New Delhi: Was Prime Minister Modi's statement denying any intrusion in our borders after 20 of the Indian soldiers gave up their lives on June 19, 2020 only to ensure our soldiers are not demoralised, Congress chief spokesman and general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday asked.
In a statement, he said, "We agree with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar that our jawans should be "respected, honoured and appreciated" as they stand strong against our adversaries."
On the EAM claiming India's relations with China are "not normal," Jairam asked, "Why never called the Chinese ambassador and issued a demarche as done with the Pakitan High Commissioner? He also asked why India's trade dependence on China at a record high with imports at $95 billion in 2021-22 and the trade deficit of $74 billion."
As regards the EAM saying that India will not let China change the status of LAC (Line of Actual Control) unilaterally, Jairam asked, "Has the status quo not already altered by the Chinese troops 18 km deep in Dapsang for the last two years and the Indian troops unable to access 1,000 sq km of territory in Eastern Ladakh that they earlier patrolled? Is it not altered by India agree to buffer zones, thus preventing the Indian patrols to go there."
The Congress leader asked the EAM to declare unequivocally that restoration of teh pre-2020 status quo is our objecting.
On the EAM claiming that "we are pressuring China," Jairam asked why did India withdraw from the advantageous position in the Kailash range without ensuring a full restoration of the pre-2020 status quo?
"Why have we not been more aggressive and made counter-intrusions to compel the Chinese to withdraw as we did in 1986 and 2013? When will we stop legitimising Chinese aggression by referring to "differences in perception" rather than asserting our claim," Jairam asked.
