Sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain: Rajnath Singh

No force in the world can take away land from India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at a forward base in eastern Ladakh on Friday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Leh on Friday on a day-long visit to carry out a comprehensive review of the security scenario in the region in wake of the border row with China.

India is not a weak country, the Minister said. "We will not allow the sacrifice of our soldiers to go in vain,” he said in an oblique reference to the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel in Galwan Valley.

“National pride is our strength; nobody can hurt it,” Rajnath said. 

“Your bravery and sacrifice will always inspire us. : Rajnath Singh to troops at a forward post in eastern Ladakh. We are determined to protect every inch of our land,” he said: Rajnath at a forward post in eastern Ladakh.

On the military talks between India and China, he said talks were on and they should resolve issues, but there was no guarantee to what extent they would resolve issues.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army chief Gen M M Naravane are accompanying Singh on the visit.

His trip comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Ladakh on July 3, during which he also addressed troops and signalled the country’s firmness in dealing with the India-China border row.

Singh was originally scheduled to visit Ladakh on July 3 but the trip was deferred.

Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for over eight weeks since May 5.

The tension escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

However, following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a mutual disengagement process on July 6 and withdrew troops from most of the friction points.

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