E-Paper
Army veteran reacts to Rahul Gandhi's China statement: ‘Since 1950, India has lost land, but…’
Lt General (Retd) Sanjay Kulkarni said Rahul Gandhi's fresh statement claiming India has lost its land would be incorrect.
Security expert Lt General (Retd) Sanjay Kulkarni on Sunday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's fresh statement claiming India has lost its land would be incorrect and nobody should make such statements when the talks are on.
In Ladakh to pay tribute to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's 79th birth anniversary, Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day hit out at the Centre, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China's People Liberation Army (PLA) troops “is not true”.
The Congress MP claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, adding that it was a matter of concern.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's comments, Kulkarni told news agency ANI that since 1950, India has lost around 40,000 square km to China and “our endeavour is that we do not lose any more of our territory to China”.
"But to make such statements that we have lost here are just perceptions. It shows one against the other in poor light...," he added.
According to Kulkarni, the military talks between India and China are on primarily because there are two friction points – Demchok and Depsang, that's where the patrolling is being restricted.
“But to say that we have lost will be incorrect…to make such statements will be incorrect and nobody should make statements when talks are going on,” the Indian Army veteran said.
Interacting with reporters after laying floral tributes to a framed photograph of the former PM by a gleaming Pangong Tso on an overcast Sunday morning, the former Congress president said, "The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here."
Rahul Ganhi's statement comes days after the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA held the 19th round of military dialogue to cool tensions in the Ladakh sector. The two sides on Friday held major-general level talks to discuss outstanding problems along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials aware of the matter said.
At the 19 rounds of talks between corps commanders of the two armies on August 13 and 14, the two sides agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the Ladakh sector.
To be sure, a joint statement issued on August 15 did not indicate any immediate breakthrough. Despite four rounds of disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.
Problems at Depsang in the Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in the Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table. The last round of disengagement from PP-15 took place in September 2022, with the breakthrough coming after the 16th round of military talks in July 2022 to cool tensions in the sensitive sector. The latest round of corps commander-level talks took place almost four months after the 18th round of military dialogue was held on April 23. Those talks did not yield any significant breakthroughs.
On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi also raised questions over the Union territory status given to Ladakh after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories following the abrogation of Article 370.
"There were so many complaints from the people of Ladakh, They are not happy with the status that has been given to them, they want more representation and unemployment is also a concern. People are saying that the state should not be run by bureaucracy but by representatives of the people, the Congress MP added.
Rahul Gandhi recalled a conversation with his father in which Rajiv Gandhi told him that Pangong Tso is the most beautiful place on earth.
"I remember, when I was small, my father once returned from a visit to Pangong Tso and showed me some pictures of the lake. He told me that this is the most beautiful place on earth. During the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', I was scheduled to come to Ladkah but because of some logistical reasons, the visit had to be shelved. So I thought of a visit later and a longer stay here. I will also be visiting the Nubra Valley and Kargil."
During his visit, Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Vikar Rasool Wani, president of the Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee and several other party officials and workers.
Earlier, in a post on the social media platform ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi wrote, "Papa, the dreams you had for India are shown from these priceless memories. Your mark is my way - understanding the struggles and dreams of every Indian, listening to the voice of Mother India."
On Saturday, Rahul embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Tso in Ladakh.
