China clean chit tied to protect PM’s fake macho image: Congress

The party's spokesperson Pawan Khera referred to a Pentagon report that suggests the Chinese have built a village inside Arunachal Pradesh

Pawan Khera.: File photo

TT Special Correspondent   |   New Delhi   |   07.11.21: The Congress on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of ignoring brazen border transgressions to give China a “clean chit” merely to protect the Prime Minister’s “fake macho image”.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera referred to a Pentagon report that suggests the Chinese have built a village inside Arunachal Pradesh.

“The Prime Minister himself gave a clean chit to China. His words — nobody has intruded, none of our posts has been captured — spoken 17 months ago (relating to the eastern Ladakh frontier) were used by China to prove their innocence,” Khera said. “This has been done to protect the fake macho image of the Prime Minister, built since 2013.”

Modi had made the assertion four days after the June 15, 2020, Galwan Valley clash.

The Galwan clash had killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops.

“Neither has anyone intruded into our frontier there, neither is any intruder there, nor is any of our posts occupied by someone else,” the Prime Minister had said.

This had allowed Beijing to dismiss the allegations of border transgressions and claim ownership of all the positions it held.

“Now the first thing the Prime Minister should do is withdraw his clean chit after confirmation by Pentagon that China was encroaching upon our land,” Khera said.

“Concrete structures have been made inside our territory. BJP MP Tapir Gao raised this issue but the Modi government issued a denial. Not just in Arunachal, the Chinese have transgressed in Ladakh and even Uttarakhand. The Prime Minister should apologise to the nation and say when status quo ante will be restored.”

Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala tweeted: “Compromise on nation’s sovereignty won’t be tolerated. Where is that 56 inch? Where is that red eye? Where are the pseudo-nationalists who do politics in the name of the nation? When will the Prime Minister give a befitting reply to the aggressor against our nation? Don’t be afraid, take decisive action.”

The Congress has steadfastly raised the issue of the Chinese intrusion, with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly accusing Modi of cowardice. The party has been referring to Modi’s vaunted “56-inch” chest and his pre-2014 promise to show “red eyes” to China.

Modi has refused to even name China since the intrusion, which began in April-May 2020, while periodically referring to the “surgical strikes” against Pakistan. He hasn’t withdrawn his “no intrusion” remark despite his government’s sustained engagement with Beijing to get Chinese troops to pull back from India-claimed territory.

The Pentagon report — the annual US defence department report on military developments — cites the creation of a 100-home Chinese village in Arunachal. Some security analysts and Indian media reports had made such a claim earlier.

“These and other infrastructure development efforts along the India-China border have been a source of consternation in the Indian government and media,” the Pentagon report has been quoted as saying.

“Despite the ongoing diplomatic and military dialogues to reduce border tensions, China has continued taking incremental and tactical actions to press its claims at the LAC.”