The Congress on Saturday asked the government to clarify Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that no Chinese troops were in Indian territory, saying it smacked of “surrender” and signalled “horrifying consequences” for the country’s territorial integrity.

“Chinese troops are present in the Galwan Valley and claim that the land is theirs. The Prime Minister said yesterday (Friday) the Chinese are not in our territory,” former home minister and Congress spokesperson P. Chidambaram said at a media conference.

“Together, these two statements lead to horrifying consequences. Before we spell out these horrifying consequences, the government should reject China’s claim.”

Modi had on Friday said that “neither has anyone intruded into our frontier there, nor is any intruder there”, prompting army veterans to ask whether he was “redrawing the Sino-Indian border on TV”.

While Chidambaram gave the government an opportunity to clarify the Prime Minister’s statement, Rahul Gandhi bluntly accused Modi of “surrender”, apparently targeting his “56-inch chest” swagger that seems to balloon against Pakistan but deflate against the mightier China.

“The Prime Minister has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression. If the land was Chinese: 1. Why were our soldiers killed? 2. Where were they killed?” Rahul tweeted.

The Congress believes that Modi is caught in his weakest moment, first mishandling the border standoff and then adopting a self-defeating cover-up strategy that cannot succeed in an age of communication technology.

Another former Union minister, Jairam Ramesh, tweeted: “The Prime Minister’s statement last night is baffling, shocking & devastating. It has infuriated the armed forces & every Indian. If there was no incursion then what was it — an excursion? Geography & history seem to have been changed with these too-clever-by-half lines. Indians deserve the truth.”

Chidambaram elaborated on the questions asked by Rahul.

“At the end of the all-party meeting yesterday, the Prime Minister made his concluding remarks. These remarks have left practically everyone baffled and bewildered,” Chidambaram said.

“He said no outsider was inside Indian territory in Ladakh. It is quite obvious that the Prime Minister’s statement contradicts the earlier statements made by the chief of army staff, the defence minister and the foreign minister.”

Chidambaram continued: “If the Prime Minister’s statement reflects the correct position, we would like to ask the government a few questions.

“If no Chinese troops had crossed the LAC and are in Indian territory, what was the ‘face-off’ on May 5-6, 2020? Between May 5 and June 6, what was the issue on which local Indian commanders were talking to their Chinese counterparts?

“What was the subject matter of the negotiations between the corps commanders of the two countries on June 6? If no Chinese troops were inside Indian territory, where did the clashes take place on June 15-16? Where were 20 Indian soldiers killed and 85 injured?”

Chidambaram reaffirmed that the Congress would stand by the government during this crisis.

But he added: “If no Chinese troops are in Indian territory, why did foreign minister Jaishankar’s statement and other statements of MEA (ministry of external affairs) demand the ‘restoration of status quo ante’?

“What was the meaning of ‘status quo ante’? What was the meaning of the ‘disengagement’ that the government said was ‘under way’?

“If no Chinese troops are inside Indian territory in Ladakh, why did 20 soldiers have to make the supreme sacrifice?”

Asked whether it was a coincidence that the Chinese had issued a fresh statement claiming the Galwan Valley as their own soon after Modi’s statement, Chidambaram put the ball in the government’s court.

“What is the government’s answer to this claim? The Chinese claim has been consistent for the past two weeks. It is the Prime Minister’s claim that has totally shocked everybody — that no Chinese are on Indian territory,” he said.

“He has to define what is Indian territory. China never laid claim on the Galwan Valley earlier. If the government does not reject this claim today, not tomorrow or later, the consequences, as I said, will be horrifying.”

The Congress has decided to launch a nationwide agitation on the subject, projecting Modi’s statement as a relinquishment of India’s claim on part of its land.

The party also expects internal trouble within the BJP and the RSS over Modi’s remark, which appears not to fit in with their nationalist narrative.