New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi folds his hands in solidarity for the sacrifices of soldiers along the border with China, during an interaction with chief ministers and representatives of 14 states and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on COVID-19 preparedness via video conferencing, in New Delhi, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. (PIB/PTI Photo)
India-China Border Face-off Latest News Live Updates: The all-party meeting, convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the tense situation on the border with China, is presently underway. Presidents of various political parties are taking part in this virtual meeting.
The Congress—the main Opposition party—has been ratcheting up the pressure on the present dispensation, with former party president Rahul Gandhi stating that the Chinese attack in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh was “pre-planned” and the government was “fast asleep” while “our martyred jawans” paid the price. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had spoken with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday morning. Sources told the Indian Express that Azad extended the Congress’ support and cooperation to the government and suggested to Singh that the government should brief the Opposition.
In a major development from the ground zero, the Chinese army on Thursday evening returned from its custody 10 Indian soldiers, including four officers, involved in Monday’s violent showdown in the Galwan Valley. The soldiers were returned on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following hectic negotiations between the two sides, including three rounds of talks at the Major General level. This was the first time after the 1962 Sino-India War that Indian soldiers were taken into custody by the Chinese side.
In the worst flare-up on the LAC in more than five decades, 20 Indian Army personnel, including the commanding officer of 16 Bihar, were killed Monday night in the Galwan valley where disengagement of troops on either side was underway. This is the first time in the last 45 years that Indian or Chinese troops have been killed on the LAC.
Indian army soldiers rest next to artillery guns at a makeshift transit camp before heading to Ladakh, near Baltal, southeast of Srinagar. (Reuters)
The all-party meeting, convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the tense situation on the border with China, is presently underway. The meeting has been called upon to build much-needed domestic political consensus on the explosive situation.
#WATCH All-party virtual meeting chaired by PM Modi to discuss India-China border situation, underway at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg; 20 parties attend the meeting.#Delhi pic.twitter.com/pOU5uEmgVj
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2020
Paying homage to the fallen soldiers in the Galwan valley, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga tweeted that his state stands with the nation in this time of uncalled crisis. He is presently attending an all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the tense border situation with China.
An all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation along the India-China border is currently underway. Presidents of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, TMC, AIADMK, DMK, TRS, JD(U), BJD, LJP, BSP, SP, Shiv Sena and NCP among others, are taking part in this virtual meeting. PTI
Appreciating PM Modi's decision to call for an all-party meeting, former prime minister H D Devegowda and JD(S) chief has listed a couple of suggestions.
The AAP has not been invited to an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the border conflict with China, two senior party leaders claimed on Friday. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the party has a government in Delhi and in Punjab, it is the main opposition party, but still the BJP does not want its opinion on such an important matter. "The BJP government at the Centre should take everyone along on a serious issue like national security. It is unfortunate for democracy that a three-time chief minister has not called for suggestions on an important subject," Singh told reporters. Singh further said the sacrifice of Indian soldiers should not go in vain. "The government must avenge the martyrdom of our soldiers. "The government should immediately take back the land that China has acquired from India," he said. "Not giving the country correct information on the border dispute is a big betrayal with the country. "Why did the central government hide information from the country, the central government will have to answer," he said.
The RJD took exception to not being invited to the all-party meeting, saying the "largest" party in Bihar was ignored. Tejashwi Yadav, leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly, expressed dismay that his party was ignored despite having five members in Parliament and being "the largest in Bihar". "We want (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh ji to clarify why RJD has not been invited," Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency PTI in Patna. Manoj Jha, RJD's national spokesman and a Rajya Sabha member, tweeted that "the untenable logic of FIVE MEMBERS gets exposed" and cited the examples of Telugu Desam Party, Apna Dal, Shiromani Akali Dal, CPI and National Conference which have been invited to the all-party meeting despite having fewer number of MPs than the RJD. "There is more to it than what meets the eye," added Jha, whose party has been staunchly opposed to BJP ever since its foundation three decades ago. Misa Bharti, Lalu Prasad's eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member, shared a tweet "jo sawaal daagenge, sahib usse bhaagenge (those in power try to avoid those who pose questions)".
