New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday over Chinese intrusions at the LAC, saying while Ladakhis claim that China has taken their land, the PM says otherwise and someone is “lying”.
“Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying,” he wrote on a Twitter.
Gandhi also shared the voices of some Ladakhis in a video alleging that the Chinese have occupied Indian territory in Ladakh.
The former Congress chief’s dig came on a day when Modi visited Nimu, a forward location in Leh to interact with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.
Gandhi has accused the prime minister of “surrendering” Indian land to China and “lying” on the border standoff issue.
Meanwhile, the Congress party on Friday questioned the prime minister’s silence on Chinese “incursions” into Indian territory and asked why he did not name China even once in his recent speeches.
The opposition party also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked why is he “so kind” to Chinese President Xi Jinping and “not showing loyalty towards the country”.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said that the prime minister did not name China in his “MannKiBaat”, his address to the nation and even in his address to soldiers in Leh on Friday.
“June 28 – He did not name China in his ‘MannKiBaat’. June 30 – He did not name China in his address to the nation and on July 3 in his address to soldiers, he did not name China too.
“Why is the Prime Minister of a strong India so weak? Why is he hesitating to name China? When will he talk to China looking into their eyes?” Surjewala asked in a tweet in Hindi.
The Congress also questioned the prime minister’s silence on its official Twitter handle, asking “Living in denial doesn’t help anyone, least of all our soldiers. Can the PM clarify on new incursions by the Chinese.”
Demanding answers from the prime minister, the Congress also asked why is the prime minister keeping his friend above the nation.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of being loyal to the nation, has displayed his friendship with China by not even naming it. Why is PM Modi so kind to Xi Jinping,”it asked.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked, “For the third time in a week, PM did not name China as the aggressor, why.”
“What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed ‘enemy’ to the people of India and the jawans in Ladakh,” he asked on Twitter.
The former union minister said the PM has still not answered the party’s questions about where the violent clashes took place on June 15-16 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory at several points.
“Nor has the government answered our questions on the satellite images showing Chinese troops occupying key positions in places hitherto considered as undisputed Indian territory,” he said.
Sharing a video of residents of Ladakh claiming that China has taken over land, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “We need answers and we need action.”
