Jaishankar hits back at Opposition, takes 'China guru' jibe at Jairam Ramesh

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, July 30 launched a counterattack on the Opposition during a heated discussion in Parliament concerning India's stance on China. Without naming Congress MP Jairam Ramesh directly, the minister sarcastically referred to certain opposition leaders as “China Gurus,” accusing them of romanticizing relations with the neighbouring country.

“There are some self-proclaimed ‘China Gurus’,” Jaishankar remarked, “one of them is the member seated in front of me, whose deep affection for China once led to coining the term Chindia — a supposed India-China partnership.” The statement was widely understood as a reference to Ramesh’s earlier advocacy for closer Indo-China ties.

Taking a further dig, Jaishankar added, “I may lack knowledge about China because I didn’t learn about it through the Olympics. Some people, however, seem to have acquired their expertise from Olympic visits — we’ll avoid getting into whom they met or what they signed there.”

He also alleged that certain leaders took “private tuitions at their homes” from Chinese ambassadors in the past, an insinuation that drew audible reactions from the treasury benches.

Addressing concerns raised by the Opposition over growing Pakistan-China ties, Jaishankar said, “Yes, Pakistan and China share close relations. We are aware of this and are taking appropriate measures. But to claim that this development happened overnight is to ignore history. It simply means some were asleep during history class.”