Considering the threats coming from China and also, considering the killings of jawans on Pakistani border, India needs, a full time Defence Minister, said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik in a letter e-mailed by him to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Naik’s strongly-worded letter, which was released here on Saturday, further said to the Prime Minister, “And your focus in celebrating GST tax regime and fool the people just as the government did during demonetization, will not help the nation.”
“Chinese threat is looming on Indo – China border, Indians have been denied permission to visit Kailash Mansarovar and, dangerous construction activities are going on Indo-China border. Chinese are reminding us of 1962 war in order to focus on the alleged failure of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s policies, just as BJP leaders are doing in India,” Mr. Naik’s letter said and added, “Unfortunately, BJP leaders in India and Chinese, appear to be on same page”.
Absence of a full time Defence Minister, with one bureaucrat, Mr. Ajit Doval, running the Defence Ministry, has further encouraged the Chinese to believe that India cannot do anything beyond empty rhetoric, Mr Naik says.
Mr. Naik, in his letter also blamed former Defence Minister and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for his public statements over Defence and appealed to the Prime Minister to refrain his former Defence Minister from playing into the hands of the enemy by making statements in Goa such as, “Defence Ministry was in shambles before I took over”.
“Situation , on both China and Pakistan borders, is going to worsen further if we do not have a full-fledged Defence Minister as, in case of any further encroachments on China border or increase in killings of our army jawans at the hands of Pakistanis, the present Defence Minister will have an easy excuse that he was extremely busy managing GST tax regime, but, nation will, undoubtedly suffer,” Mr Naik warned.