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today paid floral tributes to three Indian army personnel, who died fighting the Chinese in Galwan Valley. The mortal remains of sepoys Gurbinder Singh (Sangrur), Gurtej Singh (Mansa) and sepoy Ankush Thakur (Hamirpur, HP) were brought to the Chandigarh Air Force station from Leh and will be taken by road to their native places in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh later. "Laying a wreath on the mortal remains of Sepoys Gurbinder Singh from Sangrur, Gurtej Singh from Mansa & Ankush from Hamirpur, HP at Chandigarh. Salute their supreme sacrifice at this young age. The nation is forever indebted. Jai Hind!" Singh tweeted. "The bodies were brought from Leh to Chandigarh. We paid our tributes. The mortal remains of two soldiers from Punjab and one from Himachal Pradesh will be taken to their native places," Singh told reporters while coming out from the Air Force station.
Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Thursday demanded accountability for the loss of lives in the clash, and said the whole nation was expecting a befitting response from the government to this horrific attack on its men. “Our soldiers at the front should be clearly told that if they kill one of ours, you kill three of theirs,” said Amarinder in a statement issued Thursday. Calling for an end to the ‘Hindi-Cheeni bhai bhai’ charade, the Chief Minister said India should not chicken out on this issue. “If China is a world power, then so are we,” he declared, adding that “60 years of diplomacy has not worked and it is time to tell them that enough is enough.”
Former chiefs and top commanders of the Indian defence forces have highlighted the importance of resolving the current situation along the LAC with China through diplomatic channels while maintaining a strong posture. Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), former Chief of Naval Staff, said, “Any dispute of this nature has two solutions — one diplomatic and the other military. The recent diplomatic efforts go back to the 1993 Peace & Tranquility Agreement and the Border Cooperation Agreement of 2013. Our heads of government have met on numerous occasions. There have also been 22 meetings of Special Representatives. But no solutions have emerged. One wonders if our politicians and diplomats have not considered the issue of LAC urgent enough for early settlement or tried hard enough to find a solution. Having a boundary which is not fixed, not marked, not agreed upon, with a powerful country like China is a very unhealthy situation. When diplomatic solutions don’t succeed, armed forces have to be called in. In this case, it is unlikely that we can force a military solution on China; due to the huge asymmetry between our two countries: economic, military, technological and in many other fields. While we can certainly give them a ‘bloody nose’ in select locations, such military responses can potentially snowball into an all-out war. So, the question to ask ourselves with all honesty is — are we prepared for a war and can we (or even China) afford one? We will be fighting, not just China, because they also have a friend and ally in Pakistan, who will be keen to open a second front of war.”
General Bikram Singh (retd), the former Army chief who had pushed for raising a Mountain Strike Corps with the capability of striking at the enemy across mountains, notably along LAC, on Thursday said that given the statements emanating from Beijing and PLA headquarters, it is apparent that China has dug in its heels and is not inclined to disengage. “Military-level talks at various levels are unlikely to yield any perceptible results. An amicable resolution is now possible only through diplomatic and political channels. However, such initiatives should not lull us into complacency. At the military level, we should be prepared to use force to evict the PLA from the intrusion areas and effectively deal with the escalation, which is bound to occur.’’
The mortal remains of slain Army jawan Sunil Kumar were brought to his residence in Patna on June 18. Hawaldar Sunil Kumar was among the 20 personnel who lost his life in the violent face-off with China in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.
While one can understand the outrage that Indians feel when they hear about the brutal deaths of their soldiers, turning a border or defence dispute into a trade one is an ill-advised move. There are several reasons.
1. Trade deficits are not necessarily bad: One of the main reasons why banning trade has been the first reaction is the notion that having a trade deficit is somehow a “bad” thing. The fact is altogether different. Trade deficits/surpluses are just accounting exercises and having a trade deficit against a country doesn’t make the domestic economy weaker or worse off.
2. Will hurt the Indian poor the most: More often than not, the poorest consumers are the worst-hit in a trade ban of this kind because they are the most price-sensitive. For instance, if Chinese ACs were replaced by either costlier Japanese ACs or less efficient Indian ones, richer Indians may still survive this ban — by buying the costlier option — but a number of poor, who could have otherwise afforded an AC, would either have to forgo buying one because it is now too costly (say a Japanese or European firm) or suffer (as a consumer) by buying a less efficient Indian one.
