The Congress on Monday, December 12, hit out at the Union government over the India-China troops clash along the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. The opposition party alleged that the Narendra Modi government was suppressing the border issue, due to which China was acting with increasing audacity. AICC general secretary of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the Congress has been trying to "wake up" the government on the Chinese actions on the border but it is silent in order to "protect its political image".
"We are proud of the bravery of the armed forces. China's actions on the border are completely unacceptable. For the last two years, we have been repeatedly trying to wake up the government, but the Modi government is trying to suppress the matter only to save its political image. The audacity of China is growing because of this," Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi. "No one is bigger than the country but Modi ji is putting the country in danger to save his image...," he alleged, adding that the fresh development along the LAC was worrying.
The Congress also tweeted a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech made after the Galwan clash, in which the Prime Minister had said that "no one occupied our land and no one has entered India and that none of our posts is in occupation of anyone else". "If this mistake had not been made. Had China been named, it would not have dared to raise its eyes towards India... There's still time... don't be afraid," the Congress said, while referring to the Prime Minister's speech.
The reaction came after the Army said that Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, resulting in injuries to a few personnel on both sides. The Congress and other opposition parties have been seeking a discussion on the border situation in Parliament. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in both houses of Parliament on Tuesday, December 13, on the clash.
The clash near Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive sector took place last Friday amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh. "On December 9, PLA troops contacted the LAC in Tawang Sector which was contested by own (Indian) troops in a firm and resolute manner. This face-off led to minor injuries to few personnel from both sides," the Indian Army said in a statement.
"Both sides immediately disengaged from the area. As a follow up of the incident, own (Indian) commander in the area held a flag meeting with his counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity," it said.