 2020, the Modi government’s preferred strategy to deal with the Chinese incursions in Ladakh has been summed up with DDLJ - Deny, Distract, Lie, Justify," the statement read.


Ramesh said, " External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent remarks attacking the Congress party are simply the latest attempt to divert attention from the Modi government’s failed China policy, the most recent revelation being that since May 2020 India has lost access to 26 of 65 patrolling points in Ladakh."


"The fact is that there is no comparison between 1962, when India went to war with China to defend its territory, and 2020 after which India has acquiesced to Chinese aggression with denials followed by ‘disengagements’ in which India has lost access to thousands of square kilometres of territory." he added.


The statement further read, "EAM Jaishankar’s implied cheap shot at Shri Rahul Gandhi for meeting the Chinese ambassador in 2017 is ironic to say the least coming from someone who as ambassador to the US during the Obama administration presumably met with leading Republicans. Are opposition leaders not entitled to meet diplomats from countries that are important from a trade, investment and security standpoint?"


He said that the Modi government should have been truthful from the start and taken the opposition into confidence by discussing the China crisis in parliamentary standing committees and debating the issue in Parliament.


"At a very minimum it should have held detailed briefings for leaders of major political parties," he mentioned.


The remarks came in response to the comments made by EAM Dr. S Jaishankar on the 1962 Indo-China war and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 2017 tweet about meeting the 'Chinese ambassador' for information on the India-China conflict.






Raising doubts over India-China relations, Ramesh added, "It is extraordinary that EAM Jaishankar has admitted on several occasions that he has no idea why China has turned aggressive on the Line of Actual Control, notwithstanding the unusually frequent contacts between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping and the PM’s boast that he enjoys a special ‘Plus One’ relationship with President Xi."


He alleged that the Modi government is covering up 'India’s biggest territorial setback in decades'.


"No amount of obfuscation can hide the fact that the Modi government has sought to cover up India’s biggest territorial setback in decades that followed PM Modi’s naive wooing of President Xi. We suggest that EAM Jaishankar and the government spend more time trying to get Chinese troops out of Depsang and Demchok and less time on blaming the opposition for their own incompetence," he further added.


EAM S Jaishankar's Comments 


Notably, EAM S Jaishankar on Saturday took a dig at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and said that whenever there is a lack of understanding, he will approach the country’s military and intelligence but not the Chinese ambassador for the sake of news. 


He said that sometimes people say there is "soch me kami" (lack of understanding) in him but in that case, he will approach the military leadership, Army, or Intelligence. 


"I will not call the Chinese ambassador and seek information," he said. 


The remark was regarding Rahul Gandhi’s 2017 tweet when India and China were locked in a standoff on the border area along Bhutan. Then, Rahul Gandhi had said that he met the ambassadors of the two neighbouring countries. 


"It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador," Gandhi had tweeted.


The minister further said, "Sometimes, they talk about some land, which was taken by China in 1962. But they will not tell you the truth. They will give you the impression that this thing happened yesterday."


Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had last September said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given "100 square kilometres of Indian territory" to China "without a fight," and asked the government how it will be taken back.