Former Union minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar sparked a fresh controversy on Tuesday after referring to the 1962 Indo-China war as an "alleged Chinese invasion." Speaking at the launch of Kallol Bhattacherjee's book "Nehru's First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India's Foreign Policy" at the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi, Aiyar's remarks have drawn sharp criticism from various quarters.
In a purported video of the event, Aiyar is seen narrating an anecdote and stating, ??In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.? The 1962 Indo-China War, also known as the Sino-Indian War, was a significant conflict between the People's Republic of China and India that took place from October to November 1962. Chinese troops launched an attack across the McMahon Line and captured the Aksai Chin region, which belongs to India. The war was primarily fought in the harsh, mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, where both nations had longstanding border disputes.
Aiyar, who has a history of making controversial statements, later issued a brief statement apologizing for his remarks. ?I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word 'alleged' before 'Chinese invasion' at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening,? he said.
The BJP quickly seized on Aiyar's comments, demanding clarification from the Congress party regarding its stance on China. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize Aiyar, accusing him of attempting to rewrite history. Malviya's post read: "Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehru?s First Recruits, refers to Chinese invasion in 1962 as ?alleged?. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism."
Malviya further criticized the Congress, referencing past incidents involving Congress leaders and their interactions with China. "Nehru gave up India?s claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhi?s UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory. What explains Congress's love for the Chinese?" Malviya asked.
In response, the Congress party distanced itself from Aiyar's remarks. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh emphasized that Aiyar had apologized unreservedly for his comments and stressed that the party does not endorse his "original phraseology." Ramesh stated, ?Allowances must be made for his (Aiyar?s) age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology.?
Ramesh reiterated the reality of the Chinese invasion and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his handling of more recent Chinese incursions. ?The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 40 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed,? Ramesh said. He also accused PM Modi of giving a "clean chit" to the Chinese for their incursions in May 2020, claiming, ?The outgoing PM, however, gave a clean chit publicly to the Chinese on June 19th 2020, seriously weakening our negotiating position. 2000 sq km of territory including Depsang and Demchok remain out of bounds for Indian troops,? Ramesh posted on X.
