MEA rebuts Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over Galwan Valley, calls it ‘untenable’

 Rejecting China’s claim of sovereignty over the Galwan Valley, the site in Ladakh where the violent showdown took place, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a strong rebuttal and stated that attempts by Beijing to now advance “exaggerated and untenable claims” with regard to Line of Actual Control there are not acceptable.

“The position with regard to the Galwan Valley area has been historically clear…They are not in accordance with China’s own position in the past,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava. On Friday, China had said the Galwan valley was “located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control”, making an unprecedented formal claim on an area that has always been under India’s control. The Galwan Valley has not figured in China’s maps since 1962.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister Office issued a clarification regarding Narendra Modi’s concluding address at the all-party meeting. Stating that attempts are being made to give a “mischievous interpretation” to the PM’s remarks, the PMO clarified that the violent faceoff on June 15 happened because China was trying to erect structures “just across the Line of Actual Control (LAC)” and did not desist from such actions. The government clarification came amidst the criticism from the opposition, with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing the PM of having “surrendered” Indian territory to Chinese aggression. Last night, PM Modi had said, “Neither has anyone intruded into the Indian territory nor is anyone inside our territory now. None of our military posts has been captured by anyone.”