Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hit out at Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making “false allegations” regarding the statement of the Indian Army chief on the prevailing situation at the India-China border. “The words attributed to the Army Chief by Shri Rahul Gandhi 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 on X.
In his speech Monday in Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, the Leader of Opposition had claimed that the Chinese have intruded on Indian land but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denied it. The Army disagreed with the prime minister, he had said, to strong protests from the treasury benches.
What Rajnath Singh said on Rahul Gandhi’s allegation?
He said, “The PM has denied that Chinese forces are inside our territory but for some reason our army keeps talking to the Chinese about their entry into our territory and our chief of army staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory,” Singh said on Tuesday these were “false” claims. “Rahul Gandhi in his speech in Parliament on 03 February 2025 made false allegations about the statement of the Army Chief on the situation on the India-China border,” he added. The senior BJP leader said the Army chief’s remarks referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both sides.
Singh counters Congress with facts
Singh noted that he also mentioned that these practices have been restored to their traditional pattern as part of the recent disengagement. The government has shared these details in Parliament, the defence minister added. He said if at all there is Indian territory occupied by China, then it is 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. The Congress was in power during those years. “Gandhi may consider introspecting this phase of our history,” Singh said.
There is a view among some BJP leaders that the party should seek a motion for breach of privilege against Gandhi over his claims over a host of issues he raised during his speech. A final call is yet to be taken by the party leadership.
(With inputs from PTI)
