Congress asks why PM did not name China in Red Fort speech

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday found fault with prime minster Narendra Modi for not naming China in his Independence Day speech today.

Speaking to reporters after Prime Minister Modi's address on India's 64th Independence Day, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said all Indians should ask the government what it was doing to push China back.

He said, “Each and every Congress worker and all 130 crore Indians are proud of our armed forces and have full faith in them. We salute the armed forces for giving China an apt reply every time there has been an attack. But what about those who are sitting in power? Why are they scared of mentioning China's name?"

In his speech from Red Fort, the Prime Minister said the India's armed forces deployed on the border with two countries have given a fitting reply to those who sought to challenge India’s sovereignty. However, he didn't name the  countries.

Congress president  Sonia Gandhi also released an Independence Day message.

She said, “It has been 60 days since Col. Santosh Babu and 20 soldiers were martyred. Our biggest tribute to their supreme sacrifice would be to end Chinese occupation of Indian territory."

In the last couple of weeks the Congress has been demanding that the central government come clean on the 'infiltration by the Chinese army’ in eastern Ladhakh.

The opposition party also criticised the government for its atmanirbhar slogan and questioned how it planned to achieve self-reliance after having decided to sell off 32 public sector undertakings including railways, airports, LIC and the Food Corporation of India.