Jaishankar a failed Foreign Minister, says Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday hit out at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, calling him a "failed" minister and alleging that his remarks on the China issue have "demeaned" the valour of India's armed forces.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also alleged that foreign policy has been reduced to photo-ops and a chest-thumping exercise and is being used to secure contracts for a businessman. She claimed that the minister had said that "we are the smaller economy and China is the bigger economy and we cannot go and pick a fight with them".

"What exactly does he mean by saying this? Is he telling us that we are not capable of protecting our territorial sovereignty," she said. "What he is trying to do by saying this is essentially 'break and shake' the confidence of our Indian economy and demean the valour of our armed forces. This is one of the most blasphemous statements made by any foreign minister," she told reporters. On Jaishankar's reported remark that he has been the longest-serving Indian Ambassador in China, the Congress said in that capacity will he tell when the status along the Line of Actual Control will be restored to the April 2020 position.

"Why do the prime minister and you stay quiet on China? Why have we increased the trade deficit to 100 USD with China and we are almost funding the Chinese Army to do the incursions that they do," she said. "As India's longest-serving Ambassador to China what do you have to say on Chinese aggression at the border," she asked. She also criticised the minister for targeting the Congress-led governments over their China policy, saying, "You can keep attacking your political opponents but do not do this at the cost of our national security... some things are sacrosanct".

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former bureaucrat Jawhar Sircar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "asura" while hitting out at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who on Tuesday had said that his father, Dr K Subrahmanyam was removed as Secretary of Defence Production by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after she returned to power in 1980.

Taking to Twitter, Jawhar Sircar wrote, "S Jaishankar's father, K Subramanyam said "Dharma was killed in Gujarat (2002 Riots). Those who failed to protect innocent citizens are guilty of adharma. Rama...would have used his bow against the 'Asura' rulers of Gujarat." Shame on son --serving Asura!"

This came after the External Affairs Minister in an interview with ANI, revealed that his father Dr K Subrahmanyam was removed as secretary, defence production by former PM Indira Gandhi in 1980 and that he was superseded during the Rajiv Gandhi period with someone junior to him becoming the Cabinet Secretary.