Rahul slams Centre over LAC stand-off

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sought to corner the government over the India-China de-escalation in Ladakh, asking why status quo ante was not

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sought to corner the government over the India-China de-escalation in Ladakh, asking why status quo ante was not insisted upon and why territorial sovereignty of the Galwan Valley does not find mention in the foreign ministry’s statement.

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“National interest is paramount. Government of India’s duty is to protect it. Then, why has Status Quo Ante not been insisted on? Why is China allowed to justify the murder of 20 unarmed jawans in our territory? Why is there no mention of the territorial sovereignty of Galwan valley?” he asked in tweet.

Gandhi has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government on the India-China border standoff, and his twitter attack escalated after 20 Indian soldiers died in clashes with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on June 15.

While the Congress has been asking the government to be transparent on transgressions by China, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the opposition party of politicising the issue and demoralising the armed forces.

Gandhi’s tweet came a day after India and China started disengagement process in the Galwan Valley.

He shared the statements put out by the Indian and Chinese foreign ministries after the talks between China’s foreign minister Wang Yi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Gandhi highlighted how the Chinese foreign ministry in its statement made a mention of the Galwan Valley, but the Indian side did not do so.

Doval and Wang, who are special representatives for boundary talks between the two countries, held a telephonic conversation on Sunday during which they agreed on an expeditious withdrawal of troops. The two also said that a complete disengagement at the earliest was necessary for full restoration of peace in border areas and both sides should not allow differences to become disputes.