New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asserted that India is no less than its neighbour in development at the Arunachal Pradesh border and the country will give a befitting reply in every situation.
This comment comes as India recently responded to the Pentagon report which had stated that “Sometime in 2020, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) built a large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory between the PRC’s Tibet Autonomous Region and India’s Arunachal Pradesh state in the eastern sector of the LAC”.
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Speaking on the occasion of Silver Jubilee celebrations of the All India Ex-Servicemen Services Council at Telibagh in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, the Defence Minister said, “People are talking about the development of a village at Arunachal Pradesh border. I don’t want to discuss it here but what we are doing at borders, I have personally visited and seen it. I want to congratulate our officers of defence services that we are no less than anyone. Whatever be the situation, we will give a reply. We are clear with our policy on national security”, news agency ANI reported.
The Union Defence Minister also stated that Pakistan will now have to sever its ties with terrorism.
“Pakistan, that lost the 1971 war and 1999 Kargil War, will now have to sever its ties with terrorism. As the Defence Minister, I tell you that they have made an announcement that they don’t shelter terrorism anymore,” he added.
Without directly naming China in his speech, Rajnath Singh said that India has one more neighbour and there is no need to name it.
“We have one more neighbour. You know it very well, no need to take its name. It has made up its mind to practice arbitrariness with everyone. Many nations didn’t oppose it as they should have. Earlier our situation was the same. But the situation has changed after 2014. Earlier, India also didn’t protest the action of our ‘neighbour’ but after 2014 things have changed. I was personally involved with the developments and planning at the borders along with the heads of three defence services. I feel proud to share that our soldiers have delivered a loud and clear message to our neighbour,” he stated, as quoted by ANI.
Rajnath Singh expressed that he gets disturbed when people raise doubts on the Galwan faceoff or Balakot strike on Twitter and give statements in the media: “I’m sad that some political parties attempt to question the valour of our jawans. They take the name of the leadership but politicians don’t fight at borders, the jawans do”.
“India and Pakistan cannot be compared and we have made it clear in 1971 war to the international community. Today, India is counted among prominent nations and we have gained the position,” he added.
Stressing India’s capability to fight terrorism, he further pointed that “people used to stay only America and Israel can fight against terrorism but after surgical strikes, India has given befitting reply to terrorism and proved its capabilities”.
“We have seen a significant change in the way the international community used to look at India. We are a peace-loving country but if anyone tries to touch us then we won't leave him,” Rajnath Singh asserted.
The Union Defence Minister spoke about giving necessary space for defence forces to take decisions, as he said: “I want to keep it clear that whatever be the situation, irrespective of the result, we will never tie hands of our defence forces. They have to make a decision, we will always stand by them and in case their decision goes wrong, then also we will stand with our soldiers. A nation cannot be protected by tying hands of defence forces”.
“People read history. But every Indian soldier, who participated in the 1971 war, created history. We are proud of all our soldiers,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat had also reacted to the report of China building a village in Arunachal Pradesh, saying that it is “not true”.
“The present controversy - that has erupted - that the Chinese have come across into our territory and built a new village is not true,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
“They are building this infrastructure, this kind of so-called villages, which are well within their side of the LAC. They have not transgressed anywhere on our perception of the LAC,” he added.
(With Agency Inputs)