New Delhi, February 12
A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that India had not lost any territory in the LAC standoff in Eastern Ladakh, the Congress on Friday alleged that the government had ceded land to China saying the Indian territory between Fingers 3 and 4 had been ceded to China—an allegation the government has denied.
In a press conference at the AICC headquarters before leaving for his tractor rally in Rajasthan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of compromising the previous demand or status quo ante as of April 2020.
“There are a couple of things that need to be made clear. The government position at the beginning of the LAC standoff was status quo ante as of April 2020. Now, sheepishly the Defence Minister comes and makes a statement and we find that the Indian troops are going to be stationed at Finger 3. Indian territory was till Finger 4. Why has the PM ceded the land between Fingers 3 and 4 to the Chinese?” Gandhi asked accusing the PM of cowardice and of not being able to stand up to China.
Gandhi asked why the Chinese had not withdrawn from the Depsang Plains and the Gogra and Hot Springs areas.
Attacking the PM for not protecting Indian land, Gandhi said, “Why have the Indian troops after all the hard work they did capturing Kailash Ranges been asked to move back? Why have the Chinese not withdrawn from strategic areas?”
Gandhi said India didn’t have any strategic advantage during LAC discussions and the only proof of any advantage was when the Indian troops captured Kailash Ranges.
Even that had been lost, said Gandhi, asking the PM to explain the position and accusing him of betraying the valour of Indian troops.
Hours later, the Ministry of Defence issued a strongly-worded statement denying the allegations and saying the effective safeguarding of country’s national interest and territory in the Eastern Ladakh sector has taken place because the government reposed full faith in the capabilities of the armed forces.
“Those who doubt the achievements made possible by the sacrifices of our military personnel are actually disrespecting them,” the statement said.
The ministry also made certain clarifications in the statement, and said, “The assertion that Indian territory is up to Finger 4 is categorically false. The territory of India is as depicted by the map of India and includes more than 43,000 sq km currently under illegal occupation of China since 1962”.
“Even the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as per the Indian perception, is at Finger 8, not at Finger 4. That is why India has persistently maintained the right to patrol up to Finger 8, including in the current understanding with China,” the MoD said.
“India has not conceded any territory as a result of the agreement.
“On the contrary, it has enforced observance and respect for LAC and prevented any unilateral change in the status quo,” it said.
The ministry also asserted that permanent posts of both sides at the north bank of Pangong Tso are longstanding and well-established.
“On the Indian side, it is Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 and on the Chinese side, east of Finger 8,” the MoD said, adding the current agreement provides for cessation of forward deployment by both sides and continued deployment at these permanent posts.
