Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that everyone believed in the capability of the Army, but Mr. Modi’s “cowardice has allowed China to take our land”.

His comments comes a day after the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort where he asserted that from the Line of Control (Pakistan border) to the Line of Actual Control (China border) whenever someone threatened territorial integrity, the Armed Forces had replied in the ‘same language’.

“Everybody believes in the capability and valour of the Indian army. Except the PM: Whose cowardice allowed China to take our land. Whose lies will ensure they keep it,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.

The Congress leader’s tweet is part of the party’s strategy that seeks to hold the Prime Minister “accountable” for the India China border face-off while lauding the defence forces.

On Independence Day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a statement, had said that the real tribute to Colonel Santosh Babu and 19 others killed in the Galwan Valley would be to protect India’s sovereignty.

“The real tribute to these soldiers would be to protect India’s sovereignty and to foil the Chinese incursions into our land,” she had said.

Naga peace agreement

In a separate tweet, the Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also questioned the government over the Naga rebel outfit, National Socialist Council of Nagaland-IM leader T. Muivah’s assertion that “the Nagas will co-exist but not merge with India”.

The Naga rebel group had signed a peace framework agreement in 2015 with the Modi government but the details have not yet been made public.

“The shocking details of PM Modi’s much touted 2015 Naga Agreement! Did PM agree to ‘shared sovereignty’? Did PM accept ‘Greater Nagalim’? Did PM accept separate ‘Flag and Constitution’? Was Nation ‘misled’ by PM?” asked Mr. Surjewala.