China preparing for war: Rahul Gandhi

Amid the ongoing border dispute, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on December 16 flagged a clear threat from China saying that the neighbouring country is ‘preparing for war’. He also claimed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government is keeping it from the people. 

Reacting to the recent faceoff between the Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9, the Congress leader asserted that China is making an ‘offensive preparation on the side of Ladakh and Arunachal’ while the Indian government ‘is in slumber’.

"There is a clear threat from China. The government is trying to hide it and ignore it. But that threat cannot be ignored or hidden. China is making offensive preparation on the side of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian government is in slumber. It doesn't want to hear it. China is preparing for war, not for an incursion," he said while addressing a press conference in Jaipur.

"If you see the pattern of their weapons, they are preparing for war. Our government is hiding it and is not accepting it," Rahul Gandhi added.

The former Congress party chief further lambasted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar by saying he should "deepen his understanding".

"This is happening because the Indian government is working event-based and is not working strategically. When there is a matter of international relations, no event works there. Power works there. I have said it multiple times that we should be careful. The EAM should deepen his understanding," he said.

Gandhi also raised questions on media and stated that it would not ask questions to him over the ongoing border dispute between the two countries.

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"The ones who captured 2,000 sq km of India and killed 20 Indian soldiers, and are thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. I said to my friend that the Indian media would not ask me questions about it," he said.

On December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Parliament that Chinese soldiers had attempted to violate the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Tawang's Yangtse in an effort to "unilaterally change the status quo." Singh emphasised that the Indian soldiers had responded firmly to them, forcing the Chinese side to retreat.

In his statement in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Singh said the face-off led to a physical scuffle that led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides, but "there were no fatalities or serious casualties" to Indian soldiers.

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The Defence Minister also assured both houses that Indian soldiers are committed to protecting the country’s territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it.