A heated Lok Sabha debate erupts as Rahul Gandhi criticizes India’s handling of US tariffs and the China dispute. BJP’s Anurag Thakur counters, questioning Congress’ history with Beijing.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI, Delhi, India – April 3, 2025 – The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange between Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and BJP’s Anurag Thakur, overshadowing the scheduled debate on the Waqf Amendment bill.
Gandhi’s sharp criticism of the government’s handling of the border dispute with China and the newly implemented US tariffs ignited a fiery response from Thakur, who vehemently refuted his claims and launched a counter-attack on past Congress administrations.
Gandhi’s attack centered on the government’s perceived inaction regarding China’s occupation of 4,000 square kilometers of Indian territory. He condemned the “foreign secretary cutting cake with the Chinese ambassador” as an insult to martyred Indian soldiers. “We are not against restoration of normalcy. But there should be status quo before that. They have to give our land back,” Gandhi demanded, questioning the government’s transparency in its dealings with China.
He alleged that information regarding communications between Indian and Chinese leaders was being relayed through the Chinese ambassador, not through official Indian channels.
Gandhi also raised concerns about the new US tariff regime, which imposes an additional 27% import duty on Indian goods. He warned that these reciprocal tariffs would “completely devastate” key Indian sectors like auto, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. In a scathing remark directed at the BJP and RSS, Gandhi compared their foreign policy approach to that of Indira Gandhi, who, he claimed, stood firm as an Indian, while the current government “bows their heads to every foreigner that comes.”
Cutting cakes with Chinese diplomats while they occupy our land amounts to nothing short of celebrating the sacrifice of our brave martyrs!
Prime Minister Modi and the BJP’s “foreign policy” continues its spineless tradition – bowing before every foreigner, when we should be… pic.twitter.com/YYtHQUpnmL
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 3, 2025
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The confrontation intensified during Zero Hour when Anurag Thakur retaliated, questioning Gandhi about the Congress’s role in the Chinese occupation of Aksai Chin. “They kept talking about Hindi-Chini bhai bhai and stabbed us in the back,” Thakur asserted. He further questioned Gandhi about alleged meetings between Congress leaders and Chinese officials during the Doklam standoff and the unresolved issue of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s acceptance of funds from Chinese sources.
Thakur contrasted the Congress’s alleged appeasement with the Modi government’s assertive stance, citing the Indian army’s “befitting reply” during Doklam and the Prime Minister’s visits to the border to boost troop morale. “Under PM Modi’s government, we can say the Indian army gave a befitting reply during Doklam. The PM went to the border and boosted the morale of the armed forces. The defence minister also went… nobody has been able to take a single inch of land. Some people level false allegations while colluding with China for their political advantage,” he concluded, accusing Gandhi of spreading misinformation for political gain.
