Within hours after Supreme Court pulled him up over the issue, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday lambasted Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his remarks on Chinese occupation of Indian territory and asked if he relied on an official source of the government of India or any Chinese source to get the information on the matter.
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for what he said, 'harmful' remarks, the Union Minister hoped that the Congress leader would mend his ways after being "rebuked" by the Supreme Court for making "unsubstantiated claims".Pertinently, Rijiju's remarks came hours after the Supreme Court made oral observations censuring Gandhi for claiming that China had occupied 2,000 sq km of Indian territory.
"These kinds of statements from the Leader of the Opposition are extremely harmful for the nation, and they demoralise our forces," the minister said.
He said several leaders had appealed to Gandhi not to make unsubstantiated statements, but he was unwilling to take any counsel.
"I am happy that the Supreme Court has given him a warning. It is a strong rebuke for making unsubstantiated claims. I hope he and the Congress mend their ways after the rebuke from the Supreme Court," Rijiju said. The minister asserted that India's territory was completely secure.Rijiju said the armed forces and the government have consistently stated that while there is a longstanding border dispute, no land has been seized by China.
Speaking to mediapersons in Delhi, Rijiju said, "There are only three possibilities. One is the government of India or the army itself, if they provide evidence, that should be treated as an official document. That is a proper way of getting the information. The government has already given the information about how well our territory is being secured. Second possibility is Rahul Gandhi might have got the information from the Chinese government or the Chinese authority. Or third is a self-fabricated, self-created, self-cooked story. So, Rahul Gandhi has to tell whether his claim of Chinese occupation of Indian territory is from a government of India source, a Chinese source or is his own creation."
Rijiju said this dispute dated back to before 1962, and there have been occasional confrontations during patrolling, something clearly visible in several videos showing face-offs between the Indian and Chinese armies, largely because the boundary is not demarcated.
The minister said Gandhi is a responsible citizen and should refrain from making unsubstantiated claims.
"In my state, in my village, I know how assiduously our armed forces protect our land. How can he make such claims, sitting in Delhi, that our land has been grabbed in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," said Rijiju, who represents the Arunachal West parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha.
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