A day after India dismissed the new official map of China that includes Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as “absurd,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the issue of Chinese incursion.
Mr. Gandhi, interacting with the media at the airport just before leaving for Karnataka for the launch of Gruha Laxmi scheme that offers a monthly cash assistance to the women of eligible households, targeted Mr. Modi on the serious issue of the map.
“I have been saying this for years now that the Prime Minister’s claim that not an inch of land has been taken away from Ladakh is a complete lie. I have just come back from Ladakh and all of Ladakh knows that China has usurped our land,” Mr. Gandhi said.
“The map is a very serious issue but they have already taken land. The Prime Minister should speak about it,” he added.
On Monday, China officially released the 2023 edition of its “standard map” incorporating Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Reacting to it, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday called China a “habitual offender” and urged India to raise this issue at the upcoming G-20 Summit in New Delhi.
“We hope that the G-20 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.
