At the all-party meeting called by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent India-China stand-off, the most leaders including Mamata Banerjee expressed solidarity with the government in its response.

In an exception at the meet, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi who was the first opposition speaker delivered a sharp critique and said was kept “in the dark even at this late stage”.

“This meeting, in my view, should have come sooner and immediately after the government had been reportedly informed about the Chinese intrusion on May 5 into several places in Ladakh and elsewhere,” NDTV quoted Sonia Gandhi as saying.

“As always, the entire nation would have stood together like a rock and fully supported the government of the day in the steps required to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Alas, that was not to be. In fact, even at this late stage, we are still in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis,” she added.

However, she concluded her statement by saying that her party and entire opposition unitedly stand by the defence forces and also added that the entire country would like an assurance that China will revert back to the original position on LAC.

West Bengal Chief Minister and a strong critique of BJP government, Mamata Banerjee, took a different stand on the issue and said that the all-party meet was a good message for the nation and it shows that we are united behind our jawans.

“We will not talk anything that gives a wrong message.  Queries also we will raise internally. We will not bow down our head to China. China is not a democracy. They are a dictatorship. We on the other hand have to work together. India will win, China will lose. Speak with unity. Think with unity. Work with unity,” she said.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar stressed that issues like whether the soldiers carried arms or not are decided by international agreements. “We need to respect such sensitive matters.”

His statement could be an indirect reference to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks over the issue.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao said, “The PM’s clarity on Kashmir has angered China. The PM’s emphasis on Kashmir’s development has also angered China. The PM’s call of AatmaNirbhar Bharat has rattled China.”

In the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and foreign minister were also present.