Modi govt ‘rewarding’ China instead of ‘punishing’ it for incursions: Kejriwal

New Delhi: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday lashed out at the Centre over recent Arunachal border face-off, accusing the Modi government of “rewarding” China with high volumes of imports instead of “punishing” it for incursions into India.
Addressing the party’s national council and national executive meetings here, the Delhi Chief Minister also said that winning five seats in recently concluded Gujarat assembly polls was as difficult as “milking an ox”.
He claimed that while Chinese aggression is increasing at the border, the BJP-led Centre says “everything is alright”.
Instead of “retaliating and punishing” China, the Modi government is “rewarding” Beijing by allowing an increase in imports of Chinese goods even though many Indian soldiers put their lives while fighting Chinese troops, he charged.
Kejriwal said that India imported Chinese goods worth USD 65 billion in 2020-21.
“Then China again showed a much bigger eye (to India) and the BJP government let the import of Chinese goods further increase to USD 95 billion next year,” he claimed.
“Don’t you have any respect for our soldiers? Is there no value of their lives?… Show some courage. China will come to know its worth if India stops imports,” he added.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief also appealed to the nation to boycott Chinese products. “They say Chinese products are cheap. We do not want Chinese products even if they are cheap. We are ready to buy made-in-India products even if it costs us double.”
The BJP hit back and labelled the AAP as a “sham party”, accusing Kejriwal of playing “politics of opportunism” in the garb of nationalism.
“When Kejriwal, who talks big about nationalism, keeps silent on Pakistan’s indecent remarks towards India at the international stage in his party’s national convention, then it becomes clear how hollow his nationalism is,” Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said.
Kejriwal termed the recent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh as a “very important issue” and said it is causing “much pain to every person” in the country for the last few days.
“For the last few years, China has been carrying out incursions. Soldiers of our country firmly fight with them and even sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. Yet, for the past few years, we keep hearing about China entering our territory,” he added.
The Delhi CM also hit out at the Central government over rising inflation and unemployment, accusing it of having no intention to bring relief to the masses.
He claimed that 90 per cent of goods imported from China can be produced in India.
“But the BJP-led Centre has created such a situation that high net-worth people, who could set up industries to make in India and create jobs for the youth, are leaving the country,” he alleged.
Over the past five to six years, 12.5 lakh people have left India because the government does not let them work here and send central agencies like ED and CBI after them, Kejriwal charged.
“They won’t catch the thieves. Rather, they would induct such people into their party and give them protection, and ED and CBI are sent after those who want to work here honestly. Fed up with this government, high net-worth people and businessmen are leaving India,” Kejriwal said.
He claimed that his government has created 12 lakh jobs over the past five to seven years in Delhi while the AAP dispensation in Punjab has given appointment letters to 21,000 people within seven months after coming to power.
The inflation rate at the national level is 7.4 per cent while in Delhi it is the lowest at 4 per cent due to the various free-of-charge facilities, including electricity and water, provided by the AAP government to the people, Kejriwal claimed.
Speaking on his party’s foray into Gujarat, a BJP bastion for years, the CM said winning five seats there was as difficult as “milking an ox”.
He also asserted that the AAP is sure it will dislodge the BJP from power in Gujarat and form its government there in 2027, as it did in Punjab earlier this year.
“…Everyone can milk a cow, but we have indeed milked an ox by winning five seats and securing 13 per cent vote share in the assembly polls,” Kejriwal said, as he congratulated party workers on the achievement.
He thanked the people of Gujarat too for reposing faith in his party’s vision and ideology.
Kejriwal said the biggest takeaway from the party’s foray into the BJP stronghold was that it became eligible for getting the national party status by the Election Commission.
“Perhaps, AAP is the only party which came to power in Delhi within a year of its formation, formed the government in another state, Punjab, within 10 years, and now became a national party,” he said.
“Die hard patriotism, die hard honesty, and humanity are the three pillars of our ideology,” Kejriwal said, as he accused the BJP, without naming it, of following the ideology of “goondaism, hooliganism, and misbehaving with women.”
And, corruption is the ideology of “another party”, he said in a veiled reference to the Congress.
There are several national parties, but the AAP stands out among all of them due to its “ideology and vision”, Kejriwal claimed.
“People are pinning hopes on the AAP because we are working for them and the country. Unlike other parties hurling abuses on each other and calling one demon and the other Ravan, we talk about real public issues, building schools and hospitals, and providing jobs,” he said.
The day-long meeting of the AAP discussed issues of national security, rising inflation, and unemployment as well as the party’s national expansion plan.
The meeting concluded with the passage of resolutions demanding that Centre take “immediate action” to put a check on imports from China, AAP’s Delhi convener Gopal Rai told reporters.
The resolutions passed at the meeting also demanded that the Centre take speedy and practical steps to check rising inflation, and also come up with a national employment policy to address the issue in the country, Rai said.
“The meeting resolved to accelerate the party’s expansion plan across the country. In the next six months, our efforts will be to speed up organisation building work, especially where elections are to be held in coming days,” Rai said.