Rajnath Singh addressed parliament this afternoon on the confrontation between India and China.
New Delhi:
India takes sovereignty issues “very seriously” and the country is “prepared for all outcomes” to ensure that it remains, Union Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament today in what was seen as a strong warning to China.
“I met with my Chinese counterpart in Moscow recently and raised our concerns with him, but made it absolutely clear that India takes sovereignty issues very seriously,” Singh told parliament when it resumed after more than five months.
“I also made it clear that we want to resolve this issue peacefully and we want the Chinese side to work together with us. At the same time, we also made it clear that we will do everything possible to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added .
Foreign Minister S Jaishakar took a similar stance when meeting his counterpart in Moscow, Singh said. “However, I want to inform this august House and through it to the entire nation, that we are prepared for all results to ensure that the sovereignty of India is maintained,” he added.
The government statement comes amid repeated transgressions by Chinese troops in Lake Pangong and several other areas in Ladakh since April. On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty, the first time in more than four decades.
The border issue with China has yet to be resolved as China “does not recognize the current limit,” Singh said. The difference in perception has led to the clash on the Line of Royal Control, he said.
India, he said, has been following the usual line agreed in the 1960s. “But China does not agree with this now and says that both sides have different perspectives on this line,” he said.
The minister also said that China has “unilaterally violated the bilateral agreements signed in 1993 and 1996”, adding that Indian soldiers stopped these transgressions by showing “patience and resolve when required and courage and courage when required.”
The government, which has been under pressure from Congress to explain what the party called the “real situation” in Ladakh, said there will be no discussion on the matter given the “sensitivity” of the situation.
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