Govt has no strategy on China border row, ‘Mr 56’ is scared: Rahul Gandhi

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi shared a news article where the External Affairs Ministry and the Chief of Defence Staff had a different take on the China border issue.

Our national security is unpardonably compromised because GOI has no strategy and Mr 56” is scared.

My thoughts are with the soldiers risking their lives to guard our borders while GOI churns out lies. pic.twitter.com/F0iEHXdu8o

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 12, 2021

“Our national security is unpardonably compromised because GOI has no strategy and Mr 56” is scared. My thoughts are with the soldiers risking their lives to guard our borders while GOI churns out lies,” Gandhi tweeted while taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Thursday, taking note of the Pentagon report on China building a “large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory” between the Tibet Autonomous Region and Arunachal Pradesh, the Ministry of External Affairs said Beijing has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas and India has not accepted “such illegal occupation” of Indian territory and the “unjustified Chinese claims”.

However, hours later, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said at an event that “these villages which are well within Chinese side of the LAC” and “they have not transgressed anywhere on our perception of the Line of Actual Control”.

Responding to questions at the Times Now summit, Gen Rawat said, “Chinese building villages along the LAC is true. But what I wish to come out with is, Chinese are building villages possibly for billetting and locating their civilians, or for the military in the future, all along the Line of Actual Control, particularly after the recent face offs that we’ve had. But this present controversy that has erupted that Chinese have come across into our territory and have built a new village is not true…”

Earlier in the day, responding to questions on the Pentagon Report, Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have taken note of the US Department of Defense’s report to US Congress which inter-alia also makes a reference to construction activities by Chinese side along the India-China border areas, particularly in the Eastern Sector.”

“China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas, including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over the decades. India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram said, “It is time for the Defence Minister to draw a LAC in the Defence Ministry and ask the CDS to remain well within his side of the LAC”.

“MEA said that China is in “illegal occupation” of Indian territory and India will not accept “unjustified Chinese claims. Within hours, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said that the Chinese “have not transgressed anywhere on our perception of the LAC” and they are “well within their side of the LAC. The Chinese are laughing all the way from their Plenum to the 20th Congress of the Communist party. It is time for the Defence Minister to draw a LAC in the Defence Ministry and ask the CDS to remain well within his side of the LAC,” he said in a series of tweets.

The Chinese are laughing all the way from their Plenum to the 20th Congress of the Communist party.

It is time for the Defence Minister to draw a LAC in the Defence Ministry and ask the CDS to remain well within his side of the LAC.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 12, 2021

India and China have failed to make headway in resolving the 18-month standoff in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh during the 13th round of military talks between the two countries held last month. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector of eastern Ladakh.