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Rajnath Singh refuted Rahul Gandhi’s claims about the Army Chief’s statement on China, stating the remarks attributed to him were false. He stressed that the Army Chief only discussed patrolling disturbances.
Rajnath Singh (L)/Rahul Gandhi (R) /(Photos: PTI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of making false allegations about the Army chief’s statement on the India-China border situation. “The words attributed to the Army Chief by Shri Rahul Gandhi were never spoken by him at any time,” Rajnath Singh said, adding that the Congress leader was indulging in “irresponsible politics on matters of national interest.”
Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s Address, Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Monday raised concerns over China, alleging that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s denial, Chinese forces had occupied Indian territory.
“Our armed forces are still holding talks with China over their intrusion. The Prime Minister has denied it, but our Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory,” he claimed.
The Leader of the Opposition further claimed that the Prime Minister “has denied it, and the Army has contradicted the Prime Minister that China is sitting on 4000 sq km of our territory.”
“Our Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory. This is a fact. The reason China is inside our territory is important. The reason China is sitting inside this country is because ‘Make in India’ has failed. The reason China is sitting inside this country is because India is refusing to produce, and I’m worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again. If and when we fight a war with China, we will be fighting with Chinese electric motors, Chinese batteries and Chinese optics, and we will be buying Chinese motors, Chinese optics and Chinese batteries,” he added.
Responding to Gandhi’s speech in Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh, in a long X post, wrote, “Shri 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 Army Chief’s remarks referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both sides. He also mentioned that these practices have been restored to their traditional pattern as part of the recent disengagement. Government has shared these details in Parliament,” he wrote.
“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,” the Defence Minister wrote on X.
“If at all there is Indian Territory into which China has come, this 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. Shri Rahul Gandhi may consider introspecting about this phase of our history,” he wrote.
Shri 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 Army Chief’s remarks referred only to the disturbance of traditional patrolling by both sides. He also…
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) February 4, 2025
Also referring to the strategic partnership with the United States, Rahul Gandhi said the partnership should focus on how India and the United States can work together to take advantage of this revolution.
“India is as important as the United States for the simple reason that they cannot build an industrial system without us. The Americans simply cannot do what India can do because their cost structure is much more expensive than ours. We can build things that the Americans would never imagine,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against the government.
Speaker Om Birla asked the Congress leader to substantiate his allegations.
