Scared Mr 56 unpardonably compromised national security: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Since the Union government does not have a strategy on China, India's national security is "unpardonably compromised", former Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday, PTI reported.

He also tweeted, "Mr 56 is scared", taking a dig atPrime Minister Narendra Modi with the '56-inch chest' reference. He went on to say that his thoughts are with the soldiers who are risking their lives at borders while government churns out lies.

He cited a news report where the External Affairs Ministry and Chief of Defence Staff had a different take on the China border issue. On Thursday, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said that claims of the Chinese coming into Indian Territory and building a new village is not true, and the villages were well within the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

He further asserted that China had not transgressed the LAC. But reacting to a US report stating otherwise, External Affairs Ministry has said India has neither accepted China's illegal occupation of its territory nor any unjustified Chinese claims.

Congress leader P Chidambaram said it is time the Defence Minister drew a line in his ministry and asked CDS to remain within his side of the LAC. He pointed that Defence Ministry and CDS are making contrasting statements, and the Chinese are laughing "all the way from Plenum to the Congress of the Communist Party".

India and China again failed to reach an agreement or resolve the 18-month standoff in the remaining problematic points in eastern Ladakh during the 13th round talk last month. Each side has deployed around 50 to 60 thousand troops along LAC in the sensitive area.