Sonia Gandhi chairs CWC meet, alleges 'wrong decisions' by Centre in China standoff at LAC

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday chaired a meeting the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). She said that the current crisis on the border with China is attributable to the "mismanagement" of the BJP-led government and the "wrong policies" pursued by it. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who also attended the meeting opined that the crisis on the border, if not tackled firmly, can lead to a serious situation. 

Addressing the meeting, Sonia Gandhi also hit out at the government for "mercilessly" raising petrol and diesel prices for 17 consecutive days, even when global prices of crude oil were falling. She also noted that the "mismanagement" of the COVID-19 pandemic will be recorded as one of "most disastrous failures" of the Narendra Modi government.

On the LAC crisis, she said, "The future is yet to unfold but we hope that mature diplomacy and decisive leadership will inform the government's actions in protecting our territorial integrity...undeniable fact is that since April-May, 2020 till date, Chinese troops have committed brazen transgressions into our territory in Pangong Tso area and the Galwan Valley, Ladakh. True to its character, the government is in denial. The intrusion was detected and reported on May 5, 2020. Instead of a resolution, the situation deteriorated rapidly and there were violent clashes on June 15-16," she said.

"We urge upon the government that peace, calm and the restoration of the status quo ante along the LAC be the only guiding principles in our national interest. We will continue to closely watch the situation," she said.

Former PM Manmohan Singh's remarks 

Endorsing Sonia Gandhi's remarks, former PM Manmohan Singh said, "The pandemic is not being tackled with the courage and magnitude and effort needed to tackle the crisis. Another instance is the crisis on the border, which if not tackled firmly, can lead to a serious situation." 

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However, the Congress leaders remained tight-lipped about the picture of Rahul Gandhi signing a deal with Chinese CCP in presence of Sonia Gandhi and Xi Jinping during Beijing Olympics even as lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani sought an NIA probe into the deal signed between the Congress and the Communist Party of China in 2008. 

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Galwan clash

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Colonel were martyred when a violent faceoff took place last Monday night while the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. 76 others suffered injuries in the clash, in which hundreds of soldiers from both sides are said to have engaged.

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