New Delhi, December 17
Politics over the recent Indo-China face off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang heated up on Saturday with the BJP and senior ministers attacking Rahul Gandhi for “lowering the morale of armed forces” and the Congress asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on the matter.
Rijiju vs Ramesh on ‘Chinese beat up Indian soldiers’ remark
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday took to Twitter to attack Rahul Gandhi for his “Chinese beat up Indian soldiers” comment. “Rahul Gandhi is not only insulting the Army but also damaging nation’s image. We are proud of our Armed Forces,” Rijiju tweeted. Posting an undated picture with military personnel in Arunachal, he added, “Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, is fully secured now due to adequate deployment of the brave jawans of the Indian Army.” Moments later when some netizens said Rijiju’s picture was dated 2019, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh retorted: “Shameless distorian”. TNS
Leading the charge against Rahul was BJP president JP Nadda, who accused the former Congress chief of “speaking the language of Pakistan and China” and “lowering the morale of armed forces with his statements”.
Rahul had yesterday said Chinese troops “had beaten up Indian soldiers in Tawang”. While the Congress fielded general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh to hit back and ask the PM seven questions on Chinese intrusions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Indian troops had displayed courage and valour in pushing back the Chinese.
“Galwan or Tawang, politics is practised on the basis of truth. It cannot be practised on the basis of falsehoods for long,” Rajnath said in a veiled reference to Rahul.
Officially, the BJP dared Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to “expel Rahul”.
The Congress, for its part, asked seven questions of the PM, the top being why did he, on June 20, 2020, say there had been no incursion by China into Indian territory in eastern Ladakh.
Ramesh issued a statement posing the questions even as Nadda raked up the MoU the Congress had signed with the Chinese Communist Party to say, “The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation took funds from the Chinese embassy. Perhaps that’s why Rahul Gandhi always speaks in favour of China. When the Indian forces were on high alert in Doklam, Rahul was meeting Chinese officials. This puts a question mark on his patriotism. He had even cast aspersions on surgical strikes and the Pulwama terror attack,” said Nadda, adding, “Rahul always speaks the language of Pakistan and China.”
Ramesh also asked the PM, “You met the top Chinese leadership 18 times and recently shook hands with Xi Jinping in Bali. China launched an incursion into Tawang shortly thereafter and continues to unilaterally alter the border situation. Why are you not taking the nation into confidence?”
