Congress asks Modi, Shah to answer on China, Indian patrols in Arunachal

The Congress on Friday, 14 August demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah explain whether China has restricted Indian troops from patrolling certain areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, days after the government itself described potential border issues with Beijing as "most serious".

The demand follows Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's allegation on Thursday that Chinese forces had stopped Indian troops from patrolling some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and that the government was attempting to "hide" the development.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday sought specific answers on the Taksing sector of Upper Subansiri district, including whether the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had expanded its presence near Taksing and whether India had lost regular access to Shera-5, a designated patrolling point.

'After Galwan, now Arunachal Pradesh? Disturbing reports suggest that China is attempting to push further into areas in Arunachal Pradesh, an inalienable part of our nation. This demands immediate answers from the Modi government,' Kharge said on X.

He asked why Indian patrolling was reportedly limited during winter in the sensitive sector while the PLA maintained a year-round presence, and whether traditional grazing and hunting grounds were becoming inaccessible to local communities.

'Has the pre-May 2020 status quo ante in Eastern Ladakh been fully restored?' Kharge asked, accusing the BJP-led government of withholding facts from Parliament about whether India retained access to all areas and patrolling points it had accessed before May 2020.

The Congress's allegations come amid a series of reports and claims about Chinese activity in the remote Taksing area, but there is no official confirmation that China has recently blocked Indian troops from patrolling the areas cited by the party. The Indian Army has rejected reports of a recent Chinese encroachment or establishment of camps in Arunachal Pradesh as "incorrect and without any basis". The state government has also said it would verify claims emerging from local communities.

Yet the government's own statements this week have underscored that the border remains a serious concern.

On Tuesday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India considers matters relating to the border areas with China "most serious" and that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC is of "utmost importance". He added that "the state of the border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties".

Jaiswal said the issue had also been discussed at the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, held on 6 August. The two sides had "frank discussions" and reviewed the situation along the LAC, he said, while agreeing to continue using existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to prevent "misunderstanding and miscalculation".

The remarks were made amid reports of aggressive Chinese posturing in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri region. The MEA did not confirm the specific reports of an incursion or loss of Indian access, but its unusually pointed emphasis on the state of the border is significant: it indicates that New Delhi does not regard the frontier as a settled or irrelevant issue even as India and China seek to stabilise their broader relationship.

China, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that the situation along the Sino-Indian border was "generally stable at the moment", while declining to comment specifically on reports of increased Chinese military activity near Arunachal Pradesh.

The issue has also been amplified by voices from within Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal-based content creator Taba Nagu posted a satirical video warning about China's territorial claims and alleged encroachment, saying "goodbye India" and suggesting that the entire state could eventually be "seen in China". Congress communications chief Pawan Khera amplified the video on social media, using it to question the government's response to the allegations.

The video is significant less as evidence of an actual change on the ground than as an indication of the anxiety among some people living in the border state. Its amplification by Khera has also brought a local concern into the national political contest over China's activities.

The Congress has sought to connect the current allegations to the government's handling of the 2020 Galwan crisis. Kharge said 20 Indian soldiers had made the 'supreme sacrifice' in the clash and accused Modi of having given China a 'CLEAN CHIT'. 'That record inspires no confidence!' he said.

Kharge also asked the prime minister, defence minister and home minister to answer the nation. 'We have complete faith in the courage and capability of the Indian Armed Forces. India stands firmly behind our soldiers and united against any Chinese aggression,' he said.

The government has not immediately responded to Kharge's latest allegations.

With PTI inputs