After reports of China building a bridge along the Indian frontier emerged, Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Centre of a "timid and docile" response. Rahul said in a tweet, "China builds 1st bridge on Pangong, GOI: We are monitoring the situation. China builds 2nd bridge on Pangong, GOI: We are monitoring the situation. India's national security & territorial integrity is non-negotiable. A timid & docile response won't do. PM must defend the nation." he said. The Congress has slammed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for saying that the Defence Ministry will reply to this. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday: "I have already said that the regular talks we have been having about LAC are ongoing.
Chinese Foreign Minister also came and we had talks with him. We conveyed to him our expectations. You may recall that our External Affairs Minister (EAM) also explained how the conversation took place and the issues that were discussed." Bagchi added that reports of a bridge is a military issue and he will not be able to comment on the matter. "And as we have said, we believe the entire area is occupied. Ministry of Defence will be able to tell you better the details and its implications. But if there is anything else to share, we will tell you," he said. "I think we have been pretty clear, and I think we will be saying the same thing repeatedly. We have had various rounds of conversations with the Chinese side, at different levels, diplomatic and military."
Bagchi said further, "As the EAM said, the frictions and tensions that arise from China's deployments since April 2020, cannot be reconciled with a normal relationship between two neighbours," He said that India will continue to engage with the Chinese side at diplomatic and military levels to ensure that the directions given by the two ministers are implemented fully. Media reports indicate a bridge built in the China-encroached region, but it is not yet clear if it is another bridge or an expansion of the existing bridge. "That, I think Ministry of Defence would be in better position to tell, and also its implications. But as I said, we monitor such developments and if there's any update on this, we will share with you," Bagchi said.