Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not raising the Doklam issue during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of annual BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, the Congress on Friday questioned PM Modi’s silence over the matter.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala’s remarks came following claims made at a US Congressional Committee hearing that China had resumed its activities in Doklam area but neither Bhutan nor India tried to dissuade it. The claim was, however, denied by the Indian government.

“It is a direct challenge and threat to national security,” said Surjewala, adding: “As China is beefing up its military equipment and infrastructure in north and south Doklam, our Prime Minister chooses to remain silent on it.”

The Congress leader said: “When he goes to China on ‘agendaless’ visits, he forgets to raise the issue of Doklam.

The Congress leader said China, which does not have any diplomatic ties with Bhutan, visited the nation and discussed Doklam with Bhutan without involving India.

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“China talks to Bhutan on Doklam without taking India into confidence, but our Prime Minister remains silent. Even our Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) and External Affairs minister (Sushma Swaraj) visit China, but they don’t take up the issue of Doklam.”

He added, “We don’t know when will this government show its ’56-inch chest’ and ‘Red Eye’ and have the courage to raise national security concerns and border issues with China. We want to know this.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the 10th BRICS Summit agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the “momentum” generated by their recent meetings.

PM Modi met Xi for the third time in nearly three months after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June.

“It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required,” PM Modi had told Xi in his opening remarks.

(With agency inputs)