Govt must stand firm against China: Congress on eastern Ladakh border standoff

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh. File photo

The Congress on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of failing to restore the status quo in Depsang in eastern Ladakh in the last three years and said it would be "unforgivable" to allow the situation to worsen.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to China on June 19, 2020 has immeasurably weakened India's negotiating position and it is paying a heavy price for it.

Expressing concern over the "very worrisome" situation at the border as highlighted in a news report, he said access to the strategic sector of Depsang has been denied to Indian patrols for more than three years now, with no signs of a return to the status quo.

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"Now we learn that, far from withdrawing, the Chinese are demanding a 'buffer zone' 15-20 km further inside Indian territory. This after having already intruded 18 km past our rightful border," he said in a statement.

Ramesh alleged that the Modi government has already ceded territory in Galwan, Pangong Tso, Gogra Post and Hot Springs by agreeing to buffer zones inside Indian territory in return for a Chinese withdrawal.

"The Modi government must stand firm against China. India cannot lose access to the 1,000 sq. km. Depsang Plains that separate Chinese and Pakistani forces and is crucial to any defence of Ladakh.

"PM Modi's public 'clean chit' to China on June 19th, 2020, immeasurably weakened India's negotiating position and the country is paying a heavy price for it. It's bad enough that the Modi government has failed to restore the status quo in the last three years. To allow it to worsen would be unforgivable," Ramesh said in the statement.

He cited media reports which claimed that China has demanded the creation of buffer zone inside India-claimed lines in the Depsang Plains.

The Congress has been demanding status quo ante as on May 2020 at the border in eastern Ladakh. The party has also been alleging that Indian troops have lost control over patrolling points ever since the troops of both the countries clashed at the border in 2020 in which many soldiers lost their lives.

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