Reacting to China's 'standard map', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been lying to the nation for years over the land conflict between India and China in Ladakh and further demanded a statement from him.
India issued a strongly-worded statement rejecting claims made by China in its 2023 edition of the so-called "standard map " that continued to show Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as regions belonging to China. While leaving for Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that the PM should give a statement as it is a 'very serious issue'.
"I have been saying for years that what the PM said, that not one inch of land was lost in Ladakh, is a lie. The entire Ladakh knows that China has transgressed. This map issue is very serious. They have taken away the land. PM should say something about it," he said.
The Congress leader recently toured the Union Territory of Ladakh, carrying forward his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Upon returning, he vowed to raise in Parliament the issues of the people of Ladakh as he alleged that their "political voice" was being suppressed and the promises of the central government on employment had turned out to be "false". “China has snatched away thousands of kilometers of India’s land. The prime minister is lying by denying this and every person in Ladakh knows this,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
The latest 'map' is expected to raise tensions between India and China. China's move comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks over the ongoing military standoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. Jinping is also expected to travel to New Delhi for the G20 Summit being hosted by India on September 9-10.
