New Delhi, Jul 19 (UNI) Continuing attack on the NDA government on the India-China border standoff, the Congress on Sunday claimed that China has occupied India's territory in Depsang Plains and Daulat Beg Oldi region and asked how the Modi Government proposes to maintain and restore status quo ante as it existed prior to May, 2020.
Addressing a press conference, through video conferencing, AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala said, 'facts demonstrate that Chinese Army has occupied and is continuing to undertake construction in the Depsang and Daulat Beg Oldi Sector on our territory, where they have occupied our territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China is creating obstructions in patrolling by Indian armed forces between Patrolling Point 10 to Patrolling Point 13, which is our territory.
China continues to occupy 8 kilometres inside our LAC, our territory, between Finger 4 to Finger 8 and about 3 thousand Chinese soldiers are present there. On the contrary, Modi Government has pushed our armed forces into moving back from the ITBP Administrative Base at Finger 4 to an area between Finger 2 and Finger 3. The question is why!?'
Mr Surjewala said that China has constructed and converted a civilian airstrip called the 'Ngari-Gunsa AirStrip' in its own territory close to Indian border into a military air strip by doing extensive construction there upon which itself is a possible threat to our territory.
Questioning the silence of the government on the matter, Mr Surjewala said, 'China has accumulated 2 armed divisions comprising of over 20 thousand Chinese soldiers close to our border and has also collected artillery and other material. All of these factors point to an imminent danger. Is our Government even concerned about it?'
Posing five questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government, Mr Surjewala, pointing out that every newspaper report, satellite images, Army Generals and the statement of the Defence Minister clearly establishes that the statement of the Prime Minister about nobody having occupied our territory is apparently false, Mr Surjewala asked whether the Prime Minister misled the All Party Meeting on the 19th of June, 2020? .
Pointing to the statement of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, when he said that there is no guarantee of finding a solution in the ongoing talks with the Chinese, Mr Surjewala asked whether Modi Government has accepted Chinese transgressions and have also admitted that they have no solution to push the Chinese back into their own territory behind the LAC between India and China?
'Is it correct that China is continuing constructions in the Daulat Beg Oldi and also the Depsang Sector? What is the policy of the government and its strategy to ensure that our territory is protected and the Chinese transgressions and the construction in Daulat Beg Oldi as also the Depsang sector are stopped forthwith?
. Is it correct that the China continues to occupy 8 kilometres of our territory in the Pangong Tso Lake area between Finger 4 to Finger 8? How does the Modi Government propose to push back the Chinese Army which is present in 3000 strong numbers in our area behind the line of LAC, behind Finger 8 into their own territory?,' Mr Surjewala said.
'The status quo ante as it existed on May 2020 is the need of hour and is the sole requirement of every fellow citizen. How does the Modi Government propose to maintain and restore status quo ante as it existed prior to May 2020 and what is its policy, strategy and the way forward.
There can never be any compromise on our territorial integrity or national security. Prime Minister cannot brush these important issues aside of Chinese transgressions and Chinese build up on our border for it threatens our territory and compromises our territorial integrity,' he said.
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