IndiaPosted at: Oct 23 2026 2:11PM

Kharge challenges Modi on China, seeks answers on border security and trade deficit

New Delhi, Oct 23 (UNI) Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday mounted a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the government’s China policy, demanding answers on continuing military confrontations in Arunachal Pradesh, India’s growing trade deficit with Beijing and the tangible outcomes of repeated diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
Accusing the government of giving China “enough clean chits”, Kharge demanded that Modi “come clean before India”, raising three sets of questions concerning national security, economic security and diplomatic accountability.
In a post on social media platform X, Kharge expressed concern over reports of continuing face-offs between Indian forces and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Arunachal Pradesh, referring to the reported confirmation by the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) that confrontations were continuing in the region.
He questioned whether another serious border confrontation was unfolding after the Doklam stand-off and the deadly Galwan Valley clash of June 2020, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.
Kharge also cited reports of Chinese incursions near Taksing in Arunachal Pradesh in August and asked why confrontations were reportedly continuing even 47 days after Corps Commander-level talks at Wacha–Damai, around 180 km from the affected area.
“Has India’s patrolling access been compromised?” he asked, asserting that Arunachal Pradesh was an inseparable part of India. He questioned why the country was being kept in the dark about developments along the frontier and called for greater transparency from the government on issues directly affecting national security.
The Congress president’s intervention comes amid continuing political debate over the India-China border dispute, which has remained a major security and diplomatic challenge since the Galwan clash. Although the two countries have pursued military and diplomatic negotiations to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), questions over patrolling arrangements and the restoration of the pre-May 2020 status quo have continued to figure prominently in the Opposition’s criticism of the government.
Turning to economic relations, Kharge accused the government of allowing India’s dependence on Chinese imports to increase despite its repeated emphasis on self-reliance and domestic manufacturing through initiatives such as Make in India.
He claimed that Chinese imports had increased by 102 per cent since the 2020–21 financial year, while India’s trade deficit with China had risen by 155 per cent to USD 112.16 billion. He also cited Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s reported acknowledgement that China was obstructing Indian exports.
Questioning the contradiction between the government’s stated economic objectives and its approach towards Beijing, Kharge asked: “Has Make in India become Import from China?”
He sought an explanation for how the government intended to strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce import dependence and protect Indian industry while economic ties with China continued to raise concerns over the scale of the trade imbalance.
India has sought to expand domestic production and diversify supply chains while retaining commercial links with China, a major source of manufactured goods and industrial inputs. Restrictions on investments from countries sharing a land border with India were introduced in 2020 amid heightened security concerns. Any relaxation of these restrictions has consequently remained politically sensitive, with the government facing the challenge of attracting investment and promoting manufacturing without compromising national security.
Kharge’s third set of questions focused on the results of sustained diplomatic engagement between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Referring to at least 23 reported meetings and interactions between the two leaders, 25 rounds of talks involving National Security Adviser Ajit Doval as Special Representative, and 36 meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), he asked what concrete gains India had secured.
He also pointed to successive meetings on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS summits, questioning whether these engagements had delivered a durable resolution of the border dispute or ensured the restoration of India’s patrolling rights as they existed before May 2020.
“Have India’s pre-May 2020 patrolling rights been fully restored?” Kharge asked, underscoring that the Opposition wanted verifiable outcomes rather than diplomatic assurances.
The Congress president said the armed forces enjoyed the Opposition’s complete confidence but maintained that the political leadership could not be absolved of its responsibility to explain the situation along the border.
“National security demands accountability, not diplomatic photo opportunities and ‘Hugplomacy’,” he said, using the term to criticise what he portrayed as an excessive reliance on high-profile personal diplomacy without adequate public disclosure of its results.
Kharge also accused the Prime Minister of targeting the Opposition instead of addressing substantive questions about China. He urged Modi to take Parliament and the country into confidence on the military situation along the frontier, the extent to which patrolling access had been restored and the government’s strategy for managing India’s economic dependence on Beijing.
The Congress has repeatedly challenged the government’s handling of relations with China since the 2020 border crisis, arguing that the country needs clarity on the status of the frontier and whether the arrangements prevailing before the crisis have been fully restored. The government, meanwhile, has pursued military and diplomatic negotiations aimed at maintaining peace and stability along the border.
By linking the military standoff with the widening trade deficit and the record of diplomatic engagement, Kharge has sought to turn the China question into a broader test of the government’s foreign policy and strategic autonomy. His central challenge to Modi is whether repeated meetings and negotiations with Beijing have translated into demonstrable gains for India’s territorial security, economic interests and ability to safeguard its national priorities.
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Tags: #Kharge challenges Modi on China # seeks answers on border security and trade deficit

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