'Nehru Washed His Hands Off Northeast': Nirmala Sitharaman Hits Out At Congress Over China Border Issue

Narendra Modi's 'silence' on Chinese actions along the border and said that former and India's first?Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had washed his hands off the Northeast.?

Taking a jibe Sitharaman said that the BJP has successfully stopped the Chinese Army from entering the Northeast and their "actions speak for it". She irked Rahul Gandhi to revisit what "their prime minister" did in 1962 when the entire north-east was “left to meet their own fate” and Nehru had washed his hands off the region. "He (Jawaharlal Nehru) washed his hands off (north-east)”, Sitharaman said.

Sitharaman further said,?“If you travel to Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of Assam, people themselves will say. The people of Arunachal Pradesh at the ground kept steadily with India and every Chinese had to go away."

The Congress on Tuesday took strong objection on Tuesday to?China renaming several places in Arunachal Pradesh?and said it is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to the neighbouring country and his "eloquent silence" on Chinese actions at the border.

"For the third time, China has dared to rename our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. April 21, 2017 -- 6 places, December 30, 2021 -- 15 places, April 3, 2023 -- 11 places. Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galwan, the country is facing the consequences of Modiji's clean chit to China," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

New Delhi’s reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh, which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet.

(with PTI inputs)