Congress demands clarity over situation in Ladakh, reminds of Rajdharma
New Delhi, Sep 05: The Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to take the nation into confidence on talks with China on the border row in Ladakh, saying people want to know about the outcomes of the repeated conversations with the Chinese side.
The Opposition party's demand comes a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe held an over two-hour-long meeting in Moscow with a focus on easing escalating border tension in eastern Ladakh.
Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it was "Rajdharma" of the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to take the nation into confidence on the important issue.
Listing the various levels of talks held with the Chinese from the Foreign Ministers' level and Corps Commanders' level to the Defence Ministers' discussions, Mr Surjewala asked what is the outcome of these talks.
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"What is the conversation about, what is happening. Will Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh take the country into confidence?" he asked.
Surjewala also referred to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla's remarks that it was an "unprecedented" situation at the India-China border and "we've never had this sort of a situation since 1962", to underline the seriousness of the issue.
"The important part is what is the outcome of the repeated conversations with the Chinese counterparts by our government... How will we ensure that Chinese transgressions are defeated," Mr Surjewala said in a video posted on his Twitter account.
He said people want answers to questions such as how the Chinese will be repulsed to "reclaim our motherland".
"We hope Prime Minister Modi and the Defence Minister will come forward and take the nation into confidence. That is the true Rajdharma. We will await an answer," he said.
Later, at an online briefing, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said, "We hope that the issue can be resolved through talks."
He, however, demanded that the government should give a clear picture of the situation.
"Conflicting
statements
coming
from
the
government
is
a
matter
of
worry
for
us,"
he
added.
The
tension
between
the
two
sides
had
escalated
manifold
after
the
violent
clashes
in
Galwan
Valley
in
eastern
Ladakh
on
June
15
in
which
20
Indian
Army
personnel
were
killed.
The
Chinese
side
also
suffered
casualties
but
it
is
yet
to
give
out
the
details.
According
to
an
American
intelligence
report,
the
number
of
casualties
on
the
Chinese
side
was
35.