Rahul Gandhi accuses Modi govt of insulting sacrifice of jawans
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the Modi government of insulting the sacrifice of jawans and letting go of India's territory. In a tweet shared immediately after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement in Rajya Sabha over India-China border row in Ladakh, Rahul said, "No status quo ante = No peace & tranquility. Why is GOI insulting the sacrifice of our jawans & letting go of our territory?"
Rahul has been leading the opposition's sharp criticism of the Modi government over the standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.
In a breakthrough after a nine-month standoff, India and China have reached a pact to pull back troops in Pangong lake areas in Ladakh.
Earlier today, Rajnath Singh said that India and China have agreed for disengagement in the North and South bank of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.
READ MORE: Ladakh events showed China's willingness to breach peace: S Jaishankar
The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry even as the two sides continued military and diplomatic talks.
Both sides had rushed a large number of battle tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy equipment to the treacherous and high-altitude areas of eastern Ladakh region after tension escalated following a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June last.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15 in Galwan Valley, an incident that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades. China is yet to disclose the number of its soldiers killed and injured in the clash though it officially admitted to have suffered casualties. According to media reports, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.
