Opposition leaders walked out of the Rajya Sabha in protest on Monday after their demand for a discussion on India’s border conflict with China was not allowed, ANI reported.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party was ready for a discussion on the subject in the House. “They [China] are encroaching on our land,” he said. “If we don’t discuss this issue then what else should we discuss?”
Earlier in the day, Congress MPs Ranjeet Ranjan and Syed Naseer Hussain gave notices to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar seeking the suspension of business under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure. Hussain demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should address the House about the dispute.
However, Dhankhar did not allow a discussion on the subject, NDTV reported.
India and China have been locked in a border standoff since June 2020 when troops of both the countries had clashed in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
On December 9, Indian and Chinese troops again clashed along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector. New Delhi says Chinese soldiers attempted to “unilaterally change the status quo” by transgressing the Line of Actual Control, while Beijing claims Indian troops illegally crossed the border to stop a routine patrol of troops.
On Sunday, the Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh sought a debate in Parliament on the clashes and said that Modi must answer questions, not Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“Several former prime ministers have answered in Parliament,” he said. “He is the first prime minister who runs away from debate and he does not utter the word ‘China’.”
Ramesh alleged that China has entered 18 kilometres deep into the Depsang plains in the Aksai Chin region and that Indian troops are unable to access this area. “What does PM Modi propose to do about this?” he asked.
On December 13, Rajnath Singh told Parliament that an attempt by Chinese soldiers to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang sector by encroaching on the area led to the clash with Indian troops.
“Due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA [People’s Liberation Army] soldiers have retreated to their own locations,” he said, adding that the matter has been raised with China through diplomatic channels.
On that day as well, the Congress had walked out of the Rajya Sabha after it was barred from seeking clarifications on Singh’s statement.
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