PM Modi’s Silence ‘Bizarre’: Shashi Tharoor on India-China Tension

Indians need assurance China’s actions are being dealt with in a befitting manner, the Congress MP tells The Quint.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor speaks exclusively to The Quint about India-China tensions along the LAC.

(Photo: Modified by Erum Gour/The Quint)

Wearing his diplomat’s hat, Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor discusses the ongoing India-China tensions with The Quint.

Tharoor says that prime minister’s silence on the issue is ‘bizarre’ particularly when even the US and Russia have expressed concern over developments along the LAC. While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement about the situation, PM Modi is yet to break his silence.

Tharoor says that diplomacy is indeed done best behind closed doors but Indian citizens need to be assured that China’s actions are being dealt with in a befitting manner. “Diplomacy is not conducted via media or social media”, he adds. He says that these confrontations appear the worst since 1976, when a bullet was fired.

China might be feeling singled out in the aftermath of the charges of secrecy around the spread of coronavirus and asserting its might, adds Tharoor. He also emphasises the futility of the war-cry for boycotting Chinese goods as India-China trade relations are lopsided and China’s high investment stakes in India are better for us.