"The Indian Army is a strong army and can defeat China. Rahul Gandhi do not indulge in politics regarding this...", appeals the father of a soldier injured in the recent violent face-off between Indian security forces and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
The video message that has gone viral on social media, comes within a day after Gandhi tweeted a video of the same man seen narrating a conversation with his son who recounted how he was injured in the clash with Chinese soldiers at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
"The Indian Army is a strong army and can defeat China. Rahul Gandhi do not indulge in politics in this...my son fought in the army and will continue fighting in the army. I pray to God that he gets better soon," the father is heard saying in a video message to the Congress leader.
The Wayanad MP had on Friday tweeted a news clip about the man narrating the details he got from his son. "It's sad to see senior GOI ministers reduced to lying in order to protect the PM. Don't insult our martyrs with your lies," Gandhi had written in his twitter post.
"I got a call from him (the son) suddenly. He said he was admitted at a hospital somewhere in Leh. He said that he was injured, but his condition is all right. He also said that we (Indian Army) were 300-400 in number while they (Chinese troops) numbered 2000-2500. We got surrounded, they had rods, sticks and they also pelted stones. We were empty-handed, and scuffle ensued. Somehow we were saved by God's grace, I have got 10-12 stitches on the head, apart from injuries on hands and legs. This much he told me over phone," the father, Balwant Singh, as per the news clip can be heard saying in this video.
20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the violent face-off on June 15-16 during an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh while many others have been injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday said that India has conveyed its position clearly to Beijing through diplomatic means and that the Army has been given the freedom to take necessary steps for protecting the territorial integrity of the country.
( With inputs from ANI )