Agartala, Oct 24: Opposition leaders in Tripura on Saturday questioned the Narendra Modi government over its handling of the India-China border situation after the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief disclosed continuing face-offs with Chinese troops at multiple locations along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier.
At a joint press conference in Agartala, the first such appearance by CPI(M) and Congress leaders under the emerging INDIA bloc arrangement in Tripura, Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury and Congress state president and former MLA Ashish Kumar Saha expressed concern over the preparedness of Indian forces and demanded accountability from the Centre.
Chaudhury thanked ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor for drawing attention to the challenges posed by China’s military modernisation and the need to strengthen India’s capabilities.
He questioned the government’s handling of the border situation, asking why substantial defence expenditure and military procurement agreements with countries such as the United States and France had not translated into what he considered adequate preparedness.
“Our forces should be equipped and our ammunition should be up to date,” Chaudhury said, questioning how defence allocations were being utilised. He stressed that the issue concerned national security and should not be viewed merely through a partisan political lens.
Chaudhury also argued that the latest disclosures lent weight to concerns repeatedly raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about China’s activities along the border. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of failing to adequately address the opposition’s questions.
Saha, meanwhile, alleged that the government had remained silent on Chinese incursions and questioned its willingness to confront Beijing diplomatically. He said the ITBP chief’s remarks had brought the shortcomings in India’s border preparedness into sharper focus.
The opposition leaders said they would continue raising the issue in Parliament and other public forums.
Kapoor recently said face-offs with Chinese troops were continuing at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border. He also highlighted the need for modernisation, including drone capabilities, specialised training and improved infrastructure, to counter the People’s Liberation Army’s enhanced military capabilities.
The Ministry of External Affairs subsequently said the border situation gets disturbed periodically when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns. It added that both countries continue to use diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and prevent miscalculations.
The Congress leader said that the latest remarks have revived political debate over Rahul Gandhi’s earlier warnings about China’s activities. The government has disputed some of his assertions, with Rajnath Singh previously accusing him of misrepresenting the Army chief’s remarks on traditional patrolling patterns.
However, the ITBP chief’s latest disclosure concerned continuing face-offs and military preparedness; it did not establish that China had recently occupied additional Indian territory.
