Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a report that China has built a village in a disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh. "Remember his promise- “मैं देश झुकने नहीं दूँगा।”," Gandhi posted on Twitter along with a newspaper clipping on the issue.
The tweet comes against the backdrop of an NDTV report citing satellite imagery from Planet Labs, a private US-based imaging company, that shows China built a new village, consisting of 101 homes, in Arunachal Pradesh, about 4.5 km “within Indian territory of the de facto border”.
The village is located on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district, an area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This was the same area where five people were detained by Chinese troops last September. Comparing two satellite images provided by Planet Labs, NDTV reported the village had been built sometime in the past 15 months.
{{/usCountry}}The village is located on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district, an area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This was the same area where five people were detained by Chinese troops last September. Comparing two satellite images provided by Planet Labs, NDTV reported the village had been built sometime in the past 15 months.
{{/usCountry}}The ministry of external affairs has said that it closely monitors all developments affecting national security and acts to safeguard territorial integrity. The government has stepped up the construction of border infrastructure, including roads and bridges, in response to China’s “construction work along the border areas”, it added.
Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also the government over the alleged “Chinese village.” "After Ladakh, #China occupies our territory 4.5 Km inside #Arunachal & builds a whole village. BJP MP Tapir Gao claims Chinese incursion “60-70 Kms inside upper Subhansiri District” Why is PM Modi ‘mum’? Will BJP Govt act against Chinese incursions?,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao trained guns at the Congress claiming that it was during their regime that China occupied Sumdorong Chu Valley in Tawang and added that the then Army chief had planned an operation but former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi denied him permission to push back People Liberation Army's troops, reported news agency ANI.
Gao pointed out that China has been constructing roads in the region since the 1980s. "Since the 80s till today, they (China) are occupying this area and construction of villages is not a new thing. They have already constructed a military base between Bisa and Maza which is inside McMahon Line, under Indian territory," he was quoted as saying.
Hitting out at the then Congress government over “wrong policies”, he told ANI, “They didn't construct roads up to the border which left a buffer zone of 3-4 km which China occupied. Construction of new villages isn't a new thing, it's all inherited from Congress."