New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi how much of India’s land had been occupied by the Chinese army and what he was doing to remove them from the Indian territory as it hit back at the government for dodging real questions with political brick-batting.

“We want to tell them that patriotism and nationalism is not the exclusive monopoly of the NDA-BJP and much less the law minister,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, responding to Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s attack on party leader Rahul Gandhi.

“Asking hard questions to the government is not unpatriotic, not replying to them is unpatriotic,” he said.

Mr. Tewari said former army generals and defense experts feared that around 40-60 square kilometers of Indian territory had been “illegally occupied” by China.

Mr. Tewari asked PM Modi who was responsible for it and whether he would fix any responsibility.

“We also want to ask the prime minister about the Chinese intrusion. How did the Chinese soldiers enter India?” Mr. Tewari asked at an online press conference.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged since May 5 following a violent clash in Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.