The Opposition parties alleged on Thursday that the Centre pulled out a Defence Ministry document that admitted Chinese incursions into Indian territories from the Ministry's website.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacks the courage to name China. "Forget standing up to China, India’s PM lacks the courage even to name them. Denying China is in our territory and removing documents from websites won’t change the facts," he said in Twitter.

Later, while addressing his party's workers in Bihar through video conferencing, Gandhi paid tributes to personnel of the Bihar Regiment for their supreme sacrifice in the stand-off with Chinese forces in Laddakh. Gandhi said the situation at the border with China was worrisome and the integrity and security of the country was of prime concern to him. He reiterated that the territorial integrity of India and its foreign policy were above party and partisan politics.

Senior Congress spokesman Ajay Maken said the Defence Ministry document contradicted the Prime Minister's statement at the all-party meeting on the incursions. "The Defence Ministry document clearly says that the Chinese transgressed along the border in various places in Ladakh. This happened much before PM's statement. Why did the Prime Minister lie to the country?" Maken asked.

CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Modi misled the nation. "On June 19 (at the all-party meeting), PM categorically misled the nation. The Ministry of Defence puts out a document which then disappears! Whatever the PM and his government are trying to hide is very serious and the government must clearly tell the truth," Yechury said.

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