The Congress party on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing the Narendra Modi government of being a mute spectator to the Chinese transgressions into Indian territory. The opposition party’s reaction came hours after the Indian Army reported the death of an Army Colonel and two soldiers during a clash with Chinese troops at one of the standoff points in the Galwan Valley.
There could be no compromises on national security, said the statement issued by AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
“Reports of Chinese Army moving thousands of troops in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso lake area (Ladakh) have shocked the entire nation as an audacious attempt on our ‘territorial integrity’,” it added.
The statement noted that there had been not a single casualty or martyrdom of Indian soldiers on the Indo-China border in the last five decades. Questioning the “silence” of Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Congress asked both of them to come forward and tell the country about the stand-off with China.
“Will the PM and and Raksha Mantri take the nation into confidence as to how our officer and soldiers could be killed yesterday night as the ‘de-escalation’ process was underway in the Galwan Valley? How and under what circumstances were our officer and soldiers martyred?,” the statement asked.
The party also demanded that the prime minister come forward to tell the nation as to how the government proposes to meet this challenging situation, which has serious ramifications for national security and territorial integrity.
“Let the Modi government remember that in our parliamentary democracy, secrecy or silence are unacceptable on part of our government,” the statement concluded.