In a press conference held on Monday, the Congress party called for a comprehensive examination of the India-China border dispute and urged the government to release a white paper on the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Manish Tewari, a senior spokesperson for the Congress, highlighted the contradiction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement made after the Galwan clashes and the Ministry of External Affairs’ previous statement. Tewari pointed out that while the Prime Minister denied any intrusion or occupation by China, the Ministry of External Affairs had clearly stated that the Galwan incident occurred due to Chinese soldiers attempting to intrude and set up tents on the Indian side of the border.
Tewari raised concerns about the potential loss of Indian territory to China, questioning whether 2,000 square kilometers of Indian land was currently under Chinese occupation without any effort to reclaim it. He emphasised that the Prime Minister’s statement undermined India’s national interest and urged the government to provide a responsible statement regarding China.
Tewari further inquired about reports suggesting that the Indian Army had lost control over 26 out of 65 patrolling points along the LAC. He also questioned the creation of buffer zones within Indian territory and criticized the lack of discussion on China in Parliament and the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Defence.
Despite opposition demands for a discussion on China, Tewari stated that the government has consistently refused. Therefore, the Congress plans to forcefully demand a detailed discussion on the LAC situation in the upcoming Parliament session.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed concern over Prime Minister Modi’s previous statement giving a “clean chit” to China. Ramesh criticised the prime minister’s silence on recent Chinese transgressions, which weakened India’s negotiating position.
Tewari raised important questions regarding buffer zones, patrolling points, and the Line of Actual Control, urging the government to address these concerns and avoid evading the issue.
