New Delhi:
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not discussing Doklam issue with Xi Jinping during his “agenda-less” visit to China even as the Chinese Army continued its construction work in the disputed territory.
“Chinese haven’t evacuated Doklam, they have built huge infrastructures in the territory and yet PM Modi when he visits China, has a “conversation without agenda” and doesn’t discuss these issues,” the Congress president said during his Interaction with Indian Journalists’ Association in London.
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The Armies of India and China had an over two-month-long standoff in Doklam after Indian Army stopped a road construction work by Chinese PLA in the disputed region. The standoff was resolved after both countries decided to pull back its troops.
However, reports of Chinese Army’s presence kept coming in even after that. A top US official had recently stated that China has quietly resumed its activities in the Doklam area and neither Bhutan nor India has sought to dissuade it.
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj rebutted the official’s claims and said that there was “not an iota of change” in status quo on the ground.
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Speaking to the journalists, Gandhi, the Congress party’s prime ministerial candidate for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said that India is facing serious challenges from the Chinese and India should make determined efforts to deal with them.
“We have serious challenges coming from the Chinese. We have to focus on that,” he added.
Watch the entire event here:
LIVE: CP @RahulGandhi's Interaction with Indian Journalists' Association, London. #RahulGandhiPressMeet https://t.co/JXvUDFxgkq
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 25, 2018
