Congress questions PM's silence on Chinese intrusion in Arunachal

The Congress on Sunday questioned the government over silence on Chinese incursion at Arunachal Border. The party also slammed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for his comment on border row as Congress alleged that Chinese intrusion is absolutely unimaginable physically.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, addressing a press conference on Sunday, questioned the silence of the Prime Minister and said, "Chinese have intruded across the Indian border in the area, which we claim as ours, by building a second village of 60 clusters, or 60 habitats."

Singhvi said, "I have shown you two maps, which are crucial, I am not repeating them. One is the before and after picture. The before satellite picture of 2019 of the same spot shows barren, vacant land, you have just seen on the screen. The September, 2021's photo shows a cluster of about 60 odd houses or structures, what can be seen clearer, nobody has spoken on that, nobody has told you, why it is wrong?"

He said the intrusion near Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh is 6 to 7 km within the Indian area, which India claims its own.

The Congress spokesperson also attacked General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff, for saying that all is well and everything is happening on the Chinese side of the border.

"Is it not a travesty, he doesn't answer any particular question and Arindam Bagchi, the MEA spokesperson on the same day in his official version, suggested - this is all wrong, we don't accept Chinese claims, we assert our own territory and condemns Chinese claims."

Singhvi said, "on an issue like this, can we have this double voiced, hypocritical, unimaginable, inexcusable diversions between two ministries as important and high as Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministry and these satellite imagery are by world renowned companies, they are 'Maxar' and 'Planet labs'."

He said this spot, which has been shown in one of the photographs is about 33 km direct south of where Chinese President 'Xi' landed.

"We don't understand, this definition of national security, where you berate, browbeat, intimidate whole country on national security issues and keep silent on this kind of thing. One of the most eloquent speakers, our Prime Minister, always practices eloquent silence, but, this time more so on national security. He has never said a word on this, neither on the January, 2019 intrusion, nor on the September-October, 2021 intrusion, which is current. It is therefore a sad and distressing story of deception, prevarication on national security. It is a sad case of deliberate distortion, digression and diversion on an issue affecting India's integrity and sovereignty," he said.

--IANS

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