Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said here on the eve of the conclusion of his Bharat Jodo Yatra that the government should deal firmly with China and make it clear that “we will not tolerate them sitting on our soil”. Gandhi said the government’s “absolute denial” that China has “taken our land” is extremely dangerous as it will give them the confidence to do “more aggressive things”.
Addressing a press conference hours after unfurling the tricolor at Lal Chowk here, the former Congress president, who is on a 134-day Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, said, “I think the way to deal with these Chinese is to deal with them.” To be firm and very clear that they are sitting on our land and this is not something we are going to tolerate.”
Army officers told me that the Chinese have occupied 2000 square kilometers of our Indian territory
“The Prime Minister of India is the only person in the country who is under the impression that the Chinese have not taken any land from India. I recently met some ex-army men, even a delegation from Ladakh Clearly stated that 2000 square kilometers of our Indian territory has been occupied by the Chinese,” Gandhi said. It also pointed out that several patrolling points which used to be in Indian territory are now firmly in Chinese hands, he said.
His remarks came a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that some people deliberately spread misinformation about the China issue, knowing it was not true, for the sake of politics and in 1962 By talking about some land taken by China, he gives the impression that it happened recently – comments that are seen as a dig at Gandhi. “Sometimes, they talk about some land which China took in 1962. But they will not tell you the truth. They will give you an impression that it happened yesterday,” he said without naming anyone. “
Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue of Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control, alleging that Indian land has been occupied.
(With inputs from PTI)