In response to clarifications requested by MPs in Rajya Sabha on his statement on the border row, the minister said that skirmishes and clashes with China in recent months have been mainly on the issue of patrolling the Ladakh border.
“I want to make it clear, the skirmishes and clashes are due to this (patrol issue),” he said, adding that the patrol pattern is traditional and well defined.
Full coverage: India-China showdown
“No force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling. Our soldiers have sacrificed their lives just for this,” the minister said.
In his statement, Singh said that China tried to change the status quo throughout the LACQUER with his provocative military maneuvers at the end of last month and that there is a mismatch between what Beijing says and does.
The minister said that India wants a peaceful solution to the border problem, but that it will not shy away from any action necessary to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Praising the Indian troops, he said that the forces maintained ‘Sayyam’ (patience) and showed ‘Shaurya’ (courage) in the face of the PLA’s provocative actions.
Live updates: monsoon session of Parliament
The minister said that China continues to illegally occupy approximately 38,000 square kilometers of area in the Ladakh Union Territory. He added that it also claims approximately 90,000 square kilometers of Indian territory in the eastern sector of the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
“China continues to illegally occupy some 38,000 square kilometers in the Ladakh Union Territory. Furthermore, under the so-called ‘Boundary Agreement’ between China and Pakistan of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 square kilometers of Indian territory in Poland to China. It also claims approximately 90,000 square kilometers of Indian territory in the eastern sector of the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh, “he said.
Recalling the incident in the Galwan Valley, he said: “On June 15, Colonel Santosh Babu, together with his 19 brave soldiers, made the supreme sacrifice in the Galwan Valley for the defense of the territorial integrity of India. Our own Prime Minister went to Ladakh to boost the morale of the forces. ”
While the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks, Singh said that “the Chinese side again engaged in provocative military maneuvers on the night of August 29 and 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of the lake. Pangong “.
“But once again, the timely and firm actions of our armed forces throughout LAC prevented such attempts from being successful,” he said, adding that “Unki kathani aur karni alag hai (his actions are at odds with his words) .
.
