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India's Ruling BJP Invokes 2008 Deal to Blast Congress Party's Claims it Surrendered Land to China

New Delhi (Sputnik): Over the past few days, India’s main opposition party Congress has locked horns with the Narendra Modi-led BJP government over the clashes over the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region with Chinese troops. The skirmish claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers, while China has yet to announce any casualties or injuries, if at all.
Sputnik

J.P. Nadda, president of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Congress politician Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, accusing the rival's party of surrendering Indian land to China after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2008.

In a tweet, the BJP President also slammed Gandhi, criticising him for supposedly trying to divide the nation and demoralise the armed forces during these crucial times, while asking him if it was the effect of the 2008 MoU.

India, while run by the Congress Party in 2008, had signed an MoU with China to facilitate high-level exchanges between the two nations and consult each other over important regional and international issues.

The remark from BJP's leader came following the latest Twitter attack launched by Gandhi, who wrote in a post, "We stand together against China's attack. Has China captured a piece of Indian land?"

Meanwhile, former Home Minister and Congress Leader P. Chidambaram cited a media report, which quoted official sources, saying “Commander level talks are aimed at restoration of status quo ante at Ladakh.”

“China has moved up to Finger 4 and has undertaken a major build up between Finger 4 and Finger 8”, Chidambaram tweeted, citing the media report questioning if this means that China has invaded Indian territory.

Chidambaram had dared the BJP president to ask Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the 2,264 times the Chinese incursions took place since 2015, under the Modi government, which has been in power since 2014.

Chidambaram, a Congress politician and a former Home Minister, however, admitted there were Chinese troop incursions when his party ran the government, too.

It came as the BJP President asked former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain the Chinese incursions into Indian during Singh's tenure.

Since the deadly clash during the night of 15 and 16 June, the two Asian giants - India and China have been involved in diplomatic talks as the situation on the border remains tense. On Tuesday, the two sides agreed to disengage from main friction points.

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