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EYE ON INDIA AUGUST 08, 2025 | The Indian Eye 8

Jaishankar Strikes Back:

History, Facts, and Foreign Policy Leave

Opposition Cornered

With sharp wit and a command of historical detail, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar dismantled Op-
position criticism in Parliament, turning the Operation Sindoor debate into a masterclass in political rebuttal

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi
n a fiery address in Parliament this week, Exter-
nal Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar put the Oppo-
Isition — particularly the Congress — firmly on
the defensive, using a blend of historical references,
hard facts, and diplomatic clarity to refute criticism
over India’s foreign policy and the government’s
handling of Operation Sindoor.
What was expected to be a heated debate on
India’s external security posture turned into a rhe-
torical battlefield — and Jaishankar didn’t miss a
single target.
The minister opened his address with a pointed
jab at Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, whom he sar-
castically dubbed a “China Guru,” referencing Ra-
mesh’s 2007 book Making Sense of Chindia. “There External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks in Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on
are ‘China Gurus’ whose affection for China is so
great, they created a term – Chindia,” Jaishankar Wednesday (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)
said, drawing laughter from the treasury benches.
But the jibe wasn’t just about wordplay. Jais- out to us asking about the seriousness of the situa- ing. When Jairam Ramesh accused the government
hankar proceeded to dismantle decades of Con- tion, we gave the same answer to all: this is bilateral, of giving China a “clean chit” in Ladakh, Jaishan-
gress’s handling of China and Pakistan, tracing the and mediation is off the table,” Jaishankar said. kar responded by citing Congress’s own silence on
roots of their modern military and nuclear collab- Facing allegations from the Congress that the Chinese intrusions during earlier decades, asking,
oration back to decisions made under Congress Modi government had mismanaged China relations, “What exactly did they do when Chinese infrastruc-
governments. From the Karakoram highway plan of Jaishankar offered not just a rebuttal, but a reverse ture was expanding across our borders in the 1990s
1966 to the nuclear agreement of 1976, Jaishankar indictment. He reminded Parliament that it was and early 2000s?”
walked the House through historical developments, Jawaharlal Nehru’s government that ceded strategic Beyond the jabs and history lessons, the min-
implying the Congress had laid the groundwork for leverage through both rhetoric and treaties. Refer- ister also highlighted tangible wins under the cur-
today’s geopolitical tensions. encing Nehru’s 1960 remarks on the Indus Water rent government’s diplomacy. Most notably, the
“China and Pakistan didn’t become close over- Treaty, Jaishankar quoted him saying the treaty was designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) — a
night. This history has been unfolding since 1962. done “for the interest of Pakistani Punjab” — and Pakistan-based terror proxy — as a UN-recognized
Some people pretend it all happened in the last pointedly asked why there had been no mention of terrorist organization, thanks to persistent Indian
five years — maybe they were asleep during history Indian farmers in Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, or lobbying at the United Nations Security Council.
class,” he quipped. Gujarat. “In the last decade, India’s diplomacy on counter-
On Operation Sindoor, launched in response “The Indus Water Treaty is perhaps the only terrorism has seen a transformative leap,” he noted.
to Pakistan’s aggression following the Pahalgam agreement in the world where a country allows its In a House that had started the day with protests
terror attack, Jaishankar was equally forthright. He major rivers to flow into another without asserting and chaos, Jaishankar’s speech brought a moment
debunked speculation about foreign interference, rights,” he said. “But we’ve now corrected that his- of clarity — and, for the government, a much-need-
especially rumors of backchannel talks between toric imbalance.” ed upper hand. By the end of the session, even some
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then U.S. Pres- That correction, he said, came in the form of neutral observers in Parliament were calling it one
ident Donald Trump. “From April 22 to June 16, the Modi government’s decision to put the Indus of the most strategically effective rebuttals by any
there wasn’t a single phone call between the two,” Water Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam at- minister in recent memory.
he said emphatically. “Let them hear it clearly: no tack — an unprecedented move made in response For the BJP, Jaishankar’s speech wasn’t just a
mediation, no compromise. Pakistan must request a to Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border defence of government policy — it was a strategic
ceasefire through formal military channels — that’s terrorism. “Blood and water will not flow together,” positioning of the Modi administration as historical-
the protocol, and we stuck to it.” he declared. ly conscious, diplomatically savvy, and unapologeti-
The Operation, now seen as a calibrated yet as- Throughout the session, Jaishankar’s tone was cally assertive.
sertive military response to Pakistani provocation, sharp but measured. He rarely raised his voice, but And for the Opposition? It was a reminder that
was defended not just as a success, but as a moment the impact was unmistakable — even Opposition when it comes to foreign policy, history has conse-
of diplomatic maturity. “When countries reached benches found it difficult to respond without deflect- quences — and Jaishankar remembers every chapter.

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