Expressing confidence in the armed forces, Kharge said national security required government accountability. He urged Modi to address the country’s concerns rather than target the opposition.
At a separate press conference at the All-India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi, party media department head Pawan Khera questioned whether Indian forces could patrol all the locations they accessed before April 2020.
He argued that the government needed to explain what it had secured in return for changes affecting investment, travel and visas involving China.
Khera cited Press Note 3, the easing of travel restrictions, increased visas for Chinese workers and a widening trade deficit. He claimed the government’s approach risked damaging Indian micro, small and medium enterprises.
“What have we achieved out of this surrender?” he asked.
Citing reports and social media appeals by residents in Arunachal Pradesh, Khera challenged assurances that conditions along the border were normal. He also asked whether the government had adequately followed up with the families of the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan clash.
Khera further claimed that China had obstructed supplies of tunnel boring machines intended for India by preventing a German company’s Chinese factory from exporting the equipment. He said the restrictions had caused losses to India.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also questioned the government’s response to the border situation. Referring to the ITBP chief’s praise for personnel involved in recent face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh, he said the force deserved recognition but criticised the Prime Minister and his administration for their silence.
Ramesh characterised the government’s approach as a series of concessions to Beijing and sought clarity on claims that India had lost access to patrolling points in Arunachal Pradesh.
With agency inputs
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