'Was colonial Britain's economy smaller than us?': Rahul Gandhi slams Jaishankar's remarks on China

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed foreign minister S. Jaishankar for his "cowardly" comments that since China was a bigger economy, India could not "pick a fight" with it despite China's transgression on the LAC, and demanded to know what kind of "deshbhakti" or nationalism was that.

Berating the minister for defending Modi government's meek response to the Chinese aggression, Gandhi asked if the colonial Britain's economy was smaller than that of India when the Indian National Congress fought against it for India's freedom.

Addressing the Congress's 85th plenary session in Raipur, the former Congress president said: "A few days ago a minister said that China's economy is bigger than India's economy. So how can we fight them? Was Britain's economy smaller than ours when the British ruled over us?"

"It means that you only fight the weaker and never anyone who is stronger than you. This is called cowradice. This is [V.D.] Savarkar's ideology.

"An Indian minister is telling China that since you are stronger than us, we cannot fight you. Is this nationalism? Ye kaisi deshbhakti hai? what kind of patriotism, what kind of nationalism is this?" Rahul said.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Jaishankar while taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi had said, "Who sent the Army to the LAC? It was not Rahul Gandhi, but PM Modi".

"I won't say we are fortifying the border. We are legitimately building our border infrastructure because they are building their border infrastructure. In my view, we should have done it 25 years ago," Jaishankar said in the interview on the border issue.

"I mean, look they are the bigger economy. What am I going to do? As a smaller economy, I am going to pick up a fight with the bigger economy? It's not a question of being reactionary, it's a question of common sense," Jaishankar said.

This is the first time Rahul Gandhi referred to Jaishankar's comment. Congress has condemned the statement and called it demoralising for the armed forces.