The Congress party on Saturday criticised the government a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that Chinese troops did not intrude into Indian territory.

Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the prime minister's remarks have left everyone baffled and bewildered.

He said Modi's statement contradicts earlier comments made by Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Modi on Friday appeared to downplay the clash with Chinese troops which killed 20 Indian soldiers, saying, "Nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured."

Addressing a virtual press conference, Chidambaram said, "I wish to begin by reiterating what the Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday at the all-party meeting. She said that the Congress stands by our defence forces and are prepared to make any sacrifice to ensure they are battle ready."

Chidambaram said at the end of the meeting, the prime minister made his concluding remarks.

"These remarks have left practically everyone baffled and bewildered. The prime minister said that no outsider was inside Indian territory in Ladakh," the Congress leader said.

"If the prime minister's statement reflects the correct position, we would like to ask the government a few questions: If no Chinese troops had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and are in Indian territory, what was the face-off on May 5-6, 2020? Between May 5 and June 6, what was the issue on which local Indian commanders were talking to their Chinese counterparts? What was the subject matter of the negotiations between the Corps Commanders of the two countries on June 6?"

Referring to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in Ladakh's Galwan Valley by the Chinese People Liberation's Army (PLA) troops in an unprecedented attack on Monday night, Chidambaram said, "We would also like to ask, if no Chinese troops were inside Indian territory, where did the clashes take place on June 15-16? Where were 20 Indian soldiers killed and 85 injured?"

The Congress also described a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Saturday as a lame attempt to obfuscate the truth and belittle the gravity of the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The main opposition party dared the government to clearly state its position on Galwan valley and asked whether it was part of India.

The remarks soon after the PMO on Saturday said Modi was clear that India would respond firmly to any transgression attempts at the LAC.

The PMO statement said "attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation" to Modi's

Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said "the PMO's statement is clearly a lame attempt to obfuscate the truth."

Surjewala added that security experts, army generals and satellite imagery have confirmed not only one intrusion on June 15, but several and occupation of Indian territory in the Ladakh area.

Meanwhile India and China on Saturday each traded accusations that the other had violated their shared de facto border.

The Indian government blamed the Chinese side for seeking to erect structures "just across the Line of Actual Control," and refusing India's request to stop.

India will not allow any unilateral changes to the disputed border, the government said in a statement.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused Indian troops of a "deliberate provocation" in the tense Himalayan area.

In a series of tweets, Zhao said the Galwan Valley was on the Chinese side of the line and that Indians had since April unilaterally built roads, bridges and other facilities in the region.

The Indian troops "crossed the Line of Actual Control" and attacked Chinese officers and soldiers who were there for negotiation, triggering "fierce physical conflicts", Zhao said.

China has not released any casualty figures for its troops.

India's foreign ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava denied any violation of the Line of Actual Control by India, and said the claims by the Chinese side were "not acceptable".

"We do not accept the contention that India was unilaterally changing the status quo. On the contrary, we were maintaining it," Srivastava said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised China for escalating border tensions with India.

"The PLA (China's People's Liberation Army) has escalated border tensions - we see it today in India... and we watch as it militarises the South China Sea and illegally claims more territory there," Pompeo said at the virtual Copenhagen Democracy Summit.