Amit Shah hits back at Rahul Gandhi, asks him to rise above petty politics

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hit back at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his statement on the face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh and advised him to rise above "petty politics".

Putting a video of the father of an injured army man on his Twitter account, Shah said, Gandhi should stand in solidarity with national interest by shunning his politics over the issue at a time when the whole nation is united.

"A brave armyman's father speaks and he has a very clear message for Mr Gandhi. At a time when the entire nation is united, Mr Rahul Gandhi should also rise above petty politics and stand in solidarity with national interest," Shah tweeted.

Shah's remark came after Rahul Gandhi in a fresh tweet accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of surrendering Indian territory to China.

"PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression. If the land was Chinese: 1. Why were our soldiers killed? 2. Where were they killed?," Gandhi tweeted.

The video of the father of an injured soldier shows him saying, "Indian Army is a very strong army and has the ability to defeat China and other foreign countries. Rahul Gandhi should not do politics on the issue... My son fought and will continue fighting in the army".

Gandhi had on Friday re-tweeted a video of the father with a comment that cabinet ministers were lying about the violent face-off with Chinese troops on June 15 night in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"It's sad to see senior GOI ministers reduced to lying in order to protect the PM. Don't insult our martyrs with your lies," Gandhi had tweeted then.

The attack on Indian Army personnel by Chinese People's Liberation Army happened on June 15 night and it continued for almost six to seven hours.

On June 16, Indian Army stated that 20 of their men, including officers, were killed in an unprecedented violent clash with PLA troops at Galwan valley. The force also said that the death toll would increase as many soldiers were brutally injured.