Asserting that Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in China’s map are inalienable parts of India, the Congress on Tuesday said that no illegal representation or arbitrarily invented map by the “habitual offender” China can change it.
Taking strong objection, the principal Opposition party urged the Narendra Modi government to use the upcoming G20 Summit to “expose” China’s transgressions into Indian territory at the global stage.
On Monday, China officially released the 2023 edition of its “standard map”, incorporating into it Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan, and the disputed South China Sea.
“China is a habitual offender when it comes to renaming and redrawing maps of territories, belonging to other countries. The Indian National Congress takes strong objection to any such illegal representation or renaming of India’s territories,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“We want a peaceful coexistence with our neighbours, including China and want peace and tranquillity at the LAC. It is, however, painful to note that China’s deception and belligerence continues, post Galwan, in the wake of PM Modi giving them a free pass, by saying ‘no one entered our territory’, after 20 of our brave soldiers were martyred,” Mr. Kharge added.
The Congress chief asserted that the status quo ante before May 2020 should be of utmost importance and the government must not budge from anything less than its restoration. “We hope that the G20 Summit in India, will be another opportunity for us to expose the issue of China’s transgressions into Indian territory at the global stage,” Mr. Kharge said.
Senior party leader and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari also said China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh were “absurd, illogical and historically incorrect”, and urged the government to introspect and reclaim Indian territories occupied by China during recent transgressions.
“A short history of the India-China Border issue — China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh are absurd, illogical and historically incorrect. China has no claim on Arunachal Pradesh. Outstanding issue between India and China is vacation of illegal territory occupied since April 2020,” Mr. Tewari said.
