Government Should Be "Honest": Congress On Clashes With Chinese Troops

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took on the BJP government on Monday over the latest clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Modi Govt should be honest about the Chinese transgressions and the construction at all points near the LAC, since April 2020. Govt needs to take the nation into confidence by discussing this issue in Parliament," he posted on Twitter.

Last week, Indian and Chinese troops had clashed briefly at the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. This is the first clash reported this year between the troops of the two nations. The big clash at Galwan Valley took place in June 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers died for the country and over 40 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured.  

Since then, the Congress has repeatedly demanded that the government reveal details of Chinese incursions and constructions near the Line of Actual Control. The party has also criticized the government's handling of the clashes.

In January this year, Rahul Gandhi had demanded that the Prime Minister break his silence on Galwan. "Our tricolour looks good at Galwan. There should be a response to China. Modi ji, break the silence," Mr Gandhi had tweeted.

He made another reference to Galwan during his Bharat Jodo Yatra last month, declaring that PM Modi has "insulted" the sacrifice of Col. Santosh Babu, who died during a combat with the Chinese troops, by lying about China intruding into the Indian territory.

"You remember Santosh Babu who sacrificed his life for the country. I want to remind you that the Indian Prime Minister, after Santosh Babu became a martyr, told the people that China did not encroach on Indian territory," Mr Gandhi said at a gathering as the Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Telangana.

"If China did not encroach on Indian territory, then how did Santosh Babu become a martyr? Prime Minister has insulted Santosh Babu," he added.

The government maintains that the clashes stem from "differing perceptions" about the LAC.

In October 2020, shortly after the Galwan clashes, Union minister Rajnath Singh had told the Lok Sabha that  the different perceptions about the LAC were at the bottom of the repeated flare-ups at the border where "the Chinese and Indian perceptions of LAC overlap".