Rahul raises questions on Doklam issue in House panel meet

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday raised several questions with regard to recent reports of China getting engaged in construction activity in the Doklam area.

He was taking part in a meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, which was briefed by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.

The Committee is chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

According to a member of the committee, Gandhi actively participated in the meeting and raised questions in connection with reports that China was back to constructing a road in the Dokalam area.

The Foreign Secretary said there were no new developments at the face-off site and its vicinity in Doklam along the India-China border, the member said.

The Congress leader and other members in the committee also sought to know what steps the government had taken to ensure the stand-off doesn't resurface.

India and China were involved in an over 70-day stand-off in the Doklam area, close to the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction, from June 16 to August 28 after a construction party of China's People's Liberation Army was stopped by the Indian Army from building a road in the area.

The issue of illegal Rohingya migrants was also discussed in the meeting.

--IANS

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