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Senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not allow the Chinese to use the PM's official statement as "vindication of their position".
"The Prime Minister must always be mindful of the implication of his words and declarations on our nation's security as also strategic and territorial interests," Singh said, pointing to PM Modi's statements over the violent clash that broke out in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15 where India lost 20 if its Army personnel.
On Friday, at an all-party meeting, PM Modi had said: "Neither is anyone inside our territory nor are any of our posts captured", responding to which the Congress questioned whether the PM meant Indian Territory had been ceded to China.
The senior Congress leader, in a letter, urged the PM to ensure that all organs of the government work together to tackle the ongoing crisis and prevent it from escalating further.
This is a moment where we must stand together as a nation and be united in our response to this brazen threat: Press Statement by Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh pic.twitter.com/qP3hN3Od9D
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 22, 2020
In a press statement, former Prime Minister said that the 20 Indian Army soldiers who laid down their lives in an act of sacrifice should get justice and that their deaths should not go in vain.
"Our government's decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how future generations perceive us. Those who lead us to bear the weight of a solemn duty. And in our democracy, that responsibility rests with the office of the prime minister," Singh said, adding, that "To do any less would be a historic betrayal of the people's faith."
In a letter to the prime minister today, the Congress leader said that "disinformation is no substitute for diplomacy or decisive leadership".
The senior leader lashed out at China over its aggression and attempt to claim parts of Indian territory such as the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso lake. "We cannot and will not be cowed down by threats and intimidation nor permit a compromise with our territorial integrity," he added.
In response to the scathing remarks, BJP president JP Nadda called the former PM's statement "mere wordplay" and said, "One only wishes that Dr Singh was as worried about Chinese designs when, as PM, he abjectly surrendered hundreds of square kilometres of India's land to China. He presided over 600 incursions made by China between 2010 to 2013!"
Also Read: "Nobody Inside Our Borders, Our Posts Have Not Been Occupied": PM Modi
