The Congress party has voiced significant concerns regarding the recent agreement between India and China on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. This announcement follows a prolonged standoff that has lasted over four years, and the party is demanding transparency and clarity from the government.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has posed critical questions about whether Indian troops will regain access to previously patrolled areas, particularly:

Will they be able to patrol up to the claim line in Depsang and access five points beyond the 'Bottleneck junction'?

Are Indian patrols permitted to visit three locations in Demchok that have been inaccessible for over four years?

Will restrictions remain at Finger 3 on the northern bank of Pangong Tso, where troops previously could reach Finger 8?.

Ramesh also questioned if Indian graziers would be allowed to return to traditional grazing areas such as Helmet Top and Gurung Hill, which have been affected by the ongoing tensions.

The Congress is seeking clarification on whether the 'buffer zones' conceded to China are now rescinded, particularly concerning significant sites like the memorial for Major Shaitan Singh at Rezang La.

The party emphasized that the government must take the public into confidence regarding these agreements, as there has been a lack of parliamentary discussion on this critical issue.

Ramesh characterized Prime Minister Modi's handling of the situation as an indictment of his "gullibility" regarding China, referencing past statements made by Modi during heightened tensions, which he claims undermined India's position.

India and China on Monday firmed up an agreement on patrolling by their militaries along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, in a major breakthrough to end the over four-year standoff.

The Congress leader also said that Parliament has been denied an opportunity to debate and discuss the country's collective resolve to address the border challenge, as had been the convention in the past.

"The Modi government's pusillanimous stance was underlined by the statement by the External Affairs Minister in response to a question about its approach to China's incursions: 'Look, they are the bigger economy. What am I going to do? As a smaller economy, I am going to pick up a fight with the bigger economy'?" he noted.

Ramesh said India's economic dependency on the "bigger economy" has increased under the shadow of Chinese aggression.

Chinese exports to India jumped from USD 70 billion in 2018-19 to a record USD 101 billion in 2023-24, even as Indian exports to China stagnated at USD 16 billion.

China is the top supplier to critical industrial sectors like electronics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles and India's MSMEs continue to suffer under the onslaught of cheap Chinese imports, he alleged.

The Congress party's statements come ahead of a scheduled bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit, underscoring the urgency for clarity on these matters as both nations seek to de-escalate tensions along their contested border.