RAJNATH SINGH
ior-most minister also said that India can never forget the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai — Thursday marked the 12th anniversary of the terror attack — and assured the country that this won’t happen again. “With the changes that have taken place in national security in the country, I can assure citizens that India has now strengthened its internal and external security matrix to such an extent that another 26/11 on Indian soil is next to impossible.”
He also labelled Pakistan as a “nursery of terrorism”, held it responsible for Kargil, Mumbai, Uri, Pulwama, and claimed that India now effects a “360-degree response” which entails both actions within its border and, if necessary, action across the border to destroy terror locations, as evidence in the surgical and air strikes.
During the virtual session, the minister spoke the ground situation at LAC and state of talks with China; the defence modernisation efforts of the government, including the Make in India effort; emerging threats to national security including hybrid warfare; and the functioning of the office of the Chief of Defence Staff.
In the realm of domestic politics, while listing the merits of the farm bills pushed by the government, he invited agitating farmers and said that as someone who came from a farmer’s family, he would be willing to meet the farmers, at a location of their choice, to address their concerns. He also countered the perception that authority was centralised in the Prime Minister’s Office in the NDA government and expressed the government’s commitment to democratic values and institutions. On the elections in West Bengal — scheduled for next year — Singh expressed confidence that not only would the BJP win a majority, the possibility of it winning two-thirds majority could not be ruled out.
On the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, the defence minister said, “Like Pakistan, we have another neighbour which raises disputes over the border regularly.” He said India wants a resolution through dialogue and peaceful means, but added, “I want to assure the country that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there will be no compromise on India’s border, self-respect.”
When asked about the exact ground situation at LAC, he said,
“Both PLA is mobilised and here, our army is also mobilised. The process of talks at both the corps commander and diplomatic level is ongoing. Let us see what results emerge. But I want to say that the bravery and courage shown by our armed forces has made us all proud.” He said that this was not merely specific to what happened in Galwan, but citing sensitivities, did not elaborate on the other steps taken by the forces. On the stalemate in talks, and whether he was now in a position to give a guarantee that it would lead to a resolution, the minister said, “Talks are on. I can’t give any guarantee on the outcome...Talks have happened and will continue in the future. China has also said that there will be next round of talks. But the dates have not been finalised yet.” The ninth round of military talks haven’t been announced yet.
On Chinese motivations for its aggression at LAC, he said, “I don’t want to say anything because talks are on, but no country in the world should be expansionist. We should stay within our borders and focus on the country’s development. This is India’s thinking.” When asked, in the backdrop of increased tensions on the LoC, whether there is concern about a two front situation, the minister said, “Pakistan wants to keep the LoC hot. This is not the first time. It has been hot for a long time. If there is any incident, we will respond — and we have been responding...If there is a need, we now also cross the LoC to respond.”
Given his statements on India’s robust response to both Pakistan and China, the defence minister was asked if India is evolving a new national security doctrine of “offensive defence” and a willingness to be aggressive for its security. He said, “India has never been aggressive. We don’t war. But I believe that to prevent wars, we should always be ready for war. We want peace. Indian history shows that India has never attacked another country nor has it taken an inch of another’s country territory. India is peaceloving and we have always sent a message that the whole world is a family. But I want to reiterate — we don’t want war, but we are prepared for war so that there is no war. I also want to reiterate that no country can take an inch of Indian territory.”
Responding to the contradiction between India’s objective — of becoming self reliant, including in defence — and the reality of dependence for even basic items, Singh said, “The PM has given a vision for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. From this perspective, many steps have been taken in defence. For instance, a negative list of 101 items has been outlined. I am not saying that from today itself, we won’t import what we need to import. But between 2020 and 2024, in these four years, we will create a situation where we don’t have to import these 101 items from any other country...We have taken effective steps to become self reliant.”
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “We are in full support of the government on the border tension with China. But while Rajnath Singh is talking about not allowing China to grab land, the reality is China has already occupied India’s land illegally. I would therefore request the defence minister to act now and recover our land.”
Former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd) said: “The defence minister’s comments are important as they signify India’s resolve to defend its territorial integrity at any cost.” “It is also a strong message to China not to resort to any misadventure in the Ladakh sector,” he added.