'Indictment Of PM Modi's Gullibility': Congress Poses 6 Questions To Govt On Agreement With China

The Congress asked the government to take the people of India into confidence on the matter and said that many questions remained about PM Modi government's announcement of the agreement. 

LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi with party President Mallikarjun Kharge during the party's CEC meeting regarding the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections in New Delhi.

Source : PTI

Days after India and China announced an agreement on patrolling by their militaries along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, the Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Centre over the four-year-long standoff calling it an "indictment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gullibility and naivete." 

The Congress asked the government to take the people of India into confidence on the matter and said many questions remained about PM Modi government's announcement of the agreement. 

In a letter, issued by the party's General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, Congress posted six direct questions to the BJP-led Centre on India's truce with China in eastern Ladakh.

The party also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for visiting China five times and holding meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Many questions remain about the Modi government’s announcement that an agreement has been reached with China on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Our statement on this key issue of national importance pic.twitter.com/VruDuzG2uG

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 23, 2024

"This sorry saga is a complete indictment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gullibility and naiveté regarding China. As CM of Gujarat, Modi was lavishly hosted by China three times. As PM, he made five official trips to China and held 18 meetings with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, including a friendly jhoola session on the banks of the Sabarmati on his 64th birthday," the letter said. 

Congress also attacked the prime minister for his statements after the Galwan clash, claiming it legitimised Chinese aggression. 

"India's standing hit its lowest point on 19 June 2020 when the PM gave his infamous clean chit to China, saying "Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai”. This statement was made only four days after the clash in Galwan in which 20 of our brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. A profound insult to our fallen soldiers, it also legitimised China's aggression and thereby impeded the timely resolution of the standoff at the LAC," the party statement said. 

The Congress alleged that the Parliament was denied any opportunity to debate and hold discussions to address the border challenge in the last four years. The party further said that India's economic dependency on the Chinese economy increased during the standoff. 

"Chinese exports to India jumped from $70 billion in 2018-19 to a record $101 billion in 2023-24, even as Indian exports to China stagnated at $16 billion. China is the top supplier to critical industrial sectors like electronics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles," the statement added. 

Meanwhile, the Congress also posed six questions at the government:

- Will Indian troops be able to patrol up to India's claim line in Depsang to five patrolling points past the Bottleneck junction as they were able to earlier?

- Will the Indian troops be able to reach the three patrolling points in Demchok that have remained out of bounds for more than four years?

- Will the soldiers continue to be restricted to Finger 3 in Pangong Tso when earlier they could go as far as Finger 8?

- Are the Indian patrols permitted to access the three patrolling points in the Gogra-Hot Springs area that they could earlier go up to?

- Will Indian graziers once again be given the right to access traditional grazing grounds in Helmet Top, Mukpa Re, Rezang La, Rinchen La, Table Top and Gurung Hill in Chushul?

- Are the "buffer zones" that our government ceded to the Chinese, which included the site of a memorial in Rezang La to war hero and posthumous Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Shaitan Singh, now a thing of the past? 

The Congress statement comes days after the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday that India and China firmed up an agreement on patrolling by their militaries along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, in a major breakthrough to end the over four-year standoff.