Mismanagement of pandemic will be one of most disastrous failures of Modi govt, says Sonia Gandhi

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday described the India-China face-off in Ladakh as a full blown crisis and hoped that mature diplomacy and decisive leadership will guide the government's action in protecting India's territorial integrity.

Sonia Gandhi made this remark in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, party's highest decision making body, which met on Tuesday to discuss the India-China face off and the issue of Nepal.

The CWC meeting started after paying homage to all the 20 Indian soldiers, who died on June 15 fighting Chinese forces in Galwan Valley. "CWC pays homage to Colonel B. Santosh Babu and our brave jawans (soldiers), who laid down their lives by making the supreme sacrifice. All CWC members rise to observe two minutes silence in their memory," Congress national media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet.

Addressing the CWC members, Sonia Gandhi said, "Now, we have a full-blown crisis on the LAC with China... The future is yet to unfold but we hope that mature diplomacy and decisive leadership will guide the government's actions in protecting our territorial integrity."

At least 20 Indian soldier including an officer were killed in an unprecedented attack by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15.

Sonia Gandhi also said that the need of hour is a massive fiscal stimulus, putting money directly in the hands of the poor, protecting and nurturing the MSMEs and stimulating demand.

Slamming the government over the ₹20 lakh crore financial package, the Congress president said, "Instead, government announced a hollow financial package that had a fiscal component of less than 1 per cent of GDP."

She also raised the issue of continuous fuel price hike in last 17 days and said, "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.

Taking a pot shot at the government over the spike in the Novel Coronavirus (COCID-19) situation across the country, she said, "Despite the assurances of the Prime Minister who centralized all authority in his hands, the pandemic continues to rage. The Centre has passed the buck to the state governments, but given them zero extra finances."

The full text of her opening remark can be read here:

The CWC meeting comes in the wake of all party meeting convened by the Prime Minister last week. Sources in the party said that the incident at the Line of Actual Control is unacceptable to the party and the relationship with Nepal is at an all time low.

India and China are engaged in a diplomatic resolution of the stand-off. Nepal on June 13 adopted unanimously the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem which includes Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.