Rahul Gandhi and some other MPs walked out of a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on defence on Wednesday after his request for a discussion on the border dispute with China was turned down.

The scheduled topic for discussion on Wednesday was a briefing on the working of cantonment boards.

Rahul had in the past objected to the discussion of apparently irrelevant issues like soldiers’ uniform in parliamentary committee meetings. Rahul is of the view that parliamentary committees should discuss strategic and policy matters instead of wasting time on subjects which can be decided by officials.

The Narendra Modi government will have to face uncomfortable questions on China in the coming Parliament session as the Congress has decided to raise the border issue, in addition to new revelations in the Rafale deal along with price rise, Covid mismanagement, farm laws and unemployment.

The issues were decided at the party’s strategy committee meeting called by president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday evening. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge has been assigned the task of coordinating with other like-minded parties to decide the parliamentary strategy.