Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of a “standard map” released by China which lays claim over Indian territories of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin region apart from Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. "I have been saying for years that what the PM said, that not one inch of land was lost in Ladakh, is a lie,” said the Congress leader who recently concluded his Ladakh trip which includes the Aksai Chin region.
“The entire Ladakh knows that China has transgressed. This map issue is very serious. They have taken away the land. The PM should say something about it,” he said while speaking to reporters outside Delhi airport.
Beijing released its 2023 edition of standard map which included Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
India has repeatedly asserted that "Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."
China claims Taiwan as a part of its mainland and has vowed its integration while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea areas.
The Ministry of External Affairs registered a strong protest through diplomatic channels with Beijing on China's "standard map" amid an uproar by the Opposition criticising PM Modi who recently held bilateral talks with Xi Jinping over the situation at the Line of Actual Control on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in South Africa.
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"We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 "standard map” of China that lays claim to India’s territory," External Affairs Ministry's Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Tuesday.
"We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question,” he added.