While China Is Preparing For War, Indian Govt Is Asleep: Rahul Gandhi

(Source: PTI)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that China is preparing for war and the Indian government is sleeping over it and trying to ignore the threat. He also alleged that China has taken away 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, killed 20 Indian soldiers and is “thrashing our jawans in Arunachal Pradesh”.

“I can see the threat of China very clearly. I have been clear on this for the last two-three years, but the government is trying to hide it and ignore it. This threat can neither be hidden or ignored. Going by their full offensive preparation that is on in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, the Indian government is asleep,” Gandhi told a press conference in Jaipur.

“The government does not want to hear this but their (China’s) preparation is on. The preparation is for war. It is not for incursion, but for war. If you look at their weapon pattern, what they are doing — they are preparing for war. Our government hides this and is not able to accept it,” the former Congress chief said.

He said this is happening because the Narendra Modi government does event-based work and does not work strategically.

“They think in terms of event management but where geostrategy is involved, event-based action does not work, power works there. I have said three-four times that we should be careful and understand what is happening. They keep making statements, I see the external affairs minister keeps making remarks, I should not say it, but he should deepen his understanding,” Gandhi said.

The Congress has been accusing the BJP-led government of succumbing to pressure from China and not taking on the neighbouring country after its frequent transgressions at the border. The opposition party has been saying that the prime minister should take on China and address the border issues with it strongly by looking “eye to eye”.

The Congress has also been seeking a discussion in Parliament on the border issue and Chinese transgressions at the border.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the de-escalation in tensions along the India-China border, days after troops of the two countries clashed in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in minor injuries to some soldiers on both sides.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament on Tuesday that Chinese troops tried to “unilaterally” change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, but the Indian Army compelled them to retreat by its “firm and resolute” response.

When Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson to the UN Secretary-General was asked to comment on this issue, he said: “Yeah, we’ve seen these reports. We call for de-escalation and to ensure that the tensions along in that area do not grow.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, addressing a media briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, said the two sides have maintained smooth communication on boundary-related issues through diplomatic and military channels.

This is the first major clash between the Indian and Chinese armies since the fierce face-off in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. It is also the first major incident at the border after Chinese President Xi Jinping was re-elected for an unprecedented third five-year term at the Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

The clash took place even as both countries held 16 rounds of talks between their commanders to resolve the standoffs at various points since the eastern Ladakh border standoff, which erupted in May 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

The last round of talks was held in September, during which both sides agreed to disengage their troops at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area. India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC are important for the overall development of bilateral ties.