Rahul slams government over 'China occupying land', U.S. tariff issue; BJP hits back

Rahul Gandhi accuses China of occupying Indian territory, BJP retaliates, praising PM Modi's leadership and slamming Congress.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (April 3, 2025) claimed that China had taken over 4,000 square kilometres of Indian territory and that reciprocal tariffs or import duties imposed by the U.S. would "completely devastate" the Indian economy, as he demanded answers from the government over these issues.

The BJP hit back at Mr. Gandhi over his remarks during the Zero Hour i3,2025)n the Lok Sabha, saying "not an inch of land" had been given to China under BJP rule and it was under Congress rule that China had occupied Indian territory.

The ruling party also said it is the country's good fortune that the PM of this country is Narendra Modi before whom the world bows.

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Mr. Gandhi slammed the government over the celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties by India and China.

"China is sitting on 4,000 square kilometre of our territory. I was shocked some time back to see that our foreign secretary (Vikram Misri) was cutting a cake with the Chinese ambassador. The question is — what exactly is happening to this territory of 4,000 sq km that China has taken?" the former Congress president said.

Referring to the Galwan incident, Mr. Gandhi said 20 jawans were martyred in 2020.

"There is a celebration taking place over their martyrdom by cutting a cake. We are not against normalcy but there should be status quo before that. We should get our land back. It has also come to my notice that the President and the Prime Minister have written to the Chinese," he said.