Chinese village, bridge, road on Indian land? EAM Jaishankar's point-by-point rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the Congress was holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for Chinese actions between 1958 and 1962. He said China occupied the Indian land between 1958 and 1962, and some of it was even before 1958. "When you say land taken by China, please understand that this land was lost in 1962. I see efforts to mislead the country," he said while responding to a question on the Congress party's charge that China has occupied Indian land under PM Modi. 

The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly claimed that Chinese troops have captured 2000 square km of Indian territory and are fortifying the area under Prime Minister Modi. 

Today, Jaishankar rejected the charge in a point-by-point rebuttal and said the Congress needs to get its facts right on China. He said the Congress is saying the Chinese are building villages on the border. "These villages are being built at a place called Longju - which the Chinese attacked and occupied in 1959. And there is a statement of Nehru. Please look at the village on Google map, and triangulate it with what Nehru said in Parliament in 1959."

The foreign minister further said that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress talked about a bridge in Pangong Tso and Ladakh. The minister said this bridge is being built at a place where the Chinese came in 1958 and then retook in 1962. 

Talking about a Chinese road in Shaksgam Valley, Jaishankar said the Shaksgam Valley was allowed by Nehru to be part of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan handed it over to China in 1963. He, however, admitted that the Chinese road in the Shaksgam Valley "possibly has concerns for Siachin".

"So Congress is holding Modi responsible for Nehru's actions in 1949 and for Bhutto's actions in 1963. But apparently, they have no culpability," the EAM said. "Yes, there is a challenge from China. Yes, it has violated agreements and sent a large number of troops to the border. But the country should take pride in the fact that despite COVID-19, we counter-deployed and sent a record number of troops to the border. Those troops today - at great heights and cold - are holding their own."

The minister said the country should be supporting the military, not running them down. "This running down your own people, your forces is a sad thing. A lot of the country is very unhappy about it."

On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined the Opposition in questioning the Centre over China's actions on the border. He claimed China had occupied Indian land but the central government was denying it. "There is a lot of strength in our army. All the land of the country which has been occupied by China will be freed. For this, efforts will be made at the diplomatic level on one side and the Army will be given complete freedom to take whatever steps it wants to take regarding this," he said while announcing ten guarantees for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.