As the political battle over the Chinese incursions intensified on Thursday with the ruling BJP alleging that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received funds from the Embassy of the People Republic of China, the Congress hit back by putting up posters of BJP leaders meeting Chinese leaders and officials.
Ladakh face-off | BJP attacks Congress over Chinese funds
Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar called the allegations regarding the Raiv Gandhi Foundation a ‘new low’ in India’s politics and said “It needs to be rejected with the contempt it deserves”.
Senior leader Anand Sharma, who heads the Congress party’s cell for Foreign Affairs, responded to the allegations with a series of questions on Twitter.
“Did BJP president Amit Shah not receive Minister Wang Jiarui in February 2015 along with BJP General Secretaries Ram Madhav, Ram Lal, Bhupendra Yadav and Foreign Department head Vijai Chauthawale?” Mr Sharma asked, tagging a photograph of Mr Shah, then the BJP chief, shaking hands with the Chinese dignitary.
Calling party-to-party exchange programmes as a ‘routine happening’ Mr Sharma also clarified that former party chief Rahul Gandhi in 2008 had signed an exchange programme with the youth wing of the Chinese Communist Party.
“BJP, rattled by the disastrous handling of India's foreign policy, has launched a malicious disinformation campaign against the Congress on signing a party-to-party exchange programme with CPC of China, alleging it was against India’s interest, is mischievous disinformation,” Mr. Sharma said.
“Did not a ten member BJP Mahila delegation led by Saroj Pandey, MP and present General Secretary visit China as CPC guests? Did a BJP delegation led by G.S. Arun Kumar visit China in 2019? Can the BJP President @JPNadda confirm that BJP and Communist Party of China too have institutional leadership delegation exchange?” Mr. Sharma asked.
