(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) The Congress party, reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Newsweek interview, described his remarks on China as "feeble and ineffective" and said that this will only encourage the dragon to assert claim on Indian territory.

Congress party's communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh, taking to X said:“Prime Minister had a chance to send a powerful message to China,” but unfortunately, he failed to do so.

Notably, PM Modi in an interview to the US-based magazine Newsweek spoke on a host of issues ranging from India's 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision, country's growing economic might, abrogation of Article 370 and also India's borders including China and Pakistan.

PM Modi told Newsweek that the ties between India and China were crucial and that there was an“urgent need to address the prolonged situation” on borders to put the“abnormality in bilateral interaction behind us.”

Congress General Secretary, taking a searing jibe, described the Newsweek interview as the one where the Prime Minister was "at his cowardly worst."

About the infamous China-India border skirmishes in 2020, he said:“Prime Minister's reaction is not only disgraceful but also disrespectful to our martyrs, who made supreme sacrifice in defending our borders.”

The clashes in Galwan valley resulted in the martyrdom of over a dozen Indian soldiers and a bigger casualty on the Chinese side.

PM Modi, in a long free-wheeling interaction with Newsweek also spoke about how India being a democratic polity was the "natural choice" for multi-national companies as it offered open market and bigger opportunities.

“India is globally considered most suited for manufacturing world-class goods at a competitive cost. India is a perfect destination for those who want to set up trusted and resilient supply chains," PM Modi told Newsweek on whether India can emerge as an "economic alternative" to China.

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