Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the reported abduction of a 17-year-old boy from Arunachal Pradesh, Miram Taron, by Chinese troops and claimed that Mr Modi’s “silence” shows that he does not care.
In a tweet, Mr. Gandhi said, “A few days before the Republic Day, an Indian has been kidnapped by China. We are with the family of Miram Taron and will not lose hope, will not give up. PM’s cowardly silence is his statement — he does not care.”
Questioning the “silence” of the Prime Minister over “repeated” incursions by Chinese troops, Rajya Sabha member and Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil urged Mr. Modi to lead an all-party parliamentary delegation to Indo-China border for an on the ground assessment.
Mr. Gohil said the issue is not only about one abduction but also about border hostility, China constructing a bridge over the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh and the Indian troops being “unable” to patrol some of the border posts along the line of actual control (LAC).
India shares a 3,400-km LAC with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
“I want to compliment BJP MP Tapir Gao for having the courage to not delete the tweet as instructions would have gone to him to delete it,” Mr. Gohil said, adding that the party would raise the issue in the forthcoming session of Parliament.
On Wednesday, BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao had tweeted that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has abducted the 17-year-old boy from inside Indian territory in Upper Siang district,
Taking to Twitter, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked, “Dear PM, how dare Chinese army transgresses into our territory again? How can GoI permit abduction of our citizens.
“How can the GoI remain mum? Why is govt. not listening to the earnest appeal of its own MP. Please don’t say again — “No one has come and no one has been abducted.”
The latest incident comes amid a continuing stand off in eastern Ladakh since April 2020.
