Following Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial remark regarding the 1962 India-China war, Jairam Ramesh stated on Wednesday that Aiyar has apologized, and the party distances itself from his original statement. Ramesh also criticized PM Modi for his stance on the 2020 India-China face-off in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, alleging that Modi's comments gave a favorable assessment of China, thus weakening India's negotiating position.
In a post on X, Jairam mentioned, "Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologized unreservedly for using the term 'alleged invasion' mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was real. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020, in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed."
"The outgoing PM, however, publicly gave a clean chit 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," added Jairam Ramesh. The 1962 Indo-China War occurred between October and November of 1962, during which Chinese troops crossed the 'MacMohan line' and captured the Aksai Chin region, which is part of India.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Mani Shankar Aiyar remarked, "In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India." Earlier this month, Aiyar stirred controversy after a viral interview clip where he referred to Pakistan as a "respected nation" possessing an atom bomb, suggesting India engage in dialogue with them. He also noted the absence of efforts from India to engage with Pakistan in the last decade.