NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (PTI): The Congress Thursday sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi when will there be a discussion in Parliament on the border conflict with China as it released a calendar of “catastrophic mistakes” by the BJP government in 2022 regarding Beijing.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera posed a set of questions to Modi while claiming that China continues to occupy Indian territory in Ladakh and that the status quo ante has not been restored even after three years.
He claimed that PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping 18 times since 2014 while India has had 17 rounds of military-level talks and Chinese imports increased by 45 per cent since 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in clashes with the PLA in Galwan.
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Chinese companies have donated to PM Cares fund and 3,560 Indian companies currently have Chinese directors, the Congress spokesperson claimed.
“In this context, as the new year begins, we ask important questions to PM Modi. Who called President Xi his ‘plus one’? Why does China continue to occupy Indian territory up to the Y-junction at Depsang Plains at patrolling points PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13? Why has the status quo ante not been restored after three years? Why does China continue to occupy PP-15 and PP-17A in Hot Springs and Gogra Post?” Khera posed.
“China’s build-up in Doklam up to the ‘Jampheri Ridge’ is threatening India’s strategic Siliguri Corridor – the gateway to northeast India. Will we have a ‘China pe charcha’ in 2023?” he asked.
Khera alleged that PM Modi had in Shanghai in May 2015 described his relationship with China’s President Xi Jinping as that of ‘plus one’ since the two leaders were meeting with such affinity, closeness and companionship.
“But in 2022, fresh satellite images emerged showing the construction of a bridge by China on Pangong Tso, around 40 km from the LAC in eastern Ladakh.”
In Arunachal Pradesh, the PLA “abducted” a 17-year-old Indian — Miram Taron — from inside Indian territory in the Lungta Jor area on January 18, 2022. BJP MP Tapir Gao also tweeted that “China built three to four km road inside India in 2018”, the Congress leader said, adding the PLA handed over the boy to the Indian Army on January 26.
Khera alleged that China has made incursions into Indian territory and continues to occupy several kilometres of Indian land and cited several incidents to support his claim.
“A full year passes but the Modi government fails to make any progress towards restoring the status quo ante on our northern borders. In short, our national security and territorial integrity were challenged by China every month in 2022 under the Modi government,” he alleged.
The Congress leader also claimed that Indian patrols are also currently denied access to the Demchok Nalla.
Media reports reveal that the PLA is very “much inside the Indian territory” at PP-15 and PP-17A in Hot Springs and Gogra Post. The area denied to Indian patrols is around 1,000 sq km, he alleged.
“In October, China shamelessly played a video of the Galwan clash in its Communist Party Congress’ Great Hall of the People in Beijing in the presence of President Xi. In November, Konchok Stanzin, an independent member of the then BJP-ruled Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council — the region’s highest elected body — says the creation of the buffer zones has blocked local people’s access to grazing land for their livestock,” Khera claimed.
In December, Chinese troops clashed with Indian soldiers in the Yangtse area of Tawang to illegally occupy a 17,000 feet peak, with over 300 Chinese troops making an unprovoked attack but were successfully repulsed, he said.
“Coming on the heels of China’s attempted intrusion in Tawang, the Chinese build-up in Doklam up to ‘Jampheri Ridge’ (Zompelri Ridge) that threatens the sensitive Siliguri Corridor – India’s gateway to the Northeast – is of utmost concern for our security.
“The Chinese build-up next to Pangong Tso, which included the building of a PLA divisional headquarters, an army garrison, shelters for artillery, anti-aircraft guns and armoured personnel carriers, the construction of a new radome and two high-frequency microwave towers also pose a direct threat to India,” Khera said.
He said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi posed some simple questions to the Modi government about Chinese build-up, but the ruling party refused to hold any discussion in Parliament.
“Despite the supreme sacrifice of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley and India losing thousands of sq km of territory in eastern Ladakh, PM Modi gave a clean chit to China and maintained that ‘no one has entered our territory’,” the Congress spokesperson alleged.
He claimed that India has failed to give a stern message to China.
