Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi, The Congress on Monday lashed out at the Gujarat government and by extension, at Modi, demanding a statement from him on the repeated and glaring “incursion, intrusion and infiltration” by Chinese troops in the border area, right before and after President Xi Jinping’s visit and for the presentation of a faulty map of India at the official MoU signing ceremony in Ahmedabad.
Picking on the map, which shows Arunachal Pradesh and J&K as disputed territories and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory, and the border skirmishes the Congress demanded that the Modi government register a “real strong protest” with the Chinese President on the “unacceptable” development.
The party also demanded an “apology” from the PM, alleging that an official of the Gujarat government, while signing three MoUs with a province of China in New Delhi, in the presence of Modi a few days back, had distributed a handout showing Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territory.
“Now the question arises whether the MoU too, has this particular map (showing Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territory) been shown. Modi, during his election campaign in Arunachal Pradesh, had made a rhetorical speech and promised that he would not allow the country to bow down and would not allow even an inch of the country’s land to go away.
In this MoU, Arunachal has been shown as disputed territory. The Prime Minister should apologise for this major lapse and blunder,” Cong general secretary Ajay Maken said on his blog.
He was referring to a meeting on September 17 in New Delhi, in which three MoUs were signed between the Govt of Gujarat and Gaundang province of China, in the presence of Modi, during which the Additional Chief Secretary of the state, D Pandian, had distributed a handout showing a map of Gaundong province.
Dubbing the “incursions, intrusions and infiltration” by China into Indian territory as “brazen and blatant”, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that such a scenario was “absolutely unacceptable” for the sovereignty, ethos and foreign policy of the country.
Accusing the government of “treating a very serious issue lightly”, Singhvi rued that there was “no statement either from Modi or anybody else sufficiently senior and high in government”.
“We demand that Modi make a proper statement on the issue and unequivocally and firmly write to the Chinese President a strongly worded letter, which should be made public,” Singhvi said, asking Modi to “walk the talk”.
