A day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) accused the Narendra Modi government of “mishandling” the border situation with China in Ladakh, the party on Wednesday asked the government to “come clean” on the claims made by BJP MP Tapir Gao about Chinese intrusions in Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing a virtual press conference, Lok Sabha members Manish Tewari and Gaurav Gogoi claimed that Mr. Gao, former BJP chief of Arunachal Pradesh, asserted in an interview to a regional television channel that China had occupied areas on both banks of the Subansiri river in the State’s Upper Subansiri district, even on the Indian side of the McMahon Line.
The party also released a video clip of Mr. Gao’s earlier speech in the Lok Sabha, made on November 19 last year, where he claimed 50-60 km of Indian territory had come under Chinese intrusions in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Congress accused the government of trying to downplay reports of incursions and said the government should give a “strong reply to China as regular dialogues won’t work”.
“What is the truth behind what Tapir Gao is saying? There should be an immediate clarification from the government... Will the Prime Minister and his government come clean on the claims made by the BJP MP” asked Mr. Tewari.
At Tuesday’s CWC meeting, party leader R.P.N. Singh had expressed the view that an attack on Mr. Modi should not be construed as an attack on the institution of the Prime Minister’s Office. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi, however, differed and accused Mr. Modi of “demolishing institutional structures of diplomacy.”
Keeping up his attack on Mr. Modi over the rising COVID-19 cases as well as petrol and diesel prices, Mr. Gandhi tweeted on Wednesday that, “The Modi government has ‘unlocked’ the corona pandemic and prices of petrol-diesel.”
