China and Pakistan reunited because of Modi government's strategic mistakes: Rahul Gandhi

In Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi slammed the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of making "huge strategic mistakes" in Jammu and Kashmir and the country's foreign policy, and of "bringing China and Pakistan together".

The Congressman, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, also complained that the government was "destroying the voice of the union of states" using tools such as the "Electoral Commission, judicial system, and Pegasus spyware".

Modi's government has undone India's most important strategic objective, which is keeping China and Pakistan apart, said Rahul.

"China has a clear vision and I can clearly see without any confusion in my mind that China has a plan. The plan has been put in place in Doklam and Ladakh. Do not underestimate what we are facing. This is a very, very serious threat to the Indian nation," Mr. Gandhi said.

"…and if you haven't realised what the Chinese and Pakistanis are planning, look at the weapons they are buying, look at their activity, look at who they are talking to… I am clearly saying in Parliament that we have made a massive blunder and we need to make sure that we can defend ourselves against the Chinese," he added.

Gandhi stated that India is now "at risk from the inside and from the outside", which he said was a "very dangerous place" for a country to be. In response to his comments, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asked whether China and Pakistan were "distant" earlier.

In addition, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the government over the Pegasus snoopgate scandal, which had previously disrupted most of the Monsoon and Winter sessions of Parliament. The Opposition demanded an inquiry.

Despite objections from the Treasury benches, Gandhi said, "When you apply Pegasus on an Indian politician, when the Prime Minister personally goes to Israel and authorises the use of Pegasus in India, he is attacking the people of India, people of Tamil Nadu, people of Assam, people of Kerala, people of Bengal."

Nishikant Dubey, a BJP MP, read Gandhi the rule book, adding that the Pegasus issue is in the Supreme Court, meaning that MPs can't comment on sub judice matters.

Several media outlets have reported on the Pegasus controversy, according to which politicians, activists, and civil servants were among the targets of Israeli spyware Pegasus. According to NSO, which owns Pegasus, the software is only sold to "vetted" governments and their agencies, making it unclear who is funding the alleged targeting of Indian citizens.

The list of names put out by the consortium — the first tranche of which was released on the eve of the beginning of the Monsoon Session last year — included Rahul Gandhi, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and political strategist Prashant Kishor, among others.

The problem, Gandhi said, is that a "certain organization" controls the country's institutions and attacks the voice of individual states.

"My fear is that this attack that you are carrying out on the institutional framework of the country is going to get a response from the union of states… You are fiddling with something very, very dangerous. I am advising you to stop… Problem has started in the Northeast, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir," he claimed.

The late Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that kingship was returning.

Currently, there are two types of India: one for the rich and one for the poor, he said. "The gap between the two is growing.

"You keep talking about Made in India, Made in India. Made in India is not possible anymore. You have destroyed 'Made in India'. You need to support small and medium industries, otherwise, 'Made in India' is not possible. Small and medium industries are the only ones who can create jobs," Rahul stated.

During his speech, President Ram Nath Kovind didn't mention what happened in Bihar, in reference to the Railway Recruitment Board's NTPC exam. "The President didn't mention the unemployment issue at all." Gandhi said. He added that "India's youth is asking for employment but your government couldn't give jobs. Three crore youth lost employment in 2021. India has the highest unemployment in 50 years."

Similarly, Gandhi accused the BJP and the RSS of playing with the foundations of the country. "They are weakening the foundation of the country. They are weakening the links between our people, our language… They have further weakened the country by ensuring that not a single Indian youngster can get a job," he stated.

Gandhi called the President's speech a collection of bureaucratic ideas rather than a strategic vision because it didn't address the country's central issues.