NEW DELHI, Feb 4: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making “false allegations” regarding the Army chief’s comments on the India-China border situation on Tuesday.
Singh stated on X that “The remarks attributed to the Army Chief by Rahul Gandhi were never made. It’s regrettable that he has engaged in irresponsible politics concerning national issues.”
During a speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, referring to the Motion of Thanks following the President’s address, Gandhi alleged that Chinese forces had intruded into Indian territory, a claim denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the Army disagreed with the prime minister.
“The Prime Minister has dismissed the notion that Chinese troops are inside our territory. However, our Army continues discussions with Chinese officials regarding such entries, and our Chief of Army Staff has stated that they are present in our territory,” Gandhi claimed.
In response, Defence Minister Singh dismissed these allegations as “false,” saying, “Rahul Gandhi made incorrect claims about the Army Chief’s comments on the state of the India-China border on February 3, 2025.”
Singh clarified that the Army chief’s statements were solely about the disturbance of traditional patrolling protocols by both sides and noted that these protocols have resumed their conventional patterns following recent disengagements. He also mentioned that the government had shared these updates in Parliament.
He pointed out that any Indian territory occupied by China amounts to 38,000 sq km in Aksai Chin—an outcome of the 1962 conflict—and an additional 5,180 sq km illegally transferred from Pakistan to China in 1963 when the Congress was in power.
“Gandhi should reflect on this part of our history,” Singh remarked.
Concurrently, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Gandhi for what he termed “blatant lies and a vilification campaign” during his speech in the House.
Following strong objections from the ruling BJP to Gandhi’s speech on Monday, Dubey submitted his notice to the Speaker, alleging that the Congress leader is misusing his parliamentary privilege to propagate unfounded claims.
The BJP MP asserted that Gandhi’s remarks included unverified assertions, such as that mobile phones are not manufactured in India but merely assembled and that China has occupied Indian land. (PTI)
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