New Delhi, 14 August—Maintaining pressure on the BJP led NDA government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today demanded answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over reports that China has restricted Indian troops from patrolling certain areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
Kharge said India stands firmly behind its armed forces and remains united against any Chinese aggression, but the government must clarify whether Indian troops have lost access to areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“After Galwan, now Arunachal Pradesh? Disturbing reports suggest that China is attempting to push further into areas in Arunachal Pradesh, an inalienable part of our nation. This demands immediate answers from the Modi Government,” Kharge said on X.
Earlier, Former Union Minister R.K.Singh had asked the Modi government to clarify which posts, besides Shera Point 5 in Arunachal Pradesh’s Taksing area, the Chinese army has occupied, preventing Indian troops from accessing them.
In a video made in Hindi and posted Thursday on X, Singh sought these details from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, stating that it could not have been done without the PM’s approval.
Singh had joined the BJP and had won Lok Sabha seat from Bihar and went on to be the Energy Minister in the Modi government but then he was axed and since he is a bitter critic of the central government.
The government has maintained silence over the development declining to give an immediate reaction , and there was no official confirmation of any such development in Arunachal Pradesh.
Kharge also criticised the Modi government over its handling of the India-China border situation, referring to the 2020 clashes in Galwan in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
“Let us not forget that after 20 of our brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice in Galwan in 2020, none less than PM Modi gave China a ‘CLEAN CHIT’, emboldening their transgressions! That record inspires no confidence,” the Congress chief said.
“The Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Home Minister must answer the nation.
“We have complete faith in the courage and capability of the Indian Armed Forces. India stands firmly behind our soldiers and united against any Chinese aggression,” Kharge said.
The Congress president also raised questions over the reported presence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) near Taksing and India’s access to Shera-5, a designated Patrolling Point.
“Why is Indian patrolling reportedly limited during winter in this sensitive sector while the PLA maintains a year-round presence? Why are traditional grazing and hunting grounds becoming inaccessible to local communities? “Has the pre-May 2020 status quo ante in Eastern Ladakh been fully restored? The BJP is culpable in hiding facts about situation on the ground and taking Parliament into confidence whether India retains full access to all areas and Patrolling Points it accessed prior to May 2020,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha asked.
Kharge’s remarks came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that China had stopped Indian troops from patrolling certain areas along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and accused the government of trying to “hide it.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said India considers matters relating to border areas with China “most serious” and asserted that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC is of “utmost importance”. It said the state of the frontier would govern the overall trajectory of bilateral ties.
The MEA’s remarks came amid reports of aggressive posturing by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri region.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
