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Updated December 19th, 2020 at 17:44 IST

Rahul Gandhi flags concern about China's LAC infrastructure, mocks India's preparation

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Union government of ignoring his repeated warnings about the Chinese aggression along the LAC.

Reported by: Akhil Oka
Rahul Gandhi
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Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Centre of ignoring his repeated warnings about the Chinese aggression along the LAC. Referring to a media report, he claimed that the Indian government was lagging behind the Chinese side in preparations amid the faceoff at the border. The Wayanad MP urged the Union government to take timely action to ward off the Chinese designs.

The report cited by Gandhi alleged that China's People Liberation Army is upgrading its road and building infrastructure across the Karakoram Pass and Aksai Chin. Mentioning that the PLA had no intention of withdrawing its soldiers or equipment from the friction points along the LAC, it further claimed that China had increased the number of military vehicles and troop hutments. Moreover, the article revealed that "China has built an alternative 8-10 metre wide road to the Karakoram Pass that would shorten the distance to the strategic gateway into the Daulet Beg Oldi sector by two hours".

Read: 'Match Words With Actions': MEA's Stinging Response To China Blaming India For LAC Faceoff

Read: Kapil Sibal Asks PM To Understand Pain Of Farmers; Makes India-China LAC Clash Reference

Amid LAC faceoff, WMCC meeting takes place

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. 

On Friday, the 20th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) took place on December 18. The developments along the LAC were reviewed and both sides agreed to work towards ensuring complete disengagement as per the agreements reached between the respective Foreign Ministers and Special Representatives. Furthermore, they acknowledged that the 7th and 8th round of military commander-level talks had contributed to ensuring "stability on the ground".

On this occasion, they consented to maintain the close consultations at the diplomatic and military level. The two sides also agreed that the next round of senior military commanders should be held at an early date so that peace and stability can be fully restored in the region. While the MEA's Joint Secretary (East Asia) led the Indian delegation, the Chinese side was represented by the Director-General of the Department of Boundary & Oceanic Affairs of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read: LAC Row: EAM Jaishankar Says 'India Being Tested', Maintains 'China Changed Status-quo'

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Published December 19th, 2020 at 17:44 IST

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