SUMMARY
– BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of insulting Indian foreign policy and military repeatedly
– Rahul calls Jaishankar-Xi meeting a “circus”, questions Modi government’s diplomacy
– RSS stokes fresh debate on ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ in Constitution’s Preamble
When Foreign Policy Turns Political: Why This Feud Feels Different
In an intensifying face-off that combines China diplomacy, civil-military politics, and ideological debates on India’s Constitution, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have once again clashed — this time over External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent engagement with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Gandhi accused the Modi government of orchestrating a “foreign policy circus” after Jaishankar met Xi on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet in Beijing, the BJP retaliated with heavy fire, labelling Gandhi a “habitual liar and offender” with no understanding of diplomacy.
Coming just two days after a Lucknow court granted Gandhi bail in a defamation case concerning his remarks on the armed forces, the timing of this political slugfest is as strategic as it is symbolic. The BJP is portraying Gandhi as reckless on matters of national security, while the Congress is painting the Modi government as a regime that masks foreign policy failures behind dramatic photo ops. Add to this the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) call to revisit the terms “secular” and “socialist” in the Constitution, and the week has turned into a battlefield for competing visions of Indian democracy — one rooted in Nehruvian pluralism, the other aiming for a Hindutva-guided national revival.
BJP Spokesperson Ajay Alok-
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) July 16, 2025
"Ashok Gehlot is suffering from some new memory-refreshing disease.
He was saying that AI was Rajiv Gandhi’s dream.
Rajiv Gandhi passed away in 1991 and no one even heard about AI at that time."
pic.twitter.com/6ooO2PDRkc
The ‘F’ Word: BJP Rages at Rahul’s ‘Foreign Policy’ Critique
- BJP slams Rahul Gandhi’s “circus” remark on Jaishankar’s China visit
- Spokesperson Ajay Alok says Rahul “doesn’t know F of foreign policy”
- BJP alleges consistent pattern of disrespecting armed forces by Rahul
Rahul Gandhi’s sarcastic tweet questioning Jaishankar’s meeting with Xi Jinping triggered a sharp rebuke from the BJP. The Congress leader had remarked, “The EAM is now running a full-blown circus aimed at destroying India’s foreign policy,” following Jaishankar’s meeting with Xi to discuss border tensions and diplomatic resets. Tagging media coverage of the meeting, Gandhi mockingly suggested that perhaps the Chinese Foreign Minister should instead brief Modi.
BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok responded with scathing criticism: “If our Foreign Minister is in China and doesn’t meet their leaders, should he meet the Italian Prime Minister?” He further claimed that Gandhi’s ignorance on foreign affairs was matched only by his irresponsibility in “disrespecting” the military, citing past remarks like “khoon ki dalali” and “Chinese are beating our soldiers.”
This latest round comes just after Gandhi secured bail in a defamation case regarding his alleged derogatory remarks about the Indian Army. The BJP, seeking to paint him as anti-national, has stitched together a narrative of serial disrespect — one they believe will resonate with both veterans and nationalists alike.
Circus or Diplomacy? Congress Hits Back with Sharp Jabs
- Congress questions substance of Jaishankar’s China engagement
- Raises concerns over lack of progress post-Galwan clash
- Frames BJP’s actions as performative diplomacy with little strategic gain
From the Congress viewpoint, the optics of the Jaishankar-Xi meeting were far less reassuring than the BJP claimed. After the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that marked a low point in India-China relations, Congress leaders have repeatedly questioned the Modi government’s handling of border de-escalation, infrastructure development near LAC, and trade dependencies.
Gandhi’s critique — calling the foreign minister’s visit a “circus” — is a continuation of this broader opposition line: that BJP engages more in spectacle than in solving core diplomatic issues. His tweet, while acidic, taps into a growing narrative in some quarters that India’s foreign engagements under Modi often prioritize symbolic value over tangible outcomes.
Meanwhile, Congress also highlights what it terms the “externalization of blame” — claiming that any criticism of government policy is spun by BJP as treachery or lack of patriotism. This, they argue, is part of a larger strategy to silence meaningful democratic dissent under the guise of nationalism.
RSS Enters the Frame: Constitution, ‘Secularism’, and a Bigger Battle
- RSS calls for debate on removing ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ from Preamble
- BJP echoes sentiment, calling 1976 amendment an “insult” to Ambedkar
- Congress accuses BJP-RSS of constitutional revisionism by stealth
Amid this verbal duel, the RSS added a fresh log to the fire by questioning the inclusion of the terms “secular” and “socialist” in the Constitution’s Preamble — amendments inserted during the Emergency in 1976 under Indira Gandhi’s rule. BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok backed the call, stating it was time for a national debate on whether those terms were added “democratically” or imposed during a time when opposition leaders were jailed.
This ideological pivot adds a deeper layer to the foreign policy spat. Congress leaders see the RSS intervention as an attempt to push India towards a theocratic identity, while the BJP defends it as a restoration of constitutional integrity and originalist values. For both parties, the Constitution is no longer just a legal document — it has become a symbolic battleground for competing national ideologies.
When Identity, Diplomacy, and History Collide
Rahul Gandhi’s jab about a “foreign policy circus” may have been intended as political theatre, but the BJP’s reaction reveals just how sensitive the government remains about its diplomatic optics, especially on China. With Jaishankar’s visit framed as a strategic reset, any public mockery becomes more than an opposition attack — it becomes a perceived insult to national honour.
Meanwhile, the simultaneous RSS push to revisit the Constitution’s vocabulary signals that the BJP is not merely defending foreign policy — it is actively shaping the philosophical contours of India’s future. What might seem like a squabble over diplomatic protocols is in fact a window into a larger ideological war: about the limits of criticism, the meaning of nationalism, and the very soul of the Republic.
As India moves towards yet another election cycle, expect these rhetorical battles to intensify — because in 2025, every remark is both a headline and a manifesto.
