The Congress on Tuesday questioned the steps announced by the Ministry of External Affairs like the agreement on the resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and direct flights with China, saying the Narendra Modi government has not yet satisfactorily explained to the country why this is the right time to normalize relations with Beijing.

In a statement, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh reiterated the questions that his party had asked the government earlier, saying they must be answered before normalization with China can be attempted.

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“Will Indian troops be able to patrol up to our claim line in Depsang to five patrolling points past the Bottleneck junction as they were able to earlier? Will our troops be able to reach the three patrolling points in Demchok that have remained out of bounds for more than four years? Will our soldiers continue to be restricted to Finger 3 in Pangong Tso when earlier they could go as far as Finger 8 ?,” he questioned.

The Congress MP also asked whether our patrols permitted to access the three patrolling points in the Gogra-Hot Springs area that they could earlier go up to and will Indian graziers once again be given the right to access traditional grazing grounds in Helmet Top, Mukpa Re, Rezang La, Rinchen La, Table Top and Gurung Hill in Chushul.

“Are the ‘buffer zones’ that our government ceded to the Chinese, which included the site of a memorial in Rezang La to war hero and posthumous Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Shaitan Singh, now a thing of the past?,” Ramesh questioned.

He stated that the Congress party notes the announcement by the Modi government of normalisation of ties with China at a time when there are still many unanswered questions about the disengagement agreement of 21st October 2024.

“New Delhi and Beijing have agreed to restore commercial and cultural ties including direct flights between the two capitals, resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, liberalised visa regime and other measures following the recent Beijing visit of the Foreign Secretary. The Modi government has not yet satisfactorily explained to the country why this is the right time to normalise relations with China,” the Congress leader said.

Ramesh asserted that ever since the Chinese occupied 2,000 sq km of territory in eastern Ladakh that had been accessed by Indian patrols until May 2020, the people and the Armed Forces of the country have held that the Government of India must insist on a restoration of the status quo ante as it stood prior to that.

Instead of reducing our dependence on China, the Modi government has allowed Chinese exports to India to jump from $70 billion in 2018-19 to a record $102 billion in 2023-24, and are likely to go even higher in 2024-25, he alleged.