Cong chides govt on Ladakh stand-off; Kerala CM condoles death of soldiers

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the BJP and the prime minister of completely failing on the front of national security

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday charged that the situation along the India-China border was due to the "diplomatic short-sightedness" of the Narendra Modi government, and said it was time that the prime minister proves that he has "a 56-inch chest".

The leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha said the rhetoric of muscular nationalism witnessed during the time of standoff with Pakistan is now missing.

"What happened to the 'swing diplomacy' of 2014? The fact is this situation arose just because of the diplomatic short-sightedness of the Modi government. When you run a government as per your whims and fancies, this is what happens," Chowdhury told PTI.

The government lacks the political will to act, he added.

"PM Modi boasts about his 56-inch chest. It is time to prove it through actions and not only through words. If he can't prove it, then the countrymen will understand his claims are hollow," Chowdhury said.

BJP leaders have often said that Modi has a "56-inch chest" or "chappan inch chati", a Hindi expression referring to political machismo.

"I wonder what happened to that rhetoric of muscular nationalism we are used to when it comes to Pakistan. In the case of China, all of a sudden everybody has gone silent," he said.

The prime minister has convened an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss the situation, amid demands by the opposition that government should give details of the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh which left 20 Indian Army personnel dead."Twenty Indian soldiers have died, what is the government doing? Is the government sleeping? The prime minister who on every given occasion, either tweets or addresses the nation is silent. He is duty-bound to give an explanation to the nation on what has happened and what is India doing as a countermeasure," he said.

Def minister gave impression that de-escalation was smooth: Moily

The national leadership must explain how the situation at the India-China border in eastern Ladakh deteriorated to the extent of a violent clash, Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said on Wednesday, alleging that the Defence Minister gave the impression that the de-escalation process was going on smoothly.

India should galvanise international support to de-escalate the present situation to defeat China's "sinister move", the former Union minister said in a statement. The bravery demonstrated by the men of Indian Army led by Col Santosh Babu in thwarting the Chinese forces is quite monumental, he said.

"The entire nation should bow down to the martyrs for their total dedication and the highest level of patriotism demonstrated by them in defending our country," Moily said.

Asserting that de-escalation of the present crisis is the need of the hour, Moily said India cannot afford to concede even an inch of land within the LAC or lose more men. The Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Minister of External Affairs should display the highest level of diplomacy, he said.

The country cannot be kept in the dark on protecting borders and doubts about the extent of aggression on the part of the Chinese should be made clear, he asserted.

"Even on the day of the brutal attack, the Defence Minister (Rajnath Singh) has given an impression to the nation that no aggression has taken place and the de-escalation process is smooth," he said.

"Our countrymen have been taken by shock and surprise by this serious situation at our borders. The national leadership will have to explain how the situation has led to this climax," he said.

Kerala CM expresses deepest condolences to families of slain soldiers

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed "deepest condolences" to the families of soldiers killed during a standoff in the Galwan valley. Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor also sympathised with the slain Indian army personnel.

"We are deeply shocked by the reports of a standoff in Galwan valley. Deepest condolences to the families of the martyred soldiers. We stand in solidarity with the personnel of our armed forces....our thoughts are with the brave soldiers and their families," Vijayan said in a tweet.

Tharoor, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, also took to Twitter and said the incident calls for "resolute handling" by the Centre. The tragic news from Ladakh is shocking & calls for resolute handling by our Govt," he said.

Paying tributes to those killed in the face-off, he urged all to honour the martyrs and those who serve at the borders every day, risking their lives for our nation.

The Students organisations of Congress and the ruling CPI(M) also paid their respects to the fallen soldiers.

The Kerala Students Union on Tuesday night organised a candlelight vigil and paid respects to the soldiers at the martyrs column in the state capital. Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), said it was "unfortunate that during the de-escalation process on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a clash has taken place at Galwan valley"

BJP state chief K Surendran also paid tributes to the slain Army personnel and also asked theCPI(M) to explain its stand on China, alleging that the ruling party 'favoured' the Asian neighbour.

"CPI(M)'s China favouring stand is well-known. Even (state Secretary) Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had earlier said that countries, including US and India, have been attacking China from all sides," he said.

"Even during the war of 1962, CPI(M) took a stand in favour of China. We would like to know where the party stands now," Surendran added.