Congress pushes distorted Indian map at Belagavi convention: A pattern of undermining sovereignty

The Congress party has found itself in the middle of the conspiracy after their welcome banners marking the centenary celebration of its 1924 session in Belagavi display distorted maps of the Indian state. The map of India that reflected on the banners excluded Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Akshai Chin which is an integral part of India.

Notably, on 26th and 27th December, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is hosting a two-day event to commemorate the historic session presided over by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a unique occasion as it was the only Congress session he led. Senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, are expected to attend. The showcasing of the distorted Indian map at the posters poured public irk at the party. 

This is not the first time the Indian National Congress has resorted to such acts that disrespect the honour of the country. The oldest party has over the years become a repeate offender when it comes to sharing distorted map of the country. On the 16th of September, 2023 the Congress party released an animated video targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The video featured a distorted map of India that notably excluded the entire North Eastern region. 

Three Chief Ministers from North Eastern states that included Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Manipur’s N Biren Singh, and Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu strongly condemned the Congress for the omission. They took to social media lashing out at the Congress party and accused it of joining hands with the enemy forces of the country. The animated video shared by the Congress party depicted a conversation between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, with a map of India visible on a wall in the background. However, the map noticeably showed India’s eastern boundary ending at West Bengal, entirely omitting the northeastern region.

In December, 2020 the oldest party too walked along the same path of disrespecting the nation’s honour. The official handle of Assam Congress shared a post in order to target the Prime Minister regarding the farm laws BJP came up with. However, while targeting the Modi government, they shared a distorted map of India which excluded the part of Ladakh territory. 

Interestingly, the grand old party has been showing abject content to the Indian territories, its map which by no means is less than a living Bharat Mata personified with Jammu-Kashmir-Ladadkh unified representing head and North East one of the arm. Distorting country’s map, a crime in itself to disrespect National Ensembles, is nothing short of dismembering Bharat Mata, with cutting/distorting/deleting any Indian territory equaivalent to cutting down the limbs of Bharat Mata. 

In a glaring example that this menace runs deep in the grand old party, India’s first Prime Minister and Congress patron, Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for the humiliating defeat of India during the 1962 war. Despite clear indications of Chinese aggression in Ladakh and other border areas, Nehru’s policies failed to secure India’s territorial integrity, leaving the nation vulnerable.

In a Parliamentary address on August 28, 1959, Nehru informed the members about Chinese incursions into eastern and northeastern Ladakh. He admitted that the region was sparsely populated and lacked Indian administrative presence, making it susceptible to Chinese advances. Reports as early as 1957 highlighted that Chinese forces had crossed into Indian territory and reached Khurnak Fort. Despite the alarming situation, Nehru’s government responded only with diplomatic notes, expressing “surprise” at Chinese claims over Indian land, but no decisive action was taken.

The situation worsened in 1959 when Chinese forces apprehended an Indian police reconnaissance party inside Indian territory near Khurnak Fort. The Chinese boldly claimed the area as their own and built the Sinkiang-Tibet Highway through Aksai Chin, a strategic region that remains contested to this day. Nehru’s delayed and inadequate response to this violation left India unprepared for future challenges.

In 1962, the consequences of Nehru’s “forward policy” became starkly evident. Despite ordering the Indian Army to “free our territory,” the troops were ill-equipped and underprepared to face the Chinese forces. Lacking essential protective gear and operating in extreme weather conditions, Indian soldiers were overwhelmed by the better-prepared Chinese. The result was the loss of 11,000 km² in Aksai Chin and significant areas in NEFA.

After losing Akshai Chin because of his faults, Jawaharlal Nehru tried to cover up the loss by shamelessly pointing out that Aksai Chin is an area where no blade of grass grows and is completely barren with no use. This itself makes it abundantly clear, the respect the leaders of Congress party hold for the nation’s territory. Reacting to the humiliating comments on India’s territory, Mahavir Tyagi, a senior Congress leader, pointed to his bald head and remarked “Nothing grows here, should it be given away to somebody else?”