“The fact is China is occupying our territory. It is an acknowledged fact,” Gandhi, who belongs to the opposition Congress party, said in a speech to the National Press Club as part of a visit to Washington.

“This is completely unacceptable. The Prime Minister seems to believe otherwise.

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr Gandhi’s trip was preceded by several weeks of Mr Modi’s visit to the United States, scheduled for the end of the month.

China and India have been difficult neighbors for decades, following a war over their disputed Himalayan border in the early 1960s.

After deadly 2020 border clashes that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers, China ratcheted up tensions this year by renaming 11 areas in India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls South Tibet and which claims as its territory. India has rejected and denied the claim.

Separately, Gandhi blamed Modi for India’s religious polarization, saying Mr Modi’s Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not inclusive.

“They generate a certain amount of hatred in society, they polarize society and are not inclusive. They do not embrace everyone and divide society,” Gandhi said.

The BJP denies these accusations and says its policies are aimed at the welfare and development of all Indians.

Gandhi also accused the BJP of “taking over institutions” and “taking over the press” in India. Since Modi came to power in 2014, India has fallen from 140th in the world press freedom index, set annually by the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders, to 161st this year, its lowest ranking ever.

The BJP denies any institutional compromise and says its government respects the rule of law.

(This article has been edited to correct the grammar of paragraphs 2 and 3)