Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday asserted that the priority of the Narendra Modi-led government is publicity stunts and not India’s national security.

The remarks of the Congress chief came in the wake of a media report which claimed that China is building 90 villages along Arunachal Pradesh border.

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Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km border with China.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the above-mentioned report, the Congress chief in a post on X wrote, “Narendra Modiji you’re adopting the policy of ‘lal salam’ (red salute) instead of ‘lal ankh’ (red eye).”

India’s national security, territorial sovereignty and integrity are paramount and the Modi government is putting it at risk, he alleged.

“China has started setting up 90 new villages along Arunachal Pradesh border. Earlier, China had settled such villages. The Modi government promotes ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ along the border. But the truth is that 90 per cent of the funds of ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ have not been spent in the last two years. The scheme was launched in February 2023 and out of the allocated funds of Rs 4,800 crore, only Rs 509 crore was spent,” the Congress chief said.

Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said, “In December 2024, China announced to build the ‘world’s largest dam’ on the Brahmaputra river, which could prove disastrous for our national security, environment and the north-eastern states. The Modi government was aware of this matter since 2021, but still, it remained completely silent.”

“Modiji, your government’s priority is PR stunts and not India’s national security,” he added.