June 19 'black day' in history as PM Modi lied about Chinese intrusion in Ladakh: Congress

New Delhi: Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "lied" to the nation about the Chinese transgressions in Ladakh on June 19, the Congress on Wednesday called that day (June 19) a "black day" in India's history.

The Congress also attacked the government for its statement that there has been no infiltration along the Sino-India border in the last six months and said that it is an insult to the brave Indian soldiers who were killed on the night of June 15 in Galwan valley of Ladakh.

Earlier in the day, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, MoS Nityanand Rai said that there was no infiltration along the Sino-Indian border in the last six months, while 47 infiltration bids were reported along the Indo-Pak border during the period.

The party further attacked the Modi government for taking loans to the tune of $750 million (Rs 5,521 crore) from the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to provide financial support the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), a scheme launched to help the poor hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when the armed forces were fighting China's People's Liberation Army in eastern Ladakh.

Addressing reporters outside the Parliament House complex, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera claimed that the Union ministers are speaking in different languages on the India-China border standoff.

"June 19 is a black day in the history of India because that was the first time that any Prime Minister lied to the nation. Not only did he give a clean chit to China that day, but also signed a loan agreement with the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to the tune of $750 million (Rs 5,521 crore)," he said.

"When the loan pact was signed, by then 20 of our brave soldiers had sacrificed their lives while protecting our borders in violent clashes with Chinese troops," Khera said adding that China is the largest shareholder in AIIB.

Earlier, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi too attacked the government on the issue.

"Understand the chronology: PM said no one has entered Indian territory, then took loans from China-based bank, then defence minister said China has intruded into our territory and now home minister says no infiltration along India-China border. Is the Modi government with Indian armed forces or with China? Why is there so much of fear?" he tweeted in Hindi.

Khera further told reporters that two "shocking revelations expose the lies, doublespeak, hoodwinking and hypocrisy" of the Modi government on the issue of ongoing border tensions with China on the eastern border in areas such as South Pangong, Razun La and the finger area.

He said that the government accepted in the House on Tuesday that India took two loans amounting to Rs 9,202 crore from the Beijing-based multilateral development bank.