New Delhi, June 17: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for not naming China in his tweet while paying tributes to the 20 Indian Army soldiers, who attained martyrdom after violent clashes erupted with Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. Rahul Gandhi also raised questions to the Defence Minister over the handling of the entire situation. The Congress leader while replying to Singh’s tweet in which he called the loss of 20 Indian soldiers "deeply disturbing and painful", said that the defence minister had insulted the Indian Army by not naming China.

The scion of the Gandhi family also lashed out at the media for not asking questions from the government. Gandhi tweeted, “If it was so painful, Why insult Indian Army by not naming China in your tweet? Why take 2 days to condole? Why address rallies as soldiers were being martyred? Why hide and get the Army blamed by crony media? Why make paid-media blame Army instead of GOI?.” Indian Army Statement on Violent Face-Off With China in Ladakh: 20 Indian Soldiers Killed, India And Chinese Troops Have Disengaged at Galwan Valley.

Rahul Gandhi's Tweet:

Earlier in the day also, the Congress leader questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking on the India-China face-off. Attacking PM Modi over the incident, the Congress leader took to Twitter and wrote, "Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened. How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?"

Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi also demanded that PM Modi step forward and explain to the nation how China managed to grab Indian territory. She also said that the PM should tell why 20 soldiers had to sacrifice their lives for the nation. However, Sonia Gandhi added that her party stands with the Indian Army and Union government in the time of crisis.

Twenty Indian Army soldiers, including a commanding officer, were martyred during violent clashes which erupted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on the intervening night of June 15 and 16. According to reports, 45 soldiers of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China were killed or severely injured in the clashes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2020 08:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).