'China media does not even mention...': Chidambaram questions govt on LAC
Chidambaram tweeted, “Does the Government of India still maintain the PM’s statement that no foreign soldiers had intruded into Indian territory & there are no foreign soldiers on Indian territory?”
Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday questioned the government on its recently concluded 16th round of talks with China on the border dispute and pointed out that the Chinese media does not even mention the talks. "Does the government of India still maintain the PM's statement that no foreign soldiers had intruded into Indian territory and there are no foreign soldiers on Indian territory?" the Congress leader asked as reports based on new satellite images claimed a Chinese village East of the Doklam plateau on the Bhutanese side has been constructed.
"The 16th round of talks between India and China on the border disputes ended, as expected, without an agreement. China has conceded nothing on' Hot Springs'. China is not even willing to discuss 'Demchok' and 'Depsang'," Chidambaram tweeted.
"While Indian media reports 'no breakthrough in talks', Chinese media does not even mention the talks. Does the Government of India still maintain the PM’s statement that no foreign soldiers had intruded into Indian territory & there are no foreign soldiers on Indian territory?" he added.
The government had said previously that it keeps an eye on all the activities along its border. China has been ramping up border infrastructure in several sensitive locations, including along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been locked in an over two-year standoff with the Indian Army.
In October last year, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute.
The India-China stand-off in the Doklam plateau in 2017 even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Bhutan said the area belonged to it and India supported the Bhutanese claim.
In a joint statement issued by India and China after the 16th round of talks, the military dialogue was described as "constructive and forward-looking' without specifying any outcome.
(With PTI inputs)