Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 17, 2022 commended the Indian Army for showing unmatched bravery during the Galwan Valley clash and the recent incident at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Mr. Singh asserted that India has no intention to capture the land of other countries, but will always be ready if anyone tries to cast an evil eye.
He was addressing the 95th Annual Convention of Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He said India aims to become a superpower which works for the welfare of the world.
While 20 soldiers were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15, 2020, several soldiers were injured in clashes with the PLA in Tawang’s Yangste on December 9.
Mr. Singh also took an indirect dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “doubting” the government’s handling of the border row with China.
“Any amount of praise is not enough for the armed forces for the way they displayed bravery and valour, be it in Galwan or Tawang...We have never questioned the intention of any leader in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics should be based on truth. Politics cannot be done on the basis of falsehood for a long time,” the minister said.
“The process of taking the society towards the right path is called ‘rajniti’ (politics). I do not understand the reason behind doubting anyone’s intention always,” he said.
Mr. Singh said India’s stature has increased significantly on the world stage under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
BJP president J.P Nadda accused Mr. Gandhi of speaking the language of China and Pakistan while the ruling party called for his expulsion from the Congress party.
“We are all proud of the army’s valour and bravery. This underlines the question marks about his patriotism. He had also questioned surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes. It is a reflection of his mental bankruptcy,” Mr. Nadda said in a video message.
While addressing a press conference on December 16 in Jaipur on the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” completing 100 days, Mr. Gandhi told reporters that he knew that he would not be asked any questions on China. “I knew before coming here that I will be asked questions on all and sundry but the press will not ask me questions on China, on those who have occupied 2000 sq km of our land, those who killed 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan, the ones who are beating our soldiers in Arunachal, I knew it,” Mr. Gandhi quipped while going on to add that China was preparing for war and the government was hiding and ignoring the threat.
“China’s threat is clear, I have been saying this for the past 2-3 years, Government is hiding the facts and ignoring it...they are preparing for offensive preparation in Ladakh and Arunachal, Indian government is sleeping, they do not want to listen, China is preparing for war. Government does events based work, not strategic planning,” Mr. Gandhi said on December 16.
Attacking Mr. Gandhi for insulting the army, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in Lok Sabha said that Mr. Gandhi was “damaging nation’s image.”
Sharing an old picture of Yangste where he is seen standing with uniformed soldiers, Mr. Rijiju said on Twitter, “Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh is fully secured now due to adequate deployment of the brave jawans of Indian Army.”
Published - December 17, 2022 12:19 pm IST
