As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, the Congress on Monday termed it “anti-national” and said that PM Modi remained silent about China’s “jugalbandi with Pakistan” in his conversation with Xi. Congress MP and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh stated that “for a long time, India has been accusing China of its ‘double standards’ and ‘double-speak’ on terrorism”. “Now, Prime Minister Modi tells President Xi that India and China are both victims of terrorism. If this is not the so-called elephant capitulating before the so-called dragon, then what is it?” he wrote in a post on X. “Even more anti-national is the fact that Prime Minister Modi remained completely silent in his conversation with President Xi about China’s jugalbandi with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor — something revealed by top Indian Army officials themselves,” added Ramesh. The Congress leader said that “the self-proclaimed 56-inch chested leader now stands thoroughly exposed”. “He betrayed the national interest with his clean chit to China on June 19, 2020. Now, August 31, 2025, will also go down as a day of infamy for his cowardly kowtowing in Tianjin,” said Ramesh. PM Modi is in China after seven years, marking his first visit since disengagement began in eastern Ladakh following the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He met Xi on the sidelines of the summit on Sunday. Underlining the move to repair bilateral ties after the five-year military standoff, Modi and Xi emphasised that the two countries were “partners, not rivals”, marking an important shift in India’s position on China as both sides work towards gradual normalisation. While India underlined peace at the border as an “insurance policy” for bilateral ties, China said the border issue must not be allowed to “define overall China-India relationship”.
