In a fiery address during the Rajya Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, particularly targeting Congress leaders over their past engagement with China and their criticism of the government’s foreign policy. Without mincing words, Jaishankar dubbed certain Opposition leaders as self-proclaimed “China Gurus” who had, in his words, “taken private tuitions from Chinese ambassadors” and were now questioning the decades-old strategic alliance between Pakistan and China.
Taking a sharp dig at senior Congress leaders, Jaishankar said, “One of them was so fond of China, he coined the term ‘Chindia’. Some gained their China knowledge through Olympic trips, took private tuitions from Chinese Ambassadors… And now they say Pakistan-China ties developed overnight. That just shows they were asleep in history class. We are aware of those ties, and handling them.”
This strong rebuttal came in the wake of recent Opposition criticisms of India’s foreign policy approach amid the geopolitical crisis involving Pakistan and China. Jaishankar’s remarks were aimed at demolishing the narrative that the close ties between Islamabad and Beijing were a new development, reiterating that the current government was not only fully aware of this long-standing alliance but was also actively dealing with it on all fronts.
#WATCH | Delhi | On the issue of China raised by the Opposition in the Parliament, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "…There are 'China Gurus'. One of them is the member sitting in front of me (Jairam Ramesh), whose affection for China is so great, 'unhone ek sandhi bana li thi India… pic.twitter.com/qKneWDKyKR
— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2025
Turning to Operation Sindoor, India’s recent cross-border strike targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, the EAM categorically stated that there was no external pressure on India to halt its operations. “There was no leader anywhere in the world who asked India to stop its operations… There was no linkage with trade… There were no calls between our Prime Minister and President Trump,” he said.
Refuting Opposition allegations of international interference, Jaishankar disclosed that the only high-level communication came on May 9, when US Vice President Vance called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn of an imminent Pakistani attack. “PM made it very clear that if anything happened, it would get an appropriate response… That happened, and our response disabled the Pakistani air defence systems and made their airfields inoperable,” Jaishankar stated. He further revealed that India received backchannel messages indicating Pakistan’s willingness to halt further escalation, but India stood firm: “The Pakistani side has to make a request, and that request has to come through the DGMO.”
The minister reiterated that during and after Operation Sindoor, the message conveyed to all nations who reached out was consistent and firm. “We were not open to any mediation. Anything between us and Pakistan will only be bilateral. And that we were responding to the Pakistani attack, and we would keep responding.”
Slamming speculative narratives floated by some sections, Jaishankar mocked the Opposition’s tendency to manipulate facts and invent pressure scenarios. “Main unko kehna chahta hoon, woh kaan kholke sun le. From 22 April to 16 June, not a single phone call took place between the US President Trump and Prime Minister Modi,” he clarified in Hindi, putting to rest insinuations of American involvement in India’s operational decisions.
EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "The response we gave to anybody who spoke to us was that the Pakistani side has to make a request, and that request has to come through the DGMO… There was no leader anywhere in the world who asked India to stop its operations… There was no linkage… https://t.co/8TtjWRWvli
— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2025
In a wider foreign policy context, Jaishankar asserted that the Modi government had successfully elevated the fight against terrorism onto the global stage. “In the last decade, we have been able to put terrorism on the global agenda… Whether it is BRICS, SCO, QUAD or at the bilateral level,” he noted.
He also highlighted the return of Tahawwur Rana, wanted in India for over two decades in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. “Tahawwur Rana, who was wanted for 26 years, finally has been brought back by the Modi government and is today facing trial in this country,” Jaishankar said, contrasting this outcome with the perceived inertia of previous regimes.
A significant part of Jaishankar’s address also touched upon the Indus Waters Treaty, which the government has decided to hold in abeyance. Calling it a “unique agreement,” Jaishankar remarked, “I cannot think of any agreement in the world where a country has allowed its major rivers to flow to the next country without having rights on that river.” He linked this unilateral generosity to India’s past leadership, suggesting it reflected misplaced idealism. “It’s important when we have put it in abeyance, to recall the history of this event. Yesterday I heard some people were uncomfortable with history. Maybe it does not suit them. They only like to recall selective things,” he said, again targeting the Congress indirectly.
Jaishankar’s address in the Rajya Sabha marked a comprehensive takedown of the Opposition’s criticism on foreign policy. From mocking the romanticism of “Chindia” to firmly defending India’s strategic posture in the face of Pakistan-China collusion, Jaishankar painted a picture of a resolute government unafraid to act, unwilling to be pressured, and determined to assert India’s national interest in both war and diplomacy.
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