Rahul Gandhi was speaking in Rajasthan's Dausa.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the government of downplaying the threat posed by China, saying Beijing was preparing for war but Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was "sleeping", days after a clash between troops of the two countries along the de facto border in Arunachal Pradesh.
"China is preparing for war, not for an incursion. See their pattern of weapons. They are preparing for war. Our government is not accepting it. The government of India is working on events, not on strategy," he said.
"China has taken our land. They are beating out soldiers. The threat of China Is clear. And the government is hiding it, ignoring it. China is preparing for an offensive in Ladakh and Arunachal. And the government of India is sleeping," Mr Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also attacked Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, saying his statements showed he needed to expand his knowledge on China.
He was speaking at a stopover during his pan-India foot march, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', in Rajasthan's Dausa with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot by his side.
The comments come days after the government said China had tried to "unilaterally change the status quo" on the de facto border known as Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh last week, triggering clashes that left troops on both sides injured, adding that the attempt had been successfully repulsed.
The incident is thought to be the most serious on the nuclear-armed Asian giants' disputed frontier since 2020 when 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers died in brawling in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.
China and India fought a full-scale war in 1962 over control of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims in its entirety and considers part of Tibet.
Hitting back at Mr Gandhi, the BJP accused him of trying to demoralise the military and took a swipe at his great-grandfather former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, "Rahul Gandhi has made comments about Indian security and border areas to spread confusion in the country and demoralise Indian soldiers. This is not the India of his great-grandfather Nehru, who lost 37,242 square km to China while sleeping."
He said Mr Gandhi should not make "irresponsible remarks about national security" in a bid to "re-launch" himself.