Congress attacks Prime Minister Modi over India withdrawing troops with 2013 tweet (File)
New Delhi:
Congress dug into history books on Tuesday to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi over mutual disengagement and the withdrawal of Indian and Chinese troops from disputed areas along the LAC (real line of control) in the is from Ladakh.
Congress President Randeep Singh Surjewala reminded the Prime Minister of a 2013 tweet while he was still the chief minister of Gujarat.
“Respected Prime Minister, do you remember your words? Do your words mean anything? Do you want to tell us why our forces are withdrawing from our lands? The country is looking for answers,” he wrote.
In May 2013, Prime Minister Modi tweeted: “China is withdrawing its forces but I wonder why the Indian forces are withdrawing from Indian territory? Why have we retreated?”
आदरणीय प्रधान मंत्री जी,
क्या आपके शब्द याद हैं?
क्या आपके शब्दों के कोई मायने हैं?
क्या बताएँगे की अब हमारी फ़ोर्स हमारी सरज़मीं से क्यों पीछे हट रही हैं?
देश जबाब माँगता है। pic.twitter.com/M6RgEfK7sQ
– Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 7, 2020
China began to dismantle the PP 14 (patrol point 14) camps in Galwan on Sunday and to withdraw troops from the region. This was completed today as Chinese forces retreated two kilometers from the Galwan Valley, Hot Springs and Gogra.
The army reciprocated by drawing back its soldiers from a similar distance, although it was already firmly on Indian territory, to create a buffer zone between the troops on each side.
In fact, satellite images acquired by GalacticGaming last month showed that, despite its claim to the contrary, it was China that had penetrated – 423 meters – into Indian territory.
In a sarcastic response to the re-emergence of the Prime Minister’s tweet, Congressman Shashi Tharoor wrote: “I’m with Modiji So. PM must answer his question. “
I’m with Modiji on this. PM must answer his question! https://t.co/xauOoFONvh
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 7, 2020
Tharoor was not the only congressional leader to question Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of failing to protect the national interest and asking why the status quo had not been pressed at the LAC – which means that India continues to defend its territory while China withdraws across the border
Concerns over China’s intrusion into Indian territory have been repeatedly signaled by Congress since clashes with PLA (People’s Liberation Army) soldiers in May.
The opposition seized a statement made by Prime Minister Modi at a multi-stakeholder meeting last month, during which he was quoted: “No one on our territory or any of our posts is captured.”
Congressman Rahul Gandhi, who has unleashed a deluge of tweets in recent weeks, responded that the Prime Minister had “returned Indian territory to Chinese aggression”,
With the contribution of PTI
