Mischievous interpretation: PMO issues clarification over Modi's comments at all-party meet

New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Saturday called as "mischievous interpretation" the criticism over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at an all-party meeting that no one has entered Indian territory or captured any military post while referring to the Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh.

The PMO said, the PM specifically emphasized Indian forces now decisively counter any violations on LAC in contrast to the past neglect of such challenges.

PMO's clarification followed former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's accusation on prime minister Modi of surrendering Indian territory to China.

"PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression. If the land was Chinese: 1. Why were our soldiers killed? 2. Where were they killed?," Gandhi tweeted on Saturday, a day after the all party meet.

"The prime minister's observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control) pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces," a statement from PMO said.

The Congress as well as a number of strategic affairs experts raised questions over Modi's remarks asking if there was no transgression by the Chinese military in Galwan Valley then where did Indian soldiers die. They also wondered whether Modi gave a clean chit to China over the stand-off.

"The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day," the PMO said.

"The words of the prime minister 'those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil', succinctly summed up the ethos and the values of our armed forces," it said.

The PMO said Modi assured that India's armed forces will leave no stone unturned to protect the country's borders.

"Attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to remarks by the prime minister at the all-party meeting on Friday," it said.

The attack on Indian Army personnel by Chinese People's Liberation Army happened on June 15 night and it continued for almost six to seven hours.

On June 16, Indian Army stated that 20 of their men, including officers, were killed in an unprecedented violent clash with PLA troops at Galwan Valley.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)