Cong: Trust own leader on Chinese incursions
The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of turning a blind eye to even its senior BJP leader pointing out the pattern of the Chinese army’s gradual encroachment of the Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari and party MP Gaurav Gogoi referred to a revelation made by BJP MP Tapir Gao, president of Arunachal BJP until last January, in the Lok Sabha that the Chinese Army has set up another base called new Majha, deeper in Indian territory. According to him, the aggressions are many kilometres inside the Indian territory.
“This is not the first time Tapir Gao has made these revelations,” asserted Tewari and Gogoi, who heard the Arunachal leader in the House as the members, at a press conference. “We want to know if what Tapir said is true or false since the government kept mum when he made the disclosure.”
The Congress leaders said Tapir Gao also revealed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had not only entered 10-12 km on the Indian side of the Macmohan Line but it even set up a hydropower project in the Majha region. Gao also revealed that the PLA was on both sides of the Subansiri River in the upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh and they have occupied territory on the Indian side.
“While we do know something with regard to Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso lake, Hot Springs area in Western sector and with regard to Chinese intrusion in Naku la in Central sector. Facts continue to remain opaque on the Eastern sector which is perhaps most disputed,” Tewari underlined.
He said ever since reports about the Chinese aggression into Indian territory emerged, the NDA-BJP govt. has been walking the extra mile to downplay those reports and try and obfuscate the facts on the ground. Is this not a surrender of the In
dian territory and why, Tewari asked.
Both the Congress leaders demanded the government should not look at what’s happening in Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh as isolated incidents. These are grand designs that need to be responded strongly, they said.
On PM Modi continuing to placate China for the reasons best known to him alone, they said: “This cannot be the response. We cannot have a Doklam like situation in Ladakh. India cannot repeat Doklam in Ladakh. They need to look at other forms of leverage like trade to have a successful negotiation.”
The Congress played a clip of the Arunachal East MP while he was speaking in the Lok Sabha that Chinese have come up to Majha which has been an Indian military base in the past.