The Congress today questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” over the alleged Chinese construction of a second village into the Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh and urged him to resolve the issue.

At a press conference, Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said “Why is the PM silent on the issue? We condemn his silence. This is inexcusable. It is a sad case of deliberate distortion and diversion on an issue affecting India’s integrity and sovereignty. I urge the PM to immediately resolve the issue.”

Advertisement

Singhvi said, “Chinese have intruded across the Indian border in the area, which we claim as ours, by building a second village of 60 clusters, or 60 habitats.”

He said, “I have shown you two maps, which are crucial, I am not repeating them. One is the before and after picture. The before satellite picture of 2019 of the same spot shows barren, vacant land, you have just seen on the screen. The September 2021’s photo shows a cluster of about 60 odd houses or structures, what can be seen clearer, nobody has spoken on that, nobody has told you, why it is wrong?”

The intrusion near Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh is six to seven km within the Indian area, which India claims its own, Singhvi said.

The Congress spokesperson attacked General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff, for saying that all is well and everything is “happening” on the Chinese side of the border. The MEA differed on the issue, he said.

“On an issue like this, can we have this double-voiced, hypocritical, unimaginable, inexcusable diversions between two ministries as important and high as Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministry,” he said.

He said this spot, which has been shown in one of the photographs is about 33 km direct south of where Chinese President ‘Xi’ landed.

“We don’t understand, this definition of national security, where you berate, browbeat, intimidate the whole country on national security issues and keep silent on this kind of thing.

“One of the most eloquent speakers, our Prime Minister, always practices eloquent silence, but, this time more so on national security. He has never said a word on this, neither on the January 2019 intrusion nor on the September-October, 2021 intrusion, which is current,” Singhvi said.