In light of Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh’s remarks regarding China’s covert involvement in the recent India-Pakistan conflict, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said that for five years, the party has been demanding a debate in Parliament on Indo-China relations which the government has consistently refused.

Lt. General Singh said China provided all the possible support and that India was fighting not only Pakistan but also China and Turkiye. He was addressing industry chamber FICCI.

Mr. Ramesh in a post on X said that the Deputy Chief of Army Staff has “publicly confirmed” what has been talked about ever since Operation Sindoor was halted “abruptly at the intervention of President Trump”. “Lt. Gen Singh has revealed some details of the extraordinary ways by which China helped the Pakistan Air Force. This is the same China which completely destroyed the status quo in Ladakh five years ago but to which Prime Minister Modi gave a public clean chit on June 19, 2020,” Mr. Ramesh wrote.

‘Consistent refusal’

Since the 2020 Indo-China conflict, Mr. Ramesh said Congress has been demanding a discussion on the “full gamut of India-China relations” in the Parliament. “The Modi govt. has consistently refused to have such a debate. The INC will continue to make this demand in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled to commence on July 21, 2025,” he said.

At least now, Mr. Ramesh said the government must agree so that a consensus can be built for a collective response to the geopolitical and economic challenges that China poses to India — directly and through Pakistan.

“Recently, China organised a trilateral meet with Pakistan and Bangladesh in Kunming. India’s trade deficit with China is at record highs. The border agreement arrived at is not a restoration of the status quo,” Mr. Ramesh remarked.