We are still in dark about Ladakh crisis: Sonia Gandhi at all-party meet chaired by PM

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray are among some leaders who attended the meeting.

During her opening remarks at the meeting, Sonia Gandhi said: "We are still in the dark about various crucial aspects of this crisis."

In her statement, tweeted by the INC India official handle, Gandhi asked a few specific questions to the government: "On which date did the Chinese troops intrude into our territory in Ladakh? When did the government find out about the Chinese transgressions into our territory? Was it on May 5th, as reported, or earlier? Does the government not receive, on a regular basis, satellite pictures of the borders of our country?"

She also enquired if there was an intelligence failure about the movement of Chinese troopers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"Did our external intelligence agencies not report any unusual activity along the LAC? Did the Military Intelligence not alert the government about the intrusion and the build-up of massive forces along the LAC, whether on the Chinese side or on the Indian side? In the government's considered view, was there a failure of intelligence?" Gandhi further asked.

The Congress supremo also pointed out that her party believes that valuable time was lost between May 5 and June 6, the date on which Corps Commanders meeting took place.

Seeking the Centre's response, Gandhi said: "The question is, what's next? The entirecountry would like an assurance that status quo would be restored and China will revert back to the original position on Line of Actual Control."

"We in the Indian National Congress and the entire opposition unitedly stand by our defence forces and are prepared to make any sacrifice to ensure they are battle-ready," she added.

Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the two key political parties in the country, claimed that they were not invited to the all-party.

At the meeting this evening, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was supposed to brief the parties about the face-off at Ladakh followed by a statement from Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

PM Narendra Modi was expected to reiterate on his stand over the issue that his government is strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mamata Banerjee said her Trinamool Congress party stood strongly in solidarity with the government.

"We will not talk anything that gives a wrong message.  Queries also we will raise internally. We will not bow down our head to China. China is not a democracy. They are a dictatorship. We on the other hand have to work together. India will win, China will lose. Speak with unity. Think with unity. Work with unity," she said.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar pointed out that issues like whether the soldiers carried arms or not are decided by international agreements.

"We need to respect such sensitive matters," he said.

More than four decades after the last fatality occurred during a conflict at the India-China border, at least 20 Indian personnel were killed in the conflict with the Chinese military at the Galwan Valley, which is close to Aksai Chin, an area that is controlled by China but claimed by both the countries, in eastern Ladakh on Jun 15 night.

In a strong reaction to the violent standoff, PM Modi on Wednesday said his nation wants peace but can give a befitting reply, if instigated.