Modi govt putting India's national security, territorial integrity at risk: Kharge

'You have exaggerated it in Parliament. But the truth is that 90 per cent of the funds have not been spent in the last two years,' Kharge said.

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday hit out at the Modi government over reports that China was settling 90 new villages along the Arunachal Pradesh border and accused it of putting India's national security, territorial integrity and sovereignty at risk.

In a post on X, Kharge alleged that the priorities of the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were "PR stunts" and "false advertisements", and "not national security".

"Narendra Modi ji, you are adopting the policy of giving a 'red salute' to China instead of showing 'red eyes'. India's national security, territorial sovereignty and integrity are paramount, the Modi government is putting it at risk," he said in his post in Hindi.

The Congress president said, "Our allegation is made with great responsibility and is based on facts. China has started settling 90 new villages on the Arunachal border. Earlier, China had settled 628 such villages on our border, according to newspapers.

"The Modi government promotes the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' on the border a lot. You have exaggerated it in Parliament. But the truth is that 90 per cent of the funds have not been spent in the last two years. This scheme was launched in February 2023 and out of the Rs 4,800 crore allocated, only Rs 509 crore has been spent," he said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the government, asking why was PM Modi "bowing down" to China by "compromising" the security, sovereignty and integrity of India.

Kharge said that in Himachal Pradesh, where 75 villages need to be improved, the Modi government has given almost no funds for it.

He claimed that in December 2024, China announced plans to build the world's largest dam on the Brahmaputra River, which could prove disastrous for India's national security, environment and the northeastern states.

The Brahmaputra River accounts for 30 per cent of India's freshwater resources, making its flow vital for India, the Congress president said, He said that going by a reply by the Ministry of External Affairs in the Rajya Sabha in 2022, "your government said that 'in March 2021, China adopted its 14th Five-Year Plan, which mentions plans for hydropower projects in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river'.

"This means that the Modi government was aware of this matter since 2021. Still, your government remained absolutely silent. It is clear... Modiji, your government's priority is PR stunts and false advertisements for itself, not the national security of India," Kharge said citing news reports of China building 90 new villages along the border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Citing a news report, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed China is settling 90 new villages in the disputed LAC area of Arunachal Pradesh. It has settled 628 villages on the Indian border so far, she alleged.

"Earlier also it was reported that China is continuously infiltrating the Indian border. Apart from occupying our land, it is encroaching and building big dams, roads, bridges, military bases, bunkers etc.

"Two new provinces have been settled in the Ladakh region. It is claiming 90,000 square kilometres of land in Arunachal. Names of dozens of places have been changed," she said in a post in Hindi on X.

"On the question of China, Modi ji either remains silent or gives a clean chit to China that - 'Neither has anyone entered nor is anyone inside'. The people of the country want to know why the is prime minister bowing down to China by compromising the security, sovereignty and integrity of the country?" Vadra asked.