China war-ready, but Modi govt trying to hide threat: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday took on the Narendra Modi government on its China border policy, saying that Beijing is in full preparation for a war and not just incursion even as New Delhi is trying to and ignoring the threat from the neighbour.

Addressing a press conference in Jaipur on the 100th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul said the government has no strategic vision but only event based work to tackle Chinese threat, which would not work.

Rahul’s comment came as the Congress along with other Opposition parties are demanding an immediate discussion on the India-China border row following the clashes at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9. The party has been accusing the Modi government of succumbing to pressure from China.

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Emphasising that China has taken 2,000 square km of Indian land while soldiers are martyred and beaten up, the Congress leader said he sees China's threat clearly though the government is trying to hide and ignore it.

"They cannot ignore or hide this threat. China is in full preparation mode. China's offensive preparation is ongoing in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian government is sleeping. The government does not want to hear this. But China is preparing for war. The preparation is not for incursion but war," he said.

Claiming that the government is not able to accept the Chinese threat, he said if one sees their weapon pattern and what Chinese soldiers are doing, it would be clear that they are preparing for it.

"Why it is happening is because the Indian government does event based work. The Indian government does not work strategically. They organise events here and there. When it comes to geo-politics, events won't work," he said.

He said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar keeps talking but he thinks that he should enhance his understanding.