Following the footsteps of AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, who had attacked the home minister personally while criticising Centre's policy on tackling Maoist violence, Mr Ramesh met Mr Chidambaram to clarify his position. Mr Ramesh has already apologised to the PM as well as to Congress President Sonia Gandhi for his remarks from China where he reportedly said the home ministry and the security establishment were being “alarmist" and “paranoid" when it came to Chinese companies wanting to operate in India.
His comments were made in relation to security restrictions against Huawei Technologies, a telecom equipment major, which has been attempting to expand its operations in India. Security agencies have questioned its links with the People's Liberation Army amid suspicions that the company is used by the Chinese establishment for spying.Â
Mr Ramesh has come in for sharp criticism from both the government and Congress leadership for his comments against the home ministry from foreign soil. The trend continued on Wednesday when defence minister A K Antony rejected Mr Ramesh's stand on Indian policies vis-à -vis Chinese companies. He denied that India was “paranoid" about Chinese firms wanting to enter India. “There is nothing like that," Mr Antony said when asked if the Indian security establishment was really “paranoid" and “alarmist" about China as Mr Ramesh had claimed from Beijing last weekend. “Our government has a policy to maintain good and friendly relationships with our neighbours. That applies to China also. China is our largest trading partner. That should explain it," Mr Antony said.
While conceding that India and China had border disputes, he said the relations between the two countries “have improved a lot" as compared to the past.
Ironically, Mr Ramesh's statements in China about restrictive practices against Chinese firms was made in the context of a new bonhomie in India-China relations post the Copenhagen climate change talks. He has said that if curbs were not relaxed, the post-Copenhagen spirit between the two countries would dissipate.
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