NEW DELHI, Feb 4: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making “false allegations” about the statement of the Army chief on the situation at the India-China border.
“The words attributed to the Army Chief by Shri Rahul Gandhi were never spoken by him at any time. It is a matter of deep regret that Shri Rahul Gandhi should indulge in irresponsible politics on matters of national interest,” Singh said on X.
In his speech on Monday in Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, the leader of opposition claimed that the Chinese have intruded on Indian land but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denied it. The Army disagreed with the prime minister, he had said.
“The PM has denied that Chinese forces are inside our territory but for some reason our army keeps talking to the Chinese about their entry into our territory and our chief of army staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory,” Gandhi had said.
On Tuesday, Defence Minister Singh said these were “false” claims. “Rahul Gandhi in his speech in Parliament on 03 February 2025 made false allegations about the statement of the Army Chief on the situation on the India-China border.”
The senior BJP leader said the Army chief’s remarks referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both sides.
Singh noted that he also mentioned that these practices have been restored to their traditional pattern as part of the recent disengagement. The government has shared these details in Parliament, the defence minister added.
He said if at all there is Indian territory occupied by China, then it is 38,000 sq km in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict, and 5,180 sq km illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963. The Congress was in power during those years.
“Gandhi may consider introspecting this phase of our history,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for initiating breach of privilege proceedings against Gandhi for “blatant lies and vilification campaign” during his speech in the House.
With the leader of opposition’s speech on Monday drawing strong protests from the ruling BJP, Dubey submitted his notice to the Speaker claiming that the Congress leader is using his parliamentary privilege to spread canards without authenticating his charges.
The BJP MP said Gandhi’s speech carried mainly claims, including that mobile phones were not made in India but only assembled here and China has captured Indian territory. (PTI)
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