New Delhi:

Congress veteran Sam Pitroda, who heads the party’s overseas unit, has courted a new controversy after claiming that the threat from China is often blown out of proportion. His suggestion that India needs to stop considering China as an enemy drew a sharp backlash with the ruling BJP calling out the Congress party over its “obsessive fascination for China”.

The remarks by Mr Pitroda, who is not unknown to controversies, follow his leader Rahul Gandhi’s assertion in the parliament that India had lost a part of its territory to China, a claim that has been trashed by the government. Speaking to IANS, the Congress leader claimed that India’s approach to China has been confrontational and that mindset needed to change.

“I don’t understand the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has a tendency to define an enemy. I believe the time has come for all nations to collaborate, not confront. Our approach has been confrontational from the very beginning, and this attitude creates enemies, which in turn garners support within the country. We need to change this mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy from day one,” he said in the interview.

The reply came to a question on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump would be able to control the threats from China.

Hitting back, the BJP said the crux of the Congress’s obsession with China lies in a 2008 Memorandum for Understanding between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party, the party that runs the neighbouring country.

“Those who ceded away 40,000 square km of our land to China, still see no threat from the Dragon. No wonder Rahul Gandhi is in awe of China and was rooting for BRI one day before the IMEEC was announced. The crux of Congress party’s obsessive fascination for China, lies hidden in the mysterious 2008 Cong-CCP MOU,” said the BJP’s national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha.

China has been among the US’ major headaches in view of security concerns and trade implications. India too has been engaged in a border dispute with China, which was marked by violent clashes in 2020.

The opposition in India claims the country had lost a chunk of its land to China during these clashes – a claim that resurfaced in Mr Gandhi’s parliament speech earlier this month. Mr Gandhi had claimed China has control over 4,000 sq km of Indian territory, which was refuted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Pradeep Bhandari, another BJP spokesperson, pointed out that Mr Pitroda is a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and accused the Congress of prioritising China’s interest above India’s.

“Rahul Gandhi’s right-hand man Sam Pitroda : ‘China isn’t our enemy’! This man sings endless praises of China while Congress party’s signing of MoU in 2008 reveals a cozy betrayal of India’s interests & prioritising China’s! It’s crazy how Congress always manages to keep China & Pakistan’s interests above ours,”

“Rahul Gandhi’s remote control is in the hand of George Soros and China,” alleged Mr Bhandari, referring to the billionaire philanthropist accused of trying to influence global politics through his Open Society Foundation.

New Delhi:

Congress veteran and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Sam Pitroda has said the threat from China is often blown out of proportion, and it is time to recognise and respect that country.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Mr Pitroda was categorical in his take on India-China relations saying that there is a need to change India’s mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy.

He said that India’s approach has been confrontational from the beginning. “Our attitude is that of confrontation from day one, and that attitude creates enemies, and that creates certain support in the country. I think we need to change that pattern to assume that China is the enemy from day one. It is not just to China, but to everyone…”

“I don’t know what is the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has the habit of defining an enemy,” he said.

The Congress leader said the time has come for all nations to come together. “I think the time has come for all of us to learn, increase communication, collaborate, operate and co-create and not have this command and control mindset. China is around… China is growing .. you know you got to recognise that and respect that … Every other country is going to grow, some will grow faster, some will grow slower. Those who are very poor have to grow faster, those who are well-accomplished and developed will have slower growth. Those who are developed will also have an ageing population, while those who are developing will have a young population. We will have to look at all these things together,” he said.

Mr Pitroda’s remarks come amid heightened discussions surrounding the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which included discussions on India-China border tensions.

During their joint press conference on February 13, Trump offered to help mediate the ongoing India-China tensions, signalling a willingness for the US to play a role in de-escalating the situation.

India swiftly dismissed Trump’s offer to mediate in its border dispute with China.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India has maintained a bilateral approach in handling its disputes, including those with China. “Whatever issues we have with any of our neighbours, we have always adopted a bilateral approach to dealing with these issues. It’s no different between India and China. We have been discussing any issues that we have with them on a bilateral plane, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)