At an all-party meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the leaders about the situation along the border with China and the steps being taken by the Government to defuse the tension.
In his concluding remarks, Modi said the martyred soldiers have taught a lesson to those who had their eyes on mother India. No one entered Indian territory nor were Indian posts taken over, he added. He said the Centre is committed to developing the infrastructure at the borders, and under his government, the capacity of the defence forces has been increased.
The Opposition said the meeting should have been held earlier when reports about China’s aggressive steps against India appeared in the press. They also asked the Centre to step up dialogue with the neighbouring country to defuse the situation. “This meeting, in my view, should have come sooner and immediately after the government had been reportedly informed about the Chinese intrusion on May 5 into several places in Ladakh and elsewhere. As always, the entire nation would have stood together like a rock and fully supported the government of the day in the steps required to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Alas, that was not to be,” said Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
‘People in the dark’
She said even at this late stage, people are in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis. “We have some specific questions for the Government: On which date did the Chinese troops intrude into our territory in Ladakh? When did the government find out about the Chinese transgressions into our territory? Was it on May 5, as reported, or earlier? Does the government not receive, on a regular basis, satellite pictures of the borders of our country? Did our external intelligence agencies not report any unusual activity along the LAC? Did the Military Intelligence not alert the government about the intrusion and the build-up of massive forces along the LAC, whether on the Chinese side or on the Indian side? In the government’s considered view, was there a failure of intelligence?” she asked.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked the Centre to initiate high-level talks, so that steps are taken, including clear demarcation of the LAC, to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.
NCP supremo and former Defence Minister Sharad Pawar said, “The PLA must be evacuated from the high ground in Galwan Valley on the Indian side. It would be advisable to strategise using diplomatic channels to defuse tension.”