Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi along with other members of a parliamentary panel today raised questions on media reports that China was ramping up its military presence in areas close to Doklam at a meeting where the MPs were briefed by top government officials.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was briefed by the top officials, including Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra, on the Sino-India boundary disputes and security, including in Doklam area.
Gandhi asked the officials about a recent media report showing satellite images of Chinese troop build-up near the standoff point on the Doklam plateau, a member who was present in the meeting said.
In his response, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that the Chinese Army is in its own territory and similarly the Indian forces are also present on the other side, the member said. Gandhi, who had the maximum number of queries during the panel's last meeting on the issue earlier this month, again raised various questions about the situation on the India- China border, he said.
The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam started on June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.
The meeting lasted for more than two hours in which a BJP MP also questioned the panel-chairman that how could the meeting be held when there was no quorum.
Out of the 30 members of the panel, only 12 were present at the meeting. The panel now will also invite experts to brief it on the issue of Sino-India relations.
The early part of next week looks set to continue the warm trendMET Office