Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday came back with a prompt retort after Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already decided when India would wage war against Pakistan and China.
As reports of the UP BJP chief's remarks went viral, Tharoor took to his official handle on Twitter and wondered if the Prime Minister "is planning a war against an unnamed enemy, over territory he claims has never been taken, on a date that only he knows."
"Amazing. So the PM (who will not even name the state that has encroached upon our land) is planning a war against an Unnamed Enemy, over territory he claims has never been taken, on a date that only he knows? So is this what he meant by "minimal government"!?" asked Tharoor while quoting a report on the UP BJP chief's statement.
Tharoor's comments seem to be a reference to the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, back in June, declared that "neither have [China] intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them", contradicting multiple previous statements by the Indian government.
Despite several earlier media reports and government officials claiming that China had entered the Indian territory in the Galwan River valley at three different places: Hot Springs, Patrol Point 14, and Patrol Point 15, the Prime Minister had confidently said that China did not intrude into India's border.
More specifically, Modi's words had directly contradicted the official statement made by India's Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar a day ago, who said that China had "unilaterally tried to change the status quo" and that the violence was "premeditated and planned".
Amid such a backdrop, Shashi Tharoor's jibe takes new meaning, as doubts are raised on whether the UP BJP chief's statement regarding the 'decision' on the date of war with China, Pakistan is even true.
UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh has claimed that just like the decisions on the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister has this time as well planned ahead and decided when the country would be at war with Pakistan and China.
When asked about the remarks, local MP Ravindra Kushwaha said the the UP BJP president made them to boost the morale of party workers.
Moreover, Swatantra Dev Singh's reported remarks appear to deviate from India's stated stand.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that India wanted an end to the border tension with China while asserting that it will not allow 'even an inch' of land to be taken away by anyone.
