India’s top opposition politician accused authorities of keeping silent after it was reported Chinese troops had “taken” land in disputed Kashmir. India’s defense chief earlier called talks to defuse border tensions “positive.”
Rahul Gandhi, an MP and former leader of the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress has been pressing the government with questions about the ongoing standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a part of the greater disputed Kashmir region.
“The Chinese have walked in and taken our territory in Ladakh,” Gandhi tweeted. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “absolutely silent” on the issue and having “vanished from the scene.”
The politician shared a report by online news platform the Wire, which cited sources saying that Chinese troops “flatly rejected” the Indian demand to pull out of the land they occupied last month, and claimed ownership of the area instead. The government has yet to comment on the report.
Top Indian and Chinese military officials met over the weekend to defuse tensions at the border, with both sides reportedly agreeing on mutual disengagement from several patrolling points. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the talks “positive” and reiterated that New Delhi wishes to resolve the dispute as soon as possible. The country’s military earlier said that the confrontation, which resulted in minor injuries to troops last month, was ended through dialogue at the local level.
The longstanding Indian-Chinese border dispute occasionally leads to skirmishes and standoffs. However, both sides say they remain committed to resolving the issue diplomatically, using the existing lines of communication between the military and officials.
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