Manmohan Singh said the BJP-led Centre has failed on foreign policy
The recent remarks of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on India's foreign policy are purely and clearly a political message, not a policy one, said the Ministry of External Affairs after Mr Singh stated China is sitting at our border and efforts are being made to hide the truth.
"This is purely, clearly a political message not a policy one so I think from my position here, I would not like to get into that," said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday.
It came after Manmohan Singh said, "They (BJP-led government) have no understanding of the economic policy. The issue is not limited to the nation. This government has also failed on foreign policy. China is sitting at our border and efforts are being made to hide the truth."
With regard to Mr Singh's remarks, Mr Bagchi also said, "As regards China, the facts of the matter are clear. I do not need to reiterate them. We have been discussing what the process is of conversation with China. How the situation has arisen. I think repeatedly we have said that."
Manmohan Singh's remarks on China came as India and Beijing have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala.
After the conclusion of 14 rounds of military talks, India and China had agreed to hold the commander-level meeting at the earliest on the LAC in the Western sector to resolve the standoff between the two nuclear nations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)