'China has stopped us from patrolling': Rahul Gandhi raises Arunachal border alarm

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on August 13 alleged that China has prevented Indian troops from patrolling certain areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and accused the government of trying to keep the development out of public view.

There was no immediate response from the government to Gandhi's allegations. No official confirmation has been issued on any such development in Arunachal Pradesh.

Gandhi made the allegations while addressing the national convention of the 'Rachnatmak Congress'. He claimed that Chinese troops had stopped Indian personnel from patrolling areas that India considers its own.

"China has stopped us from patrolling, stating that... 'it is your land, but you cannot patrol here'," Gandhi said.

He further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were not taking action.

"What are they doing? The operation is ongoing, and they are calling up media editors that 'don't publish this in your newspapers, hide it'," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged.

Gandhi also referred to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and repeated his criticism of the government's handling of the India-China border dispute. He claimed that while the Prime Minister had said after Galwan that not even an inch of Indian territory had been taken, the Army had subsequently maintained that Chinese forces had occupied Indian land.

"I have seen it with my own eyes, the PM came on a Zoom call after Galwan and said not even an inch of our land was taken by China," Gandhi said, adding that the conflicting positions had weakened India's negotiating position with Beijing.

His remarks came days after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India regards developments along the border with China as "most serious". The ministry stressed that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC remains of "utmost importance", noting that the situation along the frontier would influence the overall trajectory of bilateral ties.

The MEA's comments followed reports of aggressive posturing by Chinese troops in the Upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh.

China on Wednesday said the situation along the India-China border was "generally stable at the moment", while declining to comment on reports of increased Chinese military activity near the Arunachal Pradesh border.

The Congress' Foreign Affairs department, headed by former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, separately expressed concern over reports that China had denied Indian troops access to historically used patrolling points in Taksing, Arunachal Pradesh.

"The Indian National Congress is deeply alarmed and gravely concerned by reports that China has denied India access to historically Indian patrolling points across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Taksing, Arunachal Pradesh," Khurshid said.

The party alleged that the development was part of a broader pattern of Chinese attempts to encroach on Indian territory. It also referred to concerns raised by indigenous communities earlier this year and Chinese construction of what it described as 628 Xiaokang, or 'well-off', villages along India's borders.

The Congress demanded that the government immediately brief the nation on the situation and send an all-party delegation to assess developments on the ground.

Khurshid also called on Modi to raise the issue directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to visit India next month.

The Congress said the government must "unequivocally defend India's territorial integrity" and warned that any failure to respond firmly to China could have long-term strategic consequences for India and its position in Asia.