New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated his claims about China "invading" Indian territory in Ladakh. The Congress leader termed the matter of China including Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as a part of its territory in its latest edition of the 'Standard Map" as a "serious issue".


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Speaking to the media ahead at the Delhi Airport, Gandhi said, "I have been saying this for many years... What the prime minister has said, I have just returned from Ladakh... What the prime minister has said...That not an inch of land has been invaded..it is totally false". The Congress leader claimed that all the people of Ladakh know that China has "intruded upon" Indian land.


 



 


Answering a question from news agency ANI on China incorporating Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in its new map, Rahul Gandhi said," The question of the map is a very serious one. But they (China) have captured our land. The prime minister should also speak on this issue".


The former Congress president was on his way to Mysuru in Karnataka where he along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the launch event of the State Government's Gruha Lakshmi scheme.  This scheme will be rolled out at a public function in Mysuru in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramiah and senior leaders of the party. 


Under the scheme, one among five poll promises made by Congress during its election campaign, the state government will provide Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of the BPL family.


China on Monday released the 2023 edition of its “standard map,” which shows the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as part of its territory. Earlier this month, during his visit to Ladakh, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre, saying that its claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China's People Liberation Army (PLA) troops "is not true".


The Congress MP claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, adding that it was a matter of concern. "The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here," Rahul had said. 


However, India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China over the map issue and said such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question. "We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 'standard map' of China that lays claim to India's territory," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.


"We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question," he added.


Later, speaking to a private TV news channel, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar rejected China's so-called "standard map" that laid claim over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as regions within its borders. The EAM said Beijing had even put out such maps in the past claiming territories that are not theirs and that it is "an old habit" of China.


"Just making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours. Let's be very clear on that," he added.