3. Will punish Indian producers and exporters: Some may argue that trading with China hurts many Indian producers. This is true, but it is also true that trading hurts only the less efficient Indian producers while helping the more efficient Indian producers and businesses.
4. Will barely hurt China: The trouble is this is a near-impossible task not just because of China’s centrality in global trade and global value chains but also because even teams of bureaucrats will find it tough to map Chinese involvement in all our trade on a real-time basis. On the whole, it is much easier for China to replace India than for India to replace China.
Former army commander Arun Sahni writes: "The India-China LAC in Ladakh is an outcome of the territory illegally retained by China after the 1962 conflict. The Chinese occupation of parts of Aksai Chin is not supported by historical or legal documents. China’s aspiration to be a global power has renewed its interest in the region. To this end, it is in the relentless pursuit for secure access to the warm-water port of Gwadar in Pakistan. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor is an important element of the BRI." He adds: "The nation should speak in unison, reflecting our resolve and support for a befitting response to China. The handling of this ugly turn of events will signal the future tenor of India-China relations."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today launched a fresh tirade against the government over the Galwan clashes."It’s now crystal clear that: 1. The Chinese attack in Galwan was pre-planned. 2. GOI was fast asleep and denied the problem. 3. The price was paid by our martyred Jawans," he tweeted.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has not been invited to the all-party meeting, two senior party leaders claimed on Friday. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the party has a government in Delhi and in Punjab, it is the main opposition party, but still the BJP does not want its opinion. "A strange ego-ridden government is running at the Centre. The Aam Aadmi Party has a government in Delhi. Punjab has a main opposition party. There are four MPs all over the country, but still the BJP does not want its opinion on such an important matter. What will the prime minister say in the meeting, the whole country is waiting for it," Singh tweeted. AAP leader and Delhi minister Gopal Rai said it is unfortunate that the AAP was not invited. "Instead of taking all the parties together, the BJP is using mathematical formulas to ascertain who should be invited and who should not be. It is unfortunate," he said.
Some of the top political leaders from opposition parties were surprised on Thursday when they got a call from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, inviting them for the Prime Minister-convened all-party meeting on Friday and seeking their cooperation. Singh is number two in the Cabinet, and a call from him signals the seriousness the government attaches to the meeting. The government had come under criticism from some opposition parties, particularly the Congress, for not keeping them informed about the ground situation in Ladakh. Heads of almost all political parties, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, are likely to attend Friday’s meeting. But there were some curious omissions. The Aam Aadmi Party did not get an invite, leaving it furious. The RJD also did not get the invitation. Its president Lalu Prasad is in jail.
The BJD has nominated its leader in the Lok Sabha Pinaki Misra to represent it in the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation along the India-China border today. In a letter written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik said Misra, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha will represent it.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will attend the all-party meeting on the India-China border dispute convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. At a press conference on Thursday, Banerjee said: “We completely support the decision to call for an all-party meeting. Technically, it is a correct decision.” At Wednesday’s press conference, Banerjee had said: “AITC does not speak about foreign affairs matters because we are always with the country. Let the Centre decide how they want to deal with the situation in LAC.”
Amid the Indo-China border standoff, the Ram Mandir trust has put on hold its plan to begin the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. In an official communique, the trust said that the situation at the India-China border is "serious" and defending the country is "most important". "The decision to begin construction (of temple) will be taken according to the situation in the country and will be announced officially," Anil Mishra, member of the trust told news agency PTI. The trust also paid tributes to the soldiers.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's aide Sudheendra Kulkarni writes: Can India ever drive China out of Aksai Chin (or Pakistan out of PoK)? And can China ever do the same to India in Arunachal Pradesh? This being the case, can a “no compromise” stance by either India or China guarantee tranquillity, much less comprehensive cooperation, between the world’s two largest civilisational-nations? For Modi, the choice is stark. Will he repeat Nehru’s blunder, risk an unwinnable war with China, and end his premiership without solving the India-China boundary dispute? Or will he, without worrying about the “political marketplace”, and without relying on Trump or his successor to come to India’s aid, show the courage to swing the public opinion in favour of a compromise-dependent transformation of the LAC into a BAC (Boundary of Assured Control)?