New Delhi, June 19: Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi on Friday continued to criticise Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar for referring to the protocol on the question of the Indian soldiers being "unarmed" during the face-off with the Chinese in the Galwan valley of Ladakh. Rahul Gandhi shared a video of the father of a soldier who along with other Indian soldiers was injured during the face-off with Chinese forces. Chinese Attack in Galwan Valley Pre-Planned, Govt Was Fast Asleep, Says Rahul Gandhi.

In the video, the father, identified as Balwant Singh, can be heard saying that his wounded son informed him that "Indian soldiers had nothing" during the face-off with Chinese forces in Ladakh. "We were 300-400 and they were 2000-2500 in numbers. They suddenly attacked and surrounded us. They had rods and sticks. They pelted stone. We had nothing. We had to escape," Singh can be heard quoting his soldier son as saying.

Rahul Gandhi Accuses Jaishankar of Lying on Galwan Face-Off:

Sharing the video, Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "It’s sad to see senior GOI ministers reduced to lying in order to protect the PM. Don’t insult our martyrs with your lies." The war of words started on Thursday when Rahul Gandhi tweeted a video of a national newspaper, asking why Indian soldiers were "unarmed" during the face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night. "How dare China kill our UNARMED soldiers? Why were our soldiers sent UNARMED to martyrdom?" Gandhi had commented, evoking massive response on Twitter.

In an unusual reaction, Jaishankar, who generally stays away from political squabbles on social media, rebutted Rahul Gandhi on Twitter over the issue. "Let us get the facts straight," Jaishankar tweeted, saying, "All troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post." "Those at Galwan on 15 June did so. Long-standing practice (as per 1996 & 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs," he wrote.

Many had also questioned Jaishankar why the Foreign Minister, and not Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was issuing a statement on matters related to military protocol and standoff. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala rebutted Jaishankar's claim and shared a video of Indian and Chinese troops faceoff. "Let us not muddle facts, S Jaishankar. Please see the video on social media and tell why no firearms are being carried," Surjewala shot back.

"And stop quoting Agreement on Border Management to justify sending soldiers unarmed in tactical military situation with lives at stake," the Congress leader added. Hitting out at Jaishankar, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "No protocol can stand in the way of 'self defence' if our soldiers are attacked." He said, "On the LAC an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth and no protocol can prevent soldiers from carrying arms for protection. "Neither 1996 nor 2005 CBM's prevent our soldiers from carrying weapons," Sibal added in the tweet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2020 04:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).