The Congress kept up its sustained attack against the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre on its handling of the India-China border conflict after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a deadly clash at Ladakh's Galwan Valley on 15 June, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh talked about the crisis in detail at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday, 23 June. The CWC is the party's highest decision making body which met to discuss the India-China face-off and the issue of Nepal.
'Full-Blown Crisis': Sonia Gandhi
Describing the India-China face-off as a "full blown crisis", Gandhi said that she hopes "mature diplomacy" and "decisive leadership" will guide governmental action in protecting India's territorial integrity.
Gandhi also said that a massive fiscal stimulus, that puts money directly in the hands of the poor, and protecting and nurturing MSMEs to stimulate demand are the needs of the hour.
“Instead, government announced a hollow financial package that had a fiscal component of less than 1 percent of GDP,” said Gandhi, slamming the government for its Rs 20 lakh crore financial package.
She also raised the issue of rising fuel prices.
"The government has added insult to injury by mercilessly raising petrol and diesel prices for 17 consecutive days, at a time when world prices of crude have fallen," she said.
She further asked why the number of COVID-19 cases in the country were spiking when the government had "centralised all authority" in its hands, adding that the Centre had passed the buck to the state governments but had given them no financial help.
'Situation Can Turn Serious If Not Tackled Properly': Manmohan Singh
Former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh echoed the party's view on the China situation in the CWC, saying that the situation can turn serious if not tackled properly.
Singh’s statements at the CWC come after he slammed the prime minister on Monday, 22 June, accusing him of spreading “disinformation” in the context of the Chinese face-off. Singh said the the PM should “know the implication of his words”.
Singh was criticising Modi's statement at the all-party meeting on Friday in which he said that Chinese troops had not crossed the border in Galwan on 15 June. A clarification was later issued by the Prime Minister's Office.
Former Defence Minister AK Antony and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, who attended the all-party meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, briefed the CWC as well.
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