Spokesperson: Shri Gaurav Gogoi: He said that the PM must stop appeasing China to protect his image. More than two years after the border crisis with China began in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy can be summed up with DDLJ: Deny, Distract, Lie, Justify.

Speaking at an All-party meet on June 19, 2020, only four days after we lost 20 brave Indian soldiers in Galwan, the PM gave China a clean chit, saying: “Na yahan koi hamari seema main ghus aya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai.” Yet somehow India has lost control of 1,000 square kilometres of territory where our troops could earlier patrol but are now either blocked by Chinese troops or are no longer able to enter because of disengagement agreements.

In November 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs “took note” of a US report that China had built a 100-home village in disputed territory in Arunachal Pradesh, and that it would never accept China’s “illegal occupation” of our territory. However, the then Chief of Defence Staff contradicted this stance and denied any Chinese construction on our side.

After its initial blunders, this government also did well to authorise the Indian Army to occupy positions in the Kailash Range south of Pangong Tso on the night of 29/30 August 2020. However, the Prime Minister lost his nerve and gave up these advantageous positions in February 2021 without insisting on a full Chinese withdrawal and a return to the status quo. Former Corps Commander Major General Raj Mehta (Retd.) described this premature withdrawal as a “Grave mistake”.

Clearly, India’s stance has become reactive rather than proactive. Is there something deeper behind the PM’s appeasement of China? He has met Chinese President Xi Jinping 18 times and visited China four times as Chief Minister and five times as Prime Minister. Meanwhile, his policies are deepening our economic dependence on China: India’s imports from China hit an all-time high of $94 billion in 2021-22. As Chief Minister Modi himself once said: “The problem is not on the border but in Delhi”.

The Congress party’s stand is crystal clear: the status quo ante prevailing on the LAC prior to May 5, 2020, must be restored at all costs.

We demand that Prime Minister Modi takes the nation into confidence about the Chinese threat and take the following actions: • A press conference by the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister to explain the current situation followed by a White Paper • A dedicated briefing on the confrontation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence on the China situation (rather than, say, a discussion of army uniforms) • A two-day debate in Parliament • The early appointment of a full-time Chief of Defence Staff, a position that has been vacant for seven months during a critical period for our national security • Withdrawal of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme that threatens to demoralise our troops in a time of high national security threat. Monday, July 11, 2022