Sonia Gandhi on Friday sought an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “status quo ante” would be restored on the China border while suggesting the government’s failure to provide timely political and diplomatic interventions had cost the lives of soldiers.

“The question is, what next? What is the way forward? The entire country would like an assurance that status quo ante would be restored and China will revert to the original position on the Line of Actual Control,” the Congress president told an all-party meeting called by Modi through videoconferencing.

She asked several pointed questions, implying mismanagement and delayed response, but the thrust of her contention was the absence of timely political intervention.

The Congress has been emphasising that the border standoff couldn’t have been solved at the military level and that it was incumbent on the Prime Minister to personally talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We in the Congress believe that valuable time was lost between May 5 and June 6, the date on which the corps commanders’ meeting took place,” Sonia said.

“Even after the June 6 meeting, efforts should have been made to talk directly, at the political and diplomatic levels, to the leadership of China. We failed to use all avenues, and the result is the loss of 20 lives as well as dozens injured. I would urge the Prime Minister to kindly share with us all the facts and the sequence of events beginning April this year till date.”

She added: “When did the government find out about the Chinese transgressions into our territory? Was it on May 5, as reported, or earlier? Does the government not receive, on a regular basis, satellite pictures of the borders of our country? Did our external intelligence agencies not report any unusual activity along the LAC? Did military Intelligence not alert the government about the intrusion and the build-up of massive forces along the LAC, whether on the Chinese side or on the Indian side?”

Then came a blunt query: “In the government’s considered view, was there a failure of intelligence?”

Many media outlets had reported a Chinese intrusion, anyway, publishing articles by former generals that provided specifics, but the government kept denying any incursion.

Sonia paid homage to the slain soldiers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi during the all-party meeting in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI)

“This meeting, in my view, should have come sooner and immediately after the government had been reportedly informed about the Chinese intrusion on May 5, 2020,” the Congress president said.

“As always, the entire nation would have stood together like a rock and fully supported the government of the day in the steps required to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Alas, that was not to be.”

She added: “In fact, even at this late stage, we are still in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis. We have some specific questions for the government: On which date did the Chinese troops intrude into our territory in Ladakh?

“We would also like to be briefed on the preparedness of our defence forces to meet any threat. In particular, I would like to ask what is the current status of the Mountain Strike Corps, with two mountain infantry divisions, that was sanctioned in 2013? Should the government not treat it with utmost priority?”

Sonia asked the government to take all the Opposition parties and the country into confidence and brief them regularly “so that we may present to the world a picture of unity and solidarity”.

The CPI’s D. Raja warned the government against US attempts to drag India into its alliance.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury demanded high-level talks with the Chinese leadership to ensure measures, such as a clear demarcation of the LAC, to maintain border peace.

Sources said Yechury asked whether there was an intelligence failure and whether timely political intervention could have saved lives. He said the government should have briefed the Opposition much sooner.

“In the talks between our minister for external affairs and the foreign minister of China, our official statement states: ‘At the conclusion of the discussion, it was agreed that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely. Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocols’,” sources quoted Yechury as saying.

“As the Government of India has adopted this stand, the CPM extends its support to this approach.”

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray adopted a tough posture, asking the government to send out a clear message that India is not weak and can give a fitting reply.

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav argued that the intentions of Pakistan and China had never been positive and should never be trusted. He demanded a 300 per cent duty on Chinese goods.

The Biju Janata Dal advocated a strong response and asked the Opposition not to indulge in a blame game but to rally behind the government.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar insisted on unity of purpose, saying any differences within the country would be exploited by other nations. He demanded curbs on the import of Chinese goods.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader and Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao argued that Modi’s firm action on Kashmir and his call for self-reliance had rattled China.

Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal said this was not the time to highlight lapses or question the government’s handling of the situation.

Mamata message

Trinamul Congress leader and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee issued a message of unity. “This all-party meeting is a good message for the nation. It shows that we stand united behind our brave soldiers. The Trinamul Congress strongly stands in solidarity with the Union government,” a Trinamul source quoted Mamata as saying at the meeting.

Mamata, the source said, advised the Centre against letting China enter certain key industries. “Please do not let China enter sectors such as telecom, railways and aviation,” she was quoted as saying.

Additional reporting by our Calcutta bureau