New Delhi: After being reprimanded by the Prime Minister for the remarks he made in China against India's Home Ministry, Jairam Ramesh has met P Chidambaram on Monday.
Last week, Ramesh, who is the Environment Minister, shocked many including his own government when he said in China that the Home Ministry's policies towards Chinese companies looking to enter India were "alarmist" and "paranoid." Ramesh had to explain his stand to the PM and to Sonia Gandhi.
Home Minister P Chidambaram wrote to the PM about Ramesh's remarks as well.
The Home Ministry clarified that any objections it has are company-specific, not country-specific.
Ramesh's remarks were made in the context of a company named Huawei Technologies, which is a major manufacturer of telecom equipment, which has been lobbying to operate in India. The Home Ministry has expressed reservations about allowing the import and installation of equipment from Huwaei and other companies on the grounds that it could pose a security challenge, in the highly-sensitive telecom sector. The possibility of equipment being misused for espionage, for example, worries experts.
Ramesh breached basic protocol with his comments, including criticizing the government abroad, and of questioning a matter deemed to be of national security.