The 1962 India-China war was a “dark and humiliating chapter” in the country’s history due to the then political leadership headed by the Congress, said Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
“October 20 to November 21, 1962, will forever be etched as a dark and humiliating chapter in the history of Independent India,” Chandrasekhar, who is the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, posted on social media platform X.
Chandrasekhar blamed the “Hindi-Chini bhai bhai” policy for the setback then suffered by India.
“That was the time when thousands of Indians and numerous members of our armed forces paid with their lives for the delusional ‘Hindi-Chini bhai bhai’ policy followed by the then political leadership of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and his Leftist Defence Minister, Krishna Menon,” he said.
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The minister added that the country “bore the cost of this weak and delusional leadership”, and had to endure “global humiliation”.
“It caused unforgivable damage to the morale of our armed forces, who, despite being ill-equipped, fought valiantly until the last bullet and even with bayonets and bare hands, causing heavy casualties to the enemies. Many heroes fought to protect India and sacrificed their lives,” Chandrasekhar further tweeted.
The “weak leadership” was responsible for India ending up losing around 38,000 square kilometers of its land due to the war, he said, adding that in the days to come, he would continue to “refresh memories about the cost that nations bear as a result of weak leaders”.
The minister’s sharp statement comes at a time when the Congress has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-China standoff in eastern Ladakh region of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The row, which erupted in April-May 2020, is yet to be completely resolved despite multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks.
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Updated: 25 Oct 2023, 08:22 PM IST