New Delhi [India], September 13 (ANI): Former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Sunday demanded transparency from the Union government regarding discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS Summit, urging the Centre to brief the opposition on the outcome of the high-level engagement.
Reacting to party colleague and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's remarks regarding the bilateral talks between the Chinese President and PM Modi, Khurshid emphasised that the government must clearly articulate what issues were deliberated upon and what roadmap was agreed between the two neighbours.
"What happened between the two sides, the Prime Minister's talks with the Chinese President, what points were raised, what was China's response to them, and what path forward has been considered? If the government openly shares its views on this with the opposition, then something can be said. These are points we have already hinted at, and on which we expect the government to provide some answers. To date, they haven't," Khurshid told ANI.
Stressing that broader bilateral relations cannot simply be folded into a multilateral summit, the former External Affairs Minister argued that India's foreign policy challenges demand independent and dedicated focus.
"This isn't a BRICS issue. Not every aspect of foreign policy will be limited to BRICS... But our foreign policy is its own place; it needs to be discussed separately," he said.
Khurshid also expressed disappointment over the absence of pre-summit briefings with opposition parties, advocating for a bipartisan consensus on critical national security and foreign policy matters.
"We wanted the Indian government to sit with us, the opposition, and consult and negotiate with us, and tell us what we are going to do before the BRICS summit," Khurshid added.
Khurshid's remarks come after Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on Sunday posed four pointed questions to Prime Minister Modi following the conclusion of the bilateral summit with the Chinese President, accusing the government of "calibrated capitulation" rather than true diplomatic normalisation.
Now that his bilateral summit with President Xi Jinping is over, here are four questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to which India continues to seek answers. Why has he weakened our position on border transgressions and China’s role in Operation Sindoor while allowing dangerous levels of economic dependence?
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 13, 2026
In a post on X, Ramesh asked, “Now that his bilateral summit with President Xi Jinping is over, here are four questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to which India continues to seek answers. Why has he weakened our position on border transgressions and China’s role in Operation Sindoor while allowing dangerous levels of economic dependence?”
He accused PM Modi of giving a “clean chit” to China in June 2020 about border intrusions amid tensions following the Galwan clash.
He alleged that India’s “traditional patrolling and grazing rights across large stretches of Eastern Ladakh have been quietly but definitely surrendered”.
Ramesh further questioned why territorial advances by China in Eastern Ladakh and reported encroachments in Arunachal Pradesh have been allowed, noting Beijing's continued renaming of Indian locations, its claims over "South Tibet", and its push for the massive 60,000-MW Medog dam on the Brahmaputra River.
The Congress communications chief also questioned what he termed a softening of India's position on China's reported support to Pakistan during 'Operation Sindoor', and flagged the soaring bilateral trade deficit with Beijing, which reached a record $112.6 billion in 2025-26, arguing that domestic reliance on Chinese raw materials and components is severely harming Indian MSMEs.
PM Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who took part in the 18th BRICS Summit that was hosted by India. (ANI)
