New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of adopting a DDLJ policy – “deny, distract, lie and justify” – on Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh, citing a video reportedly showing Ladakh shepherds confronting officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the border.
The main Opposition party parodied the title of the evergreen Bollywood hit ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ to “once again expose the hollowness of the Modi government’s claims of stability at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)”.
In a statement on Wednesday, the party said for four years the central government “has tried to cover up the worst territorial setback in six decades for India with its DDLJ approach”.
“Chinese troops continue to deny Indian patrols access to the strategic Depsang Plains, Demchok and other areas in eastern Ladakh,” said Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary incharge of communications. “China continues to deny us access to 2,000 square kilometres despite 18 rounds of military talks.”
A new video surfaced this week showing Ladakh shepherds purportedly having heated arguments with PLA soldiers in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh. The video is reportedly from early January.
“The PM must take the people of India into confidence and explain to them how and when the status quo will be restored. And if he is unable to do so, the next government will have to take on this challenge,” Ramesh said Wednesday.
The Congress alleged that China continued to make inroads into Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, apart from Bhutanese territory.
It said the PM’s “clean chit to China” from June 2020 — asserting that no one had entered India’s borders, nor will anyone enter — was a “profound insult to our fallen soldiers in Galwan”.
Ramesh added the Congress would continue its fight for ‘nyay’ (justice) for jawans through the ‘Jay Jawan’ campaign and would also strive for justice for the displaced shepherds “who remain at the mercy of PLA patrols”.
The ‘Jay Jawan’ campaign was launched by the party Wednesday to protest against the Modi government’s Agniveer scheme.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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