Prime Minister Modi inadvertently admitted his contradiction on Chinese occupation claims during the BRICS summit. His recent talks with President Xi Jinping exposed his earlier denial of Chinese intrusion in Ladakh. This revelation has sparked discussions and calls for an apology from former union Minister Subramanian Swamy.
August 26, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s previous assertions regarding the occupation of significant regions in Ladakh by the Chinese army have been directly contradicted by his own statements during the 15th BRICS summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
During the summit, Prime Minister Modi engaged in discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, focusing on the withdrawal of front-line troops from Depsang Plains and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
In 2020, when reports emerged of the Chinese army occupying substantial areas in the Ladakh region, Prime Minister Modi had vehemently denied any Chinese incursion.
He had stated, “Neither have they intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them (China). No one can take even an inch of the land.
However, his recent conversation with Xi Jinping, addressing the withdrawal of troops from Depsang Plains and Demchok, has inadvertently revealed that his earlier claims were false and that he was aware of the Chinese presence in those regions.
Ladakh, including the Pangong area, witnessed a grave standoff between the two nations in 2020, resulting in the tragic death of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley by the Chinese army. Despite prolonged negotiations leading to partial troop withdrawals by both Indian and Chinese forces from several face-off points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including Galwan Valley, northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra Post, and Hot Springs, the standoff remains unresolved.
This marks the second time Modi and Xi discussed bilateral relations between New Delhi and Beijing, following aggressive actions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to alter the status quo along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
In response to Modi’s admission of his earlier falsehoods, former union Minister Subramanian Swamy has called for an apology to the nation. He tweeted, “Modi must apologize to the nation for telling lies when he told the nation ‘koi aaya nahi..’ . Now he admits in South Africa that Depsang and other Indian areas such as Demchok, undisputed Indian territory, have been occupied by China and pleads for ‘Buffer Zones’!!!!”
