English
New Delhi:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his claims that China has grabbed grazing land in Ladakh. Refuting the claims made by the Gandhi scion, the BJP accused Wayanad MP of “defaming” India by speaking like Beijing’s “propaganda machinery”.
Dismissing Gandhi’s claims as “absolutely wrong”, former Union minister and BJP veteran Ravi Shankar Prasad noted that China was forced to withdraw its forces from Galwan due to the bravery and sacrifices of the Indian soldiers.
Speaking at a presser, Prasad condemned Rahul Gandhi for his “defamatory” claims: “Whatever you have said about Ladakh is absolutely wrong I condemn your entire statement on behalf of the party.”
The senior BJP leader also asked why Rahul Gandhi was “defaming” India and why he has become “China’s propaganda machinery”.
“Rahul Gandhi ji, you are raising questions over our soldiers’ bravery and sacrifice in Galwan Why do you defame India visiting there? Why do you become China’s propaganda machinery?” Prasad said.
“Rahul Gandhi, whenever you visit border area you say something and you offer propaganda to China against India,” he added.
Prasad said that China had to withdraw in Galwan due to the bravery and sacrifice of Indian soldiers
“Is it the truth or not?” he asked, alleging that it has become the “nature of Rahul Gandhi to make anti-India statements”.
The BJP leader questioned Gandhi’s understanding of issues related to India’s security and appealed to the Congress leader to not weaken the morale of the country with such remarks.
“We will debate with you on how much you understand the needs of India’s security But please in matters of security, do not weaken the morale of India,” Prasad said.
The BJP was responding to Rahul Gandhi’s claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement of not an inch of the land in Ladakh has been taken over by China is not true.
The people of Ladakh are concerned about their grazing land “taken over by the Chinese Army,” Gandhi, who is visiting Ladakh, said after paying tributes to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
India-China ties nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
(With PTI inputs)
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