New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Parliament about the Chinese encroaching on Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was an example of “irresponsible politics”.
Speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, Rahul said Monday, “…and our Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory, this is a fact, this is not invention, this is a fact.”
Singh said in a post on X Tuesday that Rahul made false allegations and added that Army Chief’s remarks referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both sides. “He also mentioned that these practices have been restored to their traditional pattern as part of the recent disengagement. Government has shared these details in Parliament,” Singh said of Pande’s comments.
The defence minister further stressed that the words attributed to the Army Chief by Rahul were “never spoken” at any time. He added, “It is a matter of deep regret that Shri Rahul Gandhi should indulge in irresponsible politics on matters of national interest.”
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Taking a dig at the Congress government with Jawaharlal Nehru at the helm in the 1960s, Singh said in his post: “If at all there is Indian Territory into which China has come, this is 38,000 sq km in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and 5,180 sq. km. illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963. Shri Rahul Gandhi may consider introspecting about this phase of our history.”
On 3 February, Rahul Gandhi told the Lok Sabha in presence of Narendra Modi: “The Prime Minister has denied it and the Army has disagreed with the Prime Minister that China is sitting on 4,000 sq. km. of land of our territory.” He was referring to the India-China tensions in Eastern Ladakh which began in 2020. Gandhi has alluded to China “occupying land the size of Delhi in Ladakh” in the past.
He emphasised, “The Prime Minister has denied that Chinese forces are inside our territory. But for some reason, our Army keeps talking to the Chinese about their entry into our territory and our Chief of Army Staff has said the Chinese are inside our territory. This is a fact. This is not an invention. But the reason China is inside our territory is important because people think that wars are fought between armies and their weapons. But wars are fought by industrial systems.”
Going on to compare India and China, Rahul said, “The fact of the matter is that China has an industrial system that is far stronger, far bigger than our industrial system. And that is why they have the guts to come inside this country. The reason China is inside this country is because ‘Make in India’ has failed.”
Gandhi added China was here because India was refusing to produce. “And I am worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again. The reason I made this reference is because everything is connected. If and when we fight a war with China, we will be fighting with Chinese electric motors, Chinese batteries, and Chinese optics. And we will be buying Chinese motors, Chinese optics, Chinese batteries.”
Rahul called it a “non-sustainable proposition”, adding: “That is why for the future of children, for the future of our country, we have to build a production system and we cannot allow this revolution to go by.”
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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