Rahul Gandhi had during a public speech on Friday at his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra said that China is preparing for war, while the Indian government was sleeping. "China is preparing for war, not for an incursion. See their pattern of weapons. They are preparing for war. Our government is not accepting it. The government of India is working on events, not on strategy," he said.
Notably this is China's second attempt of disruption along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in two years. The last time the Chinese People' Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army were involved in border skirmishes along the LAC at the Galwan Valley near Ladakh.
Rijiju took to Twitter to say that the Congress MP from Wayanad ‘become a huge embarrassment the country’. Rijiju tweeted pictures from ‘secured’ Tawang, and said that Rahul Gandhi insulted the Indian Army and also damaged the image of the country India.
See the tweet here
Tawang, where a border clash recently took place, is part of Kiren Rijiju's Lok Sabha constituency. "Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh is fully secured now due to adequate deployment of the brave jawans of Indian Army," Rijiju wrote with the photo, and then shared some more photos from the area.
“This is an amazing sight located just below Yangtse. It's known as Chumi Gyatse, 108 Holy Water Falls which originates from in-between the high mountains, considered the blessings of Guru Padmasambhava." Rijiju wrote while sharing images of what he claimed was the Yangste area.
Rijiju also carried a video where according to news agency ANI, ‘locals’ told the reporter what Rahul Gandhi mentioned in his speech was ‘wrong’.
Speaking in Hindi, Gandhi also alleged that China has taken away 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, killed 20 Indian soldiers, and is "beating our jawans in Arunachal Pradesh".
Congress and other Opposition members have been demanding a discussion on the border issue and India's foreign policy, but the government has been cagey and the parliament chairpersons have cited "rules and conventions" to not allow a discussion on "such a sensitive issue".
