Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, accusing him of making “false allegations” against the Indian Army chief and his statement on the India-China border row.
Responding to the Motion of Thanks to the address of President Droupadi Murmu, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that India’s dependence on Chinese products has become a major security concern.
Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside Indian territory. “This is a fact. The reason China is inside our territory is important… The reason China is sitting inside this country is because ‘Make in India’ has failed. The reason China is sitting inside this country is because India is refusing to produce, and I am worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again,” Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament.
‘Matter of deep regret’
Rajnath Singh dismissed Rahul Gandhi‘s remarks and clarified that the Army chief’s comments “referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both (India, China) sides”.
“He also mentioned that these practices have been restored to their traditional pattern as part of the recent disengagement. Government has shared these details in Parliament,” Singh added.
The defence minister further said that the words attributed by Rahul Gandhi to the Army chief “were never spoken by him at any time”.
“It is a matter of deep regret that Shri Rahul Gandhi should indulge in irresponsible politics on matters of national interest,” Singh said in his X post.
Providing information of China inside Indian territory, he said that if at all such presence is there, that is the 38,000 sq km in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and 5,180 sq km illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963.
“Shri Rahul Gandhi may consider introspecting about this phase of our history,” Singh said.
Rahul’s remarks had then in the Parliament itself drawn massive ire from the treasury bench as well as later from the NDA leaders.
Notably, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting him to move Privilege Proceedings Rahul Gandhi.
In his letter, Dubey said that the LoP in his speech “not only shamelessly distorted the historical and substantive facts but also made an attempt to ridicule our country and lowering the prestige of our Republic.”