Indian Army disagrees with PM Modi on China situation: Rahul Gandhi's big claim causes uproar in Parliament

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, on Monday issued a strong statement on India's territorial disputes, claiming, “Today, we have the Chinese (on our land) but the Prime Minister has denied it, whereas the Army disagrees with the Prime Minister."

He said China is occupying 4,000 sq km of India's territory.


In response, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanded evidence for the claim, saying, “You will have to present the evidence of what you are speaking in the House.”

He linked China's aggression to economic failures, asserting, "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."

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He warned that India’s defence sector was overly reliant on Chinese imports. "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."

India-China border dispute:

It took India and China 21 rounds of Corp Commander-level talks on disengagement to end the military impasse last year that plagued the relationship for five years. While military disengagement had been achieved earlier at four points, the same remained elusive in Depsang and Demchok, the two friction points.

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China maintained that the impasse in these areas were legacy issues that predated the 2020 standoff and should not be allowed to block resumption of normal bilateral exchanges. However, India too steadfastly maintained there couldn't be any progress in ties till the time disengagement is completed in the remaining areas, calling it an essential basis for peace in the border areas.

Patient and persevering diplomacy helped clinch the disengagement agreement with China, Jaishankar said.

Both the countries agreed to return to the patrolling agreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that were in place before the Galwan clashes in 2020 after several negotiations.