Congress denies Rahul Gandhi meeting Chinese envoy

The Congreess on Monday denied media reports as "fake news" that its Vice President Rahul Gandhi met a Chinese envoy here amid the China-India border stand off at Doklam in Sikkim.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a series of tweets said some news channels were running "fake news" on Gandhi's alleged meeting with Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui.

The channels "will not question three Union Ministers visiting China or PM's (Narendra Modi) bonhomie and praise at G20. Yet run fake news", Surjewala said.

He alleged that the report was planted by External Affairs Ministry and Intelligence Bureau sources.

"They should reverify that we still have diplomatic relations with all our neighbours," Surjewala said.

Congress social media head Ramya said the issue was not if Gandhi met the Chinese envoy or now and questioned why the Prime Minister did not flag the border issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met last week at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"While Chinese incursions were happening, this meeting took place and the Weak PM didn't deem it necessary to speak about the issue," she wrote on Twitter and posted a picture of Modi with Xi Jinping at the summit.

"Even if Congress Vice President had met the Chinese Ambassador, I don't see it as an issue, but the PM not flagging it in private or public is an issue," Ramya added.

--IANS

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