Congress: Centre can’t push India into US military bloc
Stepping up its opposition to the logistics exchange agreement with the US, the Congress on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government “does not have a national mandate” to push India into American mi
Stepping up its opposition to the logistics exchange agreement with the US, the Congress on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government “does not have a national mandate” to push India into American military bloc and demanded that it “retrace” its steps.
“We ask the government not to sign this agreement but to retrace their steps and ensure that India’s past position of not leaning or being drawn into military blocs is respected,” senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told reporters.
He claimed Modi government “do not have a national mandate” to push India into closer military alliance and become part of the larger operational designs and requirements of the US in Asia and Pacific and South China Sea. “We have strong reservations and concerns” over such a move. He said it would, in fact, be “inviting opposition and serious concerns” of India’s strategic partners like Russia and even China.
“You cannot just sign off India’s strategic interests. That would be detrimental to India, we will oppose it, we are opposed to it, we are actually appealing to the good sense of the PM to stop this...,” he said and feared that it would also “undermine” the geo-strategic balance and balance of forces in India’s extended neighbourhood.