A day after India and China announced disengagement and de-escalation at the Ladakh border, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked why India has not insisted on restoring status quo ante, allowed China to “justify” the Galwan Valley clashes and did not mention territorial sovereignty over the Galwan Valley.
Rahul, who has been constantly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the China issue, said the Government of India was duty-bound to protect national interest.
“National interest is paramount. GOI’s duty is to protect it. Then, why has Status Quo Ante not been insisted on? 2. Why is China allowed to justify the murder of 20 unarmed jawans in our territory? 3. Why is there no mention of territorial sovereignty of Galwan valley?” Rahul tweeted.
Sharing the Indian and the Chinese press statements, Rahul highlighted a sentence from the China’s Ministry of Foreign Affair that read, “The right and wrong of what happened in the Galwan Valley on the western sector of the China-India boundary is very clear. China will continue safeguarding our territorial sovereignty as well as peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
Former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor too stressed on restoring status quo ante.
“Disengagement is welcome, but means little unless the status quo ante is restored.
Otherwise we’ll yet again see both sides declare peace, with China having changed the facts on the ground & moved the LAC closer to where it wants. The May-June status cannot become the ‘new normal’ “, tweeted Tharoor as the Congress insisted on restoring the status that existed on the borders before May 5.
On Monday, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma described it as a positive development but sought to praise the Armed forces for “standing firm to protect India’s territory”.
Hitting a different chord, party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked why the Prime Minister had not wished Tibetan Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
“We waited for @PMOIndia to lead the nation in wishing HE the Dalai Lama a very Happy Birthday. Modi ji may have had his compulsions for not doing so. On behalf of the entire Nation, we wish HE @DalaiLama a long and healthy life. We are privileged for your blessings,” Surjewala tweeted.