The Congress on Monday launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the China issue, accusing it of playing directly into the hands of the Chinese.
The party also posed a volley of questions to the Prime Minister over the matter.
In a statement, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said, “Today is the fourth anniversary of the clashes that began between Indian and Chinese troops at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. These culminated in the fatal engagement in Galwan on 15th June 2020 in which 20 of our brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. The PM’s clean chit to China four days later when he said ‘na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai’ was a profound insult to our fallen soldiers and became the legitimisation of Chinese control over 2,000 square kms of land in eastern Ladakh.”
Referring to the India-China border talks, he said, “Despite 21 rounds of military talks over four years, the situation remains unfavourable. Leh’s Superintendent of Police has clearly shown that our troops were unable to reach 26 out of 65 patrolling points that they could access prior to 5th May 2020. Chinese forces continue to block Indian access in the strategic Depsang Plains in five locations (Patrolling Points 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13).”
Alleging that China’s aggressive build up and intrusions are not restricted to Ladakh, the Congress MP said, “Along Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese continue to build forces and infrastructure that pose a direct threat to India’s Siliguri Corridor, which connects northeast India with the rest of the country. The Modi government has overseen the destabilisation of Manipur and other parts of the northeast, playing directly into the hands of the Chinese. This sorry situation is a complete indictment of the PM’s gullibility and naiveté regarding China.”
Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km border with China.
He asserted that ”China has made significant inroads into our neighbourhood on the Modi government’s watch”.
“Do you still believe your 19 June 2020 statement ? Has your government surrendered to Chinese control over thousands of square kms in Depsang and Demchok for the foreseeable future or are you still trying to return to the status quo ante before 5 May 2020? When will you take responsibility for the abysmal failure of your China policy?” Jairam questioned.