Rahul Gandhi attacks government on Chinese incursions in Ladakh, Uttarakhand

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at the government over alleged Chinese incursions in Ladakh and Uttarakhand. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi using his 56-inch chest remark that he made at rallies in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. “China plus Pakistan plus ‘Mr 56 inch’ is equal to Increasing Chinese occupation of India’s land,” he said in a tweet in Hindi, while referring to Ladakh and Uttarakhand. Close to 100 soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Barahoti sector in Uttarakhand on August 30. The Chinese troops returned from the area after spending few hours, people familiar with the development had said. There was no official comment on the Chinese transgression. The incident came amid a continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in a number of areas in eastern Ladakh though both sides completed disengagement in two sensitive locations. The Chinese side has also significantly ramped up infrastructure development along the LAC in the sector. India has been maintaining a strict vigil along the nearly 3,500-km LAC following the eastern Ladakh standoff. The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry. In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector. Gandhi and his Congress party have been attacking the government over alleged Chinese incursions in Ladakh.