NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that China had stopped Indian Army patrols at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and called the development a matter of concern.“China has stopped our army from patrolling in several places in Arunachal Pradesh – this is extremely alarming,” Rahul said in a post on X.He also questioned the silence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.“But even more alarming is the silence emanating from Rajnath Singh ji, Amit Shah ji, and Narendra Modi ji. Instead of stopping China, the Modi government is putting pressure on the media to suppress this news,” he added.Rahul referred to the Prime Minister’s statement following the Galwan clash that China had not taken any Indian territory, alleging that the government continues to protect the PM’s image instead of addressing the issue of national security.“The country still remembers that statement by the Prime Minister after Galwan, in which he caused immense damage to India by saying that China has not taken even an inch of our land. Even today, the same operation to save his image continues – and a Prime Minister who prioritizes his fake image over the country’s security is extremely dangerous for the nation,” he added.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned the Centre over reports of China expanding its presence in areas of Arunachal Pradesh and sought answers on Indian access to patrolling points and traditional grazing and hunting grounds.“After Galwan, now Arunachal Pradesh? Disturbing reports suggest that China is attempting to push further into areas in Arunachal Pradesh, an inalienable part of our nation. This demands immediate answers from the Modi Govt,” Kharge said in a post on X.This comes after the ministry of external affairs (MEA) reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “inalienable and integral part of India” in response to China’s recent “objection” to the renaming of places in the state.“Let me reiterate this once again that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India and this is a fact that is self-evident. At the same time, let me also underline that nothing can change this indisputable reality,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.India officially identified 27 locations in Arunachal by their standard names on the survey of India map, countering China’s repeated attempts to assign Chinese names to places in the state.Earlier, it was reported that there was no “slow encroachment” by China into Arunachal Pradesh.“There is no slow encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh by China as alleged,” a source was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.“Due to undemarcated border at times the patrols face off each other, this is resolved through existing mechanisms and protocols in vogue. The Army and ITBP are geared up to dominate the border, monitor and check Chinese activities. Sensational claims like this without going into specifics are attention-seeking ploys,” the report said citing sources.They said China has historically laid claim to Arunachal Pradesh, referring to it as “South Tibet”. During the 1960 border talks, Beijing had claimed around 69,000 sq km of territory in the state.
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”China has claims on Arunachal as South Tibet, articulated in 1960 border talks, wherein they claimed approx 69,000 sq km of the state territory. In 1959 China attacked the Assam Rifles outpost at Longju and captured it. The area has since been in adverse possession and is frequently in news due to infra development done in this area by China,” they said.“During 1962 India-China War, major Chinese operations were launched in Kameng, Subansiri, Siyom, Siang and Lohit valleys. However, after ceasefire the PLA went back North of the LAC. Arunachal Pradesh shares a large border with Tibet along Great Himalayan range. Concerted infra push in recent years has enabled enhanced ptlg and surveillance of the area,” they added.
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