Waited for a year but no clarity yet says Sonia Gandhi
WEB DESK
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on the Galwan incident, in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred a year ago, and said that “the party hoped the government would keep the nation in confidence over what happened”.
“As we approach first anniversary of tragic loss of 20 brave soldiers of Bihar Regiment in the confrontation with PLA troops of China on night of June 14-15, 2020, Congress party joins a grateful nation in remembrance of their supreme sacrifice,” said Sonia Gandhi in a statement.
“Having patiently waited for the government to come clean and inform the nation about the circumstances in which the unprecedented incident happened and reassure the people that the sacrifice of our brave jawans was not in vain, the Congress Party reiterates its concern that no clarity is yet available and the Prime Minister’s last word on the subject a year ago was that no transgression had occurred. We have repeatedly sought details of the episode in light of the PM’s statement, as well as details of what progress has been made towards restoring the status quo ante before April 2020. The disengagement agreement with China appears to have worked entirely to India’s disadvantage so far,” Gandhi said on the first anniversary of the tragedy.
The Congress urged the government to take the nation into confidence and ensure that their performance is worthy of the commitment of our soldiers, who are standing bravely and resolutely at the borders.
In the first deadly clash in the border area in nearly five decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year in the Galwan Valley in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops, triggering a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both armies at the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.