Chinese troops didn’t enter Indian territory, no posts taken over: PM
NEW DELHI: While briefing the prominent political leaders about the killing of 20 soldiers in the Galwan Valley by Chinese troops that triggered a massive escalation in tension between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that no one entered Indian territory nor were Indian posts taken over.
At an all-party meeting, he said the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice taught a “lesson” to those who had dared to look towards India and that the army has been given “freedom” to take necessary steps.
Stating that India has “never accepted any external pressure”, PM said, “Whatever construction of infrastructure is necessary for national security, it will continue to be carried forward at a similar pace.”
“At the outset, prime minister clarified that neither is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured,” the government said in a statement, adding he assured the leaders that the armed forces are leaving no stone unturned to protect the country. The categorical statement by the prime minister came in the wake of reports that Chinese military has transgressed into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border, in several areas of eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley.
“While on the one hand, the army has been given freedom to take necessary steps, India has also conveyed its position clearly to China through diplomatic means,” he said, adding that India today has such capability that no one can even dare to look towards “an inch of our land”.
Modi said the entire country is hurt and angry at the steps taken by China at the LAC and underscored that India wants peace and friendship, but upholding sovereignty is “foremost”.
The nearly four-hour meeting through video conference was attended by top opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee and Sitaram Yechury among others. The government said the leaders of the political parties hailed the bravery displayed by the armed forces in Ladakh and reposed faith in the leadership of the prime minister in this hour of need. They expressed commitment to stand united with the government. In the meeting, Gandhi asked some tough questions to the government like whether there was any intelligence failure on the situation along the LAC, and sought an assurance from Modi that status quo ante would be restored at the border.
Reportedly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in reply said that ‘there was no intelligence failure’. He also said that the nation will never forget the sacrifice of the martyrs while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave an overview of agreements between India and China on border management, besides sharing details of recent developments.
The clash in Galwan Valley was the worst cross border confrontation between the two sides in 45 years. While India lost 20 soldiers, China’s People’s Liberation Army has not yet talked about the number of casualties it suffered. Pawar, a former defence minister said diplomatic channels should be used to defuse the tension, adding Chinese troops must be “evacuated” from the high ground in the Galwan valley.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said her party stands firmly behind the Union government in this hour of crisis and urged the Centre not to allow Chinese investments in strategically important infrastructure sectors.
Opposition parties like the RJD, AAP and AIMIM reacted angrily over not being invited to the meeting and raised questions over the criteria for the invitation.