NEW DELHI: Congress on Friday accused the BJP of engaging in "diversionary tactics" on the issue of Chinese incursions and restoration of status quo ante goes.
"To suppress the facts, BJP President JP Nadda, Modi Government and their puppet allies in the media have unleashed a diabolical design of disinformation, distraction and diversion from the real issue of Chinese incursions and restoration of status quo ante, which is the solemn duty of the Modi Government," Surjewala said in a statement.
Surjewala further accused the union government of misleading the nation on the issue of Chinese transgressions.
"Unmistakable facts in the public domain are that the Chinese have committed grave transgressions in the Galwan Valley including at PP-14, where our 20 Jawans were martyred on June 15-16, 2020. In fact, the Chinese have reoccupied PP-14 and constructed tents and other structures," Surjewala said.
"Chinese forces have also transgressed between Finger 4 to Finger 8 in Pangong Tso Lake Areas and constructed a huge number of hostile structures and bunkers. The latest act of illegal Chinese incursion is in Depsang Plains where the Chinese have intruded 18 km across the LAC into our territory up to Y-junction, also known as "Bottleneck"," he added.
Further, Surjewala clarified on the union government's charge regarding the grant that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) received from the Embassy of China in 2005 and said that they were used for the purposes specified at the time of receiving the grant.
"BJP President and the Modi Government keep referring to a 2005 grant of Rs 1.45 crore received from Embassy of China to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation for the purpose (i) Disabled Persons Welfare Programme; and (ii) Research on Sino-India relationships," Surjewala said.
"This grant was used for the purposes specified. RGF accounts were duly audited and statutory returns were filed under Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) to the Government of India. This grant has been duly reflected in all filings to the income tax and the Home Ministry and no authority has ever found any wrongdoing of any nature," he added.
Surjewala attacked the union government by accusing it of failing to protect national security and territorial integrity of India "cannot be washed away in the cacophony of manufactured and desperate allegations vis-a-vis grants received by the RGF foundation which has been duly audited and reported both to the Income Tax as also to the Home Ministry."