Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat believed that India needs to be militarily better equipped against China as he secretly knew that Beijing has illegally occupied Indian territory in eastern Ladakh. Rahul said Bhagwat was “just scared” to face the truth.
Rahul’s jibe at the RSS chief came after the latter’s annual address to the country on the occasion of Vijaya Dashmi at the organisation’s headquarters in Nagpur.
Rahul said Chinese intrusion was not a secret and took place because the Narendra Modi Government and the RSS, which is BJP’s ideological mentor, allowed it to happen.
“Deep inside, Bhagwat knows the truth,” the Congress leader tweeted.
“He is just scared to face it. The truth is China has taken our land and Government of India and RSS have allowed it.”
Rahul is facing two defamation cases filed by RSS workers in Maharashtra — one for linking journalist Gauri Lankesh’s killing with the “BJP-RSS ideology” and the other for blaming the Sangh for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Rahul and the Congress have repeatedly attacked the Government over the long stand-off with China in Ladakh.
To Congress demands that the Government make a full disclosure of the events in Ladakh and the land under Chinese occupation, the Centre and the BJP have responded with references to the 1962 war during the Opposition party’s rule then.
“The Chinese have taken our land. When exactly is GOI planning to get it back? Or is that also going to be left to an ‘Act of God’?” Rahul had tweeted earlier sarcastically after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that the economy was in bad shape due to the pandemic which is an act of God.
“How can they say there is no incursion and nothing has happened when our Army is having a stand-off? We have to raise these issues,” Rahul had said on another occasion.
“Even though the media and Narendra Modi are trying to divert it, they can’t hide the issue beyond a point,” he had said, comparing the Government to people “wearing ear plugs”.