Published 19:15 IST, September 16th 2020
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to brief Rajya Sabha on LAC on September 17
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to address the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, over the recent developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to address the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, over the recent developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China. The Defence Minister had earlier made his statement regarding the same in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Singh's address in the Rajya Sabha is expected to take place at around 11 AM.
The Opposition has sought clarification from the government on the Centre's stance against China. It has placed repeated requests for the Parliament to discuss the matter and has served a Zero Hour notice for the same. Moreover, the Congress had staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday as the Defence Minister addressed the House over the LAC dispute. On the third day of the ongoing Monsoon Session, Congress MP Anand Sharma gave a short duration discussion notice in the Rajya Sabha over the incursion of the Chinese Army across the LAC.
Rajnath Singh's statement in LS
Making a statement on the LAC situation in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh affirmed that the Armed Forces were capable of facing any challenge from China. While acknowledging that the situation at the LAC is very different both in terms of the scale of troops involve and the number of friction points, he reiterated India's commitment for a peaceful resolution of the dispute. Observing that the violent conduct of Chinese troops was a violation of all past agreements, he informed the MPs that India has done counter deployments in the area to safeguard the border.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh affirmed that India remains committed to resolving the disputes peacefully. Singh mentioned his recent meeting with China's Defence Minister in Moscow and stated that he has told his counterpart that India is determined to protect its 'sovereignty and territorial' integrity. The Raksha Mantri also highlighted that the Centre has, in the past few years, increased its border infrastructure to provide better logistical support to the armed forces.
'No infiltration along India-China border'
Minister of State for Home Affairs (MHA) Nityanand Rai on Wednesday in a written reply in Rajya Sabha said that "no infiltration" has been reported along the India-China border during last six months. He was replying to an Unstarred Question that read - 'whether it is a fact that the cases of infiltration from Pakistan and China has increased during the last six months' "Number of cases of attempted infiltration along India-Pakistan border during last 6 months are - Feb-0, March-4, April-24, May-8, June-0, Jul -1," MoS MHA Nityanand Rai said.
Updated 19:15 IST, September 16th 2020