Published 15:38 IST, September 16th 2020
Mayawati backs Centre & Army amid LAC tensions, says 'Will give befitting reply to China'
Exuding confidence in the Centre amid the heightened tensions at LAC, BSP chief Mayawati has stated that her party stands with the govt and Army against China
Exuding confidence in the Centre amid the heightened tensions in Ladakh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has stated that the party stands with the government and the Indian Army against China. Taking to Twitter, the BSP chief highlighted that due to the ongoing dispute with China, tension at the LAC, and heavy deployment, it is natural to be worried. She added that BSP is confident that the Indian government will continue to give a 'befitting reply' to China, as expected of them.
"Curiosity and concern in the country about the ongoing conflict, tension, and deployment, etc. with the border dispute with China is natural, about which the government has made a statement in Parliament yesterday. The BSP is confident that the Indian government will continue to give a befitting reply to China as expected of the country. BSP stands with the Government and Army," Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.
Rajnath Singh makes a statement in Parliament
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.
LAC tensions between India and China
After the Galwan Valley clash where 20 Indian Army soldiers were martyred, on August 31, the MEA revealed that China once again engaged in provocative action even as the ground commanders of the two nations were trying to deescalate the situation. However, the Indian Army yet again foiled the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo.
On September 8, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times claimed that the Indian troops illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and 'outrageously fired warning shots' on Chinese border patrol soldiers who were about to negotiate. The Indian Army refuted all the claims by China and clarified that India is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC but China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate.
On September 10, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Both the leaders had then arrived at a five-point consensus to resolve the heightened border tensions at the LAC.
Updated 15:38 IST, September 16th 2020