Flagging a “clear threat from China” amid the ongoing border row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the neighbouring country is “preparing for war” and alleged that the Centre is “hiding and not accepting it”.
In an apparent reference to the recent faceoff between the Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, Gandhi said that China is making an “offensive preparation on the side of Ladakh and Arunachal” while the Indian government “is in slumber”.
“There is a clear threat from China. The government is trying to hide it and ignore it. But that threat cannot be ignored or hidden. China is making offensive preparation on the side of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian government is in slumber. It doesn’t want to hear it. China is preparing for war, not for an incursion,” he said while addressing a press conference here.
“If you see the pattern of their weapons, they are preparing for war. Our government is hiding it and is not accepting it,” he added.
Gandhi also lashed out at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and said that he should “deepen his understanding”.
“This is happening because the Indian government is working event-based and is not working strategically. When there is a matter of international relations, no event works there. Power works there. I have said it multiple times that we should be careful. The EAM should deepen his understanding,” he said.
The Congress leader also questioned the media and said that it would not ask questions to him over the ongoing border row with China.
“The ones who captured 2,000 sq km of India and killed 20 Indian soldiers, and are thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. I said to my friend that the Indian media would not ask me questions about it,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that Chinese troops had attempted to transgress the LAC at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh in a bid to “unilaterally change the status quo”, but were given a firm and resolute response forcing the Chinese side to retreat.
In his statement in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Singh said the face-off led to a physical scuffle that led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides but “there were no fatalities or serious casualties” to Indian soldiers.
Giving statements in both House, the Defence Minister also assured that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”. (ANI)
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