Congress slams PM Modi on India-China clash

Terming the India-China clash in Ladakh a failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government, the state Congress on Friday slammed the Centre and Prime Minister

Terming the India-China clash in Ladakh a failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government, the state Congress on Friday slammed the Centre and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and sought clarification on the recent reports about the structures erected by China on Indian land in Galwan Valley.

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Congress leaders also demanded reduction of the central excise duty on diesel and petrol, pointing out that it was burdening common man who is already distressed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Maharashtra unit of the party observed ‘Shahidon Ko Salaam Divas’ on Friday and has planned a statewide protest on June 29. After paying tribute to the 20 martyred soldiers during the India-China clash last week, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and senior party leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan addressed a press conference.

Thorat said the Modi government has completely failed to safeguard the Indian territory. “China has been taking advantage of the PM’s statement made during the all-party meeting that China has not intruded on Indian territory. They have been citing our PM’s statement on international level to claim that they have not entered the Indian territory. The Congress does not approve of the statement, although we have vowed to stand by the government in this bitter tussle. The PM is expected to react responsibly on such an important issue. His statement was contrary to the stands taken by the defence and external affairs ministries,” said Chavan.

Chavan also demanded reduction in the excise duty levied on petrol and diesel by the central government.

BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “Before asking any questions on India-China clash, the Congress should clarify how much Indian land was infiltrated by China from 2004 to 2014.” Bhandari said the Maharashtra government, in which the Congress is a ruling partner, should first remove the surcharge of ₹3 a litre levied on petrol and diesel recently.