"Destroyed Position, Betrayed Army": Rahul Gandhi's Fresh Attack On PM

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh last week, declaring once again that China had "brazenly occupied our territory" and that the "PM has destroyed our position and betrayed our army".

Mr Gandhi's searing comments, delivered at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee - his party's highest decision-making body - included sharp criticism of the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy.

"China has brazenly occupied our territory. The PM has destroyed our position and betrayed our army by accepting their position that they occupied no Indian land. The Chinese can't be permitted to get away with this unacceptable usurpation of our land," Rahul Gandhi said.

"One reason why China has acted is a complete and total failure of foreign policy. Established institutional structure of diplomacy has been demolished by the PM. Relations with our once-friendly neighbours lie in tatters and time-tested relationship with traditional allies has been interrupted," he added.

The CWC alleged contradictions in the government's positions and demanded details of transgressions in April. It said: "We stand firmly by the armed forces and their efforts to stop Chinese aggression".

Mr Gandhi isn't the first political leader to question the government's foreign policy after the Ladakh clash; on Monday South actor-politician Kamal Haasan said the violence meant diplomatic success claimed during PM Modi and China's Xi Jinping meeting in Tamil Nadu in October last year rang hollow

Over the past few days Rahul Gandhi has targeted the PM over comments during an all-party meeting on Friday, at which the PM said: "Neither is anyone inside our territory nor are any of our posts captured".

The Prime Minister's Office scrambled to issue a clarification but the Congress interpreted this to mean Indian territory had been ceded to China.

Mr Gandhi described PM Modi as "Surender" Modi on Sunday and, yesterday, posted a report by Chinese mouthpiece Global Times that praised the Prime Minister for his comment.

Earlier today, Mr Gandhi once again questioned if Indian territory had been ceded to China.

"We stand united against Chinese aggression. Has China occupied Indian territory?" he asked, posting a photo of Ladakh's Pangong Lake, where Indian and Chinese troops skirmished on May 5 and 6.

This morning Army sources said Indian and Chinese forced had reached a "mutual consensus to disengage" after a marathon meeting between top-level military officers.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed and 76 injured in last week's deadly clash that was triggered by the Chinese refusing to remove a tent as part of an agreement reached on June 6.