A major betrayal: Congress-led Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from China and PMNRF

At a time when the Congress was posturing as the ultimate custodian of all bilateral and strategic relations knowledge, and accusing PM Modi of getting his foreign policy wrong, the grand old party has once again been made to eat crow. Yesterday, it was revealed that the Congress party, in fact, has been having financial dealings with the People’s Republic of China, or the CCP, as the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from China. Morever, it has also been revealed that the same ‘think tank’ received funds from the PMNRF.

In 2006, the Chinese embassy had donated close to INR 10 lakh to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which is an alleged social betterment initiative of the Congress. Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the said trust, while Rahul Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Priyanka Vadra and P Chidambaram were named trustees.

As a matter of fact, Congress’ foundation had been receiving large sums of money from the People’s Republic of China not just for a single year, but even subsequent years after 2005-2006. These generous ‘donations’ by the CCP, for the following years, were specifically for the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies (RGICS), New Delhi. An undisclosed amount was also donated in the year 2005-2006 to the RGICS by the CCP. The CCP meanwhile, in the year 2006-2007, donated 90 lakh rupees to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. In two years alone, the foundation received over 1 crore rupees from China.

The Congress-run RGF, having received large sums of money from China, went on to launch a study in 2009-2010, by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies, which advocated an immediate ‘Free Trade Agreement’ between India and China, propounding that the same would be much more beneficial to India.

The foundation, in the previous year, also conducted seminars examining trade and investments between India and China and conducted a “China-India Financial conference”. In the same year, RGICS launched two major projects/studies relating to China.

The FTA study conducted by the RGICS, read, “The study concluded that ‘there are always losers and gainers in the regional and free trade agreements. India and China can balance the gains and losses through an FTA. Therefore, both governments should decide to enter into FTA negotiations. The proposed FTA between India and China will be feasible, desirable and mutually beneficial. An FTA between India and China should also be comprehensive, with a free flow of goods, services, investment and capital.”

A free trade agreement between India and China would essentially mean that the borders of the two countries would be opened for imports and exports, with little to no government interference and tariffs in the free-flowing trade. To put it simple, India would become a dumping ground for substandard Chinese goods, which would obviously widen the trade deficit in favour of China.

Is it a coincidence that the Congress-run Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and RGICS, after having received hefty payments from the CCP, advocated for a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries? Moreover, the study was a glowing exaltation of China, and it does not tire from praising the country which funded it.

Although the FTA did not fructify officially, it would not be much of an understatement to say that the Congress ensured that the trade scales tilt heavily in favor of the Chinese. The UPA governments worked overtime to ensure that the trade deficit widens in favor of China. When UPA 1 assumed office in 2005, the trade deficit with China was about USD 1.1 to 1.5 billion. By the time they exited in 2014, the deficit stood at a glaring USD 36 billion. Under UPA 2, the time when the RGICS began vouching for a Free Trade Agreement, the trade deficit between the two countries grew by over 80 per cent.

Interestingly also, the trade deficit between India and China began skyrocketing after a secret and shady MoU was signed between the Congress party, and the government of China, which is the CCP. The said MoU was signed in August 2008. The MoU allegedly provides the two parties the opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments. As such, the Congress and CCP sharing a deep and intimate sense of understanding on even contentious bilateral issues should not come as a surprise any longer.

The RGF also received funds from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, PMNRF, at least thrice from 2005 to 2008. 

When it comes to compromising national security and sovereignty, the Congress emerges as an indisputable winner. According to reports, China had occupied 640 sq. kms of Indian land in Eastern Ladakh during UPA 2 rule. In April 2013, Chinese troops had come into the Depsang plains close to Daulat Beg Oldie in order to stall the construction work of the crucial and strategic DSDBO road. The land grab in 2013 by the PLA happened right after India had signed nine agreements, including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA), in March that year.

The Manmohan Singh government, run by Sonia Gandhi, was willing to lie prostrate before Pakistan and ‘surrender’ the Siachen Glacier to the rogue nation. The Glacier was secured by India in 1984, as a result of the brilliant Operation Meghdoot. Since then, more than 879 brave Indian soldiers have given up their lives, all to protect the icy glacier that stands as a symbol of India’s resolve to not surrender an inch of Indian territory to Pakistan. That the Indian government could even consider letting the supreme sacrifices of our soldiers go in vain, defies all logic. It took vigorous opposition from the military and defence quarters of India to prevent such a disastrous surrender from taking place.

Congress is like that organ which stops working for the betterment of the body, and instead makes it a mission to cause unprecedented harm. How Congress has the temerity to question the Modi government on the issue of national security is something that we cannot wrap our heads around. The latest expose, which shows the Congress having indirectly received large sums of money from China, goes on to show that the party has, in recent years, abandoned all its responsibilities, and is working in tandem with anti-India forces for the detriment of this great nation.