‘Deny, distract, lie, justify’: Congress attacks BJP after Supreme Court raps Rahul Gandhi for China land grabbing claims

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday criticised the Centre’s handling of the border situation with China, accusing the Modi government of following a "DDLJ" approach — "Deny, Distract, Lie, and Justify".

His post came after the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his claims of China grabbing over 2,000 kms of Indian land during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ramesh raised a series of questions, alleging that the government’s approach is aimed at evading accountability and avoiding scrutiny.

 

"Ever since 20 brave soldiers were martyred in Galwan on 15 June 2020, every patriotic Indian has sought answers to the following questions. Yet instead of providing answers, the Modi government for the past five years has chosen to obfuscate and hide the truth with its policy of DDLJ - Deny, Distract, Lie, and Justify," he wrote.

 

 

 

 

 

Jairam Ramesh highlighted contradictions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2020 'denial' of intrusion and later actions on Ladakh.

 

He questioned whether the withdrawal agreement signed on 21 October 2024 truly restored the status quo of April 2020, as stated by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. He also sought clarity on whether Indian patrols now require Chinese concurrence to access patrolling points that were earlier freely accessible under India’s territorial rights.

 

Ramesh cited 2020 reports that claimed around 1,000 square kilometres of land in eastern Ladakh, including 900 square kilometres in Depsang, had come under Chinese control, and demanded accountability from the government.

 

Previously, the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant while staying defamation proceedings against Gandhi.

 

"You are the Leader of the Opposition. Say things in Parliament, why do you have to say it on social media?" the court asked. It further questioned, "How do you get to know that 2000 sq km land was occupied by the Chinese? If you are a true Indian, you wouldn't say such a thing."

 

Gandhi’s original remarks were made during a press conference ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan in 2022.

 

“People will ask about Bharat Jodo Yatra, here and there, Ashok Gahlot and Sachin Pilot and whatnot. But they will not ask a single question about China capturing 2000 square kilometres of Indian territory, killing 20 Indian soldiers and thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. But the Indian press doesn’t ask a question to them about this. Isn’t it true? The nation is watching all this. Don’t pretend that people don’t know,” he had said.