‘Congress Normal Vs Modi Normal’: Jaishankar Hits Out At Rahul Gandhi, Targets Him On China Issue

Last Updated:July 30, 2025, 13:53 IST

“I will divide the term ‘new normal’. One was ‘Congress’ normal’ and one is ‘Modi normal’,” EAM S Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during a discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, lashed out at Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, drawing a comparison between “Congress normal” and “Modi normal”.

“I will divide the term ‘new normal’. One was ‘Congress’ normal’ and one is ‘Modi normal’,” the EAM said..

What EAM Jaishankar said on China in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday

Responding to Gandhi’s questions on China, Jaishankar said: “…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 aur China ki, Chindia’… I may lack knowledge about China because I did not learn about China through the Olympics… Some people gained their knowledge of China during their visit to the Olympics. Let’s not discuss who they met or what they signed… They also took private tuitions at their homes from the Chinese Ambassador… ‘China Gurus’ say that Pakistan and China have close ties… We are aware of it and are tackling it… However, saying that these ties developed overnight, this means they were sleeping during the history class…”

“We were told for 60 years that nothing can be done. Pandit Nehru’s mistakes can’t be corrected. The Narendra Modi government showed it can be corrected. The Article 370 was corrected. The Indus Water Treaty is being corrected, it was being held in abeyance until Pakistan irrevocably gives up its support of terrorism. We had warned that blood and water can not flow together, today, we are demonstrating that we say, we will do. Blood and water will not flow together,” said the EAM.

“We did global service when we reduced terror infrastructure in Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistan to dust,” he said.

What EAM Jaishankar said on the changes in the past decade

Jaishankar said: “Let me tell you what has changed in the last decade. We have been able to put terrorism in every global agenda. Today, if terrorism is on the global agenda, it is due to the efforts of the Modi government. We were able to get Masood Azhar and Abdul Rehman Makki, two notorious terrorists placed under the sanctioned of the UN Security Council. Some years ago, we were member of the security council, we were able to hold a security council meeting at the venue of terrorism attack at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. That even had a huge impact… We were able, through bilateral agreements and understandings, bring back terrorists from key country, who have been sent back to India. I remind you that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was wanted for 26/11 Mumbai attack, has finally been brought back to India by the Modi government.”

What Rahul Gandhi said on China in Lok Sabha on Tuesday

While his speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Gandhi had said, “Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, during an event on May 11th, said that when the DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan actually mentioned that we know that such and such an important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back. And he says so, it is very clear they were getting live battlefield inputs from China…If you had listened to me here, you would not have lost those 5 planes…”

He questioned Jaishankar’s claims of the international community condemning the Pahalgam terror attack. “There is a new thing these days – new normal. The External Affairs minister uses it often. The external affairs minister said that many countries condemned terrorism. It is absolutely right. What the minister has not said is that not a single country has condemned Pakistan,” said Gandhi. “This External Affairs Minister amazes me. He says we have deterred Pakistan. Have you? The man behind Pahalgam is a man called Asim Munir, and he is sitting in the White House, having lunch with the US President. What are we doing?”

Gandhi said: “The foreign affairs minister is talking about a two-front war. He doesn’t even understand the basics of warfare. The two-front war concept is long gone. Today, it is a unified command; that’s what’s happened with Pakistan and China. Pakistani officers have been embedded with the PLA. Now we are not just facing China and Pakistan fused as one military.”

Gandhi had said Jaishankar did not mention China during his speech in Lok Sabha. “The external affairs minister said something that shows the complete bankruptcy of our foreign policy today. This explains why in his entire discussion of an hour yesterday, he did not say a word on China,” said Gandhi.

Gandhi quoted Jaishankar’s infamous “China is the bigger economy” to say, “This shows we are scared of China.”

How EAM Jaishankar defined new normal in Lok Sabha on Tuesday

During his speech in the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar had said, “The challenge of cross-border terrorism continues but Operation Sindoor marks a new phase. There is now a new normal. The new normal has five points: One, terrorists will not be treated as proxies; two, cross-border terrorism will get an appropriate response; three, terror and talks are not possible together. There will only be talks on terror; four, Not yielding to nuclear blackmail; and finally, Terror and good neighbourliness cannot coexist. Blood and water cannot flow together.”

He had questioned Gandhi, saying: “The leader of the opposition did not take a briefing from the government or the MEA (ministry of external affairs), but from the Chinese ambassador during Doklam. It is surprising that they do not choose to listen to the elected foreign minister of the country, but wants to listen to the people from other countries.”

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies …Read More

At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies … Read More

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