The Congress Working Committee has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he told an all-party meeting on Friday that “no one has intruded into our territory”, why these words were deleted from the official statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office the same day, and why the PMO was forced to issue a clarification the next day.
“The Prime Minister’s statement of denying any Chinese intrusion has had far-reaching implications. The Prime Minister cannot allow his words to be used by the Chinese as a vindication of their position, when it is clear that the brazen transgressions into our territory were committed by them and our armed forces were, and are, steadfastly and resolutely defending our territorial integrity,” a resolution adopted by the highest decision-making body of the Congress said on Tuesday.
The CWC also asked why the Prime Minister had “contradicted earlier statements of his own defence minister and the external affairs minister on Chinese incursions”.
The resolution comes a day after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioned that the Prime Minister should always be “mindful of the implications of his words and declarations on the nation’s security…”
At the meeting on Friday to brief the Opposition on the clash in Ladakh that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, Modi had said: “Neither has anyone intruded into our frontier there, neither is any intruder there, nor is any of our posts occupied by someone else.”
Modi’s statement was lapped up by the Chinese propaganda machinery, which is citing this as vindication of Beijing’s assertion that their troops did not intrude into Indian territory.
Amid dismay among many military veterans, retired diplomats and several others in India, the PMO issued a clarification on Saturday to say Modi’s observation that “there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces”.
That the CWC issued a formal resolution suggests the main Opposition party does not believe the clarification is enough.
“What steps will the government take to ensure restoration of status quo ante?” the CWC asked, underlining that it was the right and duty of the Opposition to raise questions and seek clarity from the government.
Party president Sonia Gandhi had set the tone for the CWC meeting, saying: “It is said misfortunes do not come singly. India has been hit by a terrible economic crisis, a pandemic of huge proportions and, now, by a full-blown crisis on the borders with China. Much of each crisis is attributable to the mismanagement of the BJP-led NDA government and the wrong policies pursued by it….”
Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly asked the government to clarify if China has occupied Indian land, held the Prime Minister responsible.
“China has brazenly occupied our territory. The Prime Minister has destroyed our position and betrayed our army by accepting their (Chinese) position that they occupied no Indian land. The Chinese can’t be permitted to get away with this unacceptable usurpation of our land. Everything needs to be done to ensure that the sacrifice of our martyrs is not in vain,” the Congress MP said.
“One reason why China has acted is a complete and total failure of foreign policy. The established institutional structure of diplomacy has been demolished by the Prime Minister. Our relations with our once friendly neighbours lie in tatters. Our time-tested relationship with our traditional allies has been interrupted. India should build a good relationship with the US and other countries but must also maintain good relations with its old friends.”
