NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the disengagement of troops at the border in eastern Ladakh and used a tweet by him in 2013 during the UPA regime to ask him why Indian soldiers were withdrawn from their own land.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala sought to remind Modi of his own words and demanded answers from him on why Indian forces were withdrawing from their own soil.
"Respected Prime Minister, Do you remember your words? Do your words mean anything? Will you tell us why our forces are retracting from our land? The country seeks answers," he said on Twitter.
Modi had on May 13, 2013, when he was chief minister of Gujarat, said "China withdraws its forces but I wonder why Indian forces are withdrawing from Indian territory? Why did we retreat?" Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also retweeted Modi's post and asked, "I stand with Modiji on this. PM must answer his question."
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked the government why status quo ante was not insisted upon by New Delhi and why the territorial sovereignty of the Galwan Valley does not find mention in the government's statement.
"National interest is paramount. Government of India's duty is to protect it," he said on Twitter.
"Then, Why has Status Quo Ante not been insisted on? Why is China allowed to justify the murder of 20 unarmed jawans in our territory? Why is there no mention of the territorial sovereignty of Galwan valley?" he asked.
Gandhi shared the statements put out by the Indian and Chinese Foreign Ministries after the talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
He highlighted how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China in its statement made a mention of the Galwan Valley, but the Indian External Affairs Ministry did not do so.
The Congress has been attacking Modi ever since the bloody border stand-off with China which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last month.
Meanwhile, Chinese military removed temporary infrastructure and continued the gradual withdrawal of troops from face-off sites in Hot Springs and Gogra in eastern Ladakh for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, and the Indian Army is keeping a strict vigil on their rearward movement, government sources said.
Gogra and Hot Springs are among the key friction points where the two armies were in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation for the last eight weeks.