Rajnath Singh meets AK Antony and Sharad Pawar, briefs them on Ladakh border row with China

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reached out to his predecessors AK Antony and Sharad Pawar, ahead of the Parliament session, and briefed them on the latest situation on the India-China border. The two former defence ministers, who are also senior opposition leaders, were also given an Indian defence and national security perspective, and precautions taken, on the emerging situation in Afghanistan, especially the Taliban aggression, following the pullout of the US troops, it is learnt.

Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and General Manoj Naravane assisted Singh during the meeting in giving detailed formal briefings about the two high-sensitive national security matters to the two former defence ministers. All participants remained tight-lipped after the meeting. The meeting coincides with the concerns being raised that the Chinese troops were continuing aggressive patrolling along the Line of Actual Control, agitating and prompting the opposition, especially the Congress, to raise the matter and seek explanation from the government during the monsoon session of Parliament which begins on Monday