- Rahul Gandhi created a furore after he cut off Northeast from India’s map
- Rahul Gandhi’s tweet feels like an explicit acceptance of Chinese claims on the northeast
- On an international level, Rahul gives extremely bad optics for India since an opposition leader is seen as supporting China
Ask any defence expert, he or she will directly blame the Congress government for India’s loss to China in the 1962 war. 60 years down the line, Rahul Gandhi, another prominent Congressi seems to be batting for Chinese suzerainty over the whole of Northeast.
Rahul Gandhi’s controversial tweet
On 10th February, Rahul Gandhi, often projected as Congress’ Prime Minister candidate tweeted his defence of a statement in which he had called India only a union of states.
Read more: Rahul Gandhi’s recent speech in Parliament proves why he should leave politics
Trying to stoke emotions, he wrote, “There is strength in our Union. Our Union of Cultures. Our Union of Diversity. Our Union of Languages. Our Union of People. Our Union of States. From Kashmir to Kerala. From Gujarat to West Bengal. India is beautiful in all its colours. Don’t insult the spirit of India”
There is strength in our Union.
Our Union of Cultures.
Our Union of Diversity.
Our Union of Languages.
Our Union of People.
Our Union of States.From Kashmir to Kerala. From Gujarat to West Bengal. India is beautiful in all its colours.
Don’t insult the spirit of India.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 10, 2022
The tweet stoked controversy for its insinuation that the Northeast is not a part of India. While describing the length and breadth of India, Rahul Gandhi correctly defined the Northern and Southern boundaries (Kashmir to Kanyakumari). However, while describing India’s west and East, Rahul Gandhi seemed to claim that India’s Eastern border lies only till Bengal.
Decoding Rahul Gandhi’s tweet
Here is an accurate Indian map with a correct description of states. Notice that eastern boundaries extend up to Arunachal Pradesh.
However, if a person wants to decipher India’s east-west boundaries from Rahul Gandhi’s tweet, then eastern boundaries finish in Bengal.
Basically, Rahul Gandhi is effectively saying that eight states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim do not belong to India.
Himanta takes Rahul on
This is exactly what Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam’s Chief Minister and Northeast’s unifier in chief pointed out. Firstly, he provided a logical rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi’s tweet and then asked why Rahul is insisting on calling India a Union of states, rather than a nation?
At the end of his tweet, he addressed Rahul Gandhi’s denial of the existence of the northeast with a simple line, “And hello- beyond Bengal, we Northeast exist”
India is far beyond just a union. We are a proud Nation.
Bharat cannot be held hostage to your tukde tukde philosophy
What is your problem with Nation, Nationality and Nationalism.?
And hello- beyond Bengal, we North east exist. https://t.co/vKfpiIhz9F
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (Modi Ka Parivar) (@himantabiswa) February 10, 2022
Rahul and China are on the same page
Apparently, Rahul Gandhi’s tweet is on the same line as China. China also time and again asserts that North-eastern states are not part of India. The communist nation has always felt compelled to comment on the developments in the region. Before PM Modi came to power, it used to directly comment on internal matters of the Northeast.
It’s only after India rubbed the Taiwan angle on their face that China was forced to loosen its grip on the issue. However, it has time and again supported the separatists in the region. In December 2021, it claimed that Arunachal Pradesh has been its part from ancient times.
Not the first time
This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi and Congress are in hot soup for being on the same side as China. During the 2017 China–India border standoff in Doklam, the whole nation was expecting opposition parties to come forward and show unity in the wake of the Chinese threat.
Read more: Rahul Gandhi lies again on Doklam standoff, accuses PM of bowing before China
However, Rahul Gandhi had some other ideas. He was in direct touch with Chinese authorities. Initially, Congress denied Rahul’s bonhomie with the Chinese, but after incessant public pressure, the party was forced to reveal the truth. Rahul Gandhi himself tweeted about this.
It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2017
Recently, Rahul Gandhi also refused to blame China for its friendship with Pakistan. According to Rahul, it’s BJP that brought them closer. He didn’t mention Chinese neo-imperialist policies in the reason.
No matter what level of respect Rahul commands inside India, for foreign media, he is a key opposition member. It’s his words that would be used as a criticism of PM Modi’s stance on China. Now, it would not look good if an opposition leader is portrayed as playing on the Chinese side.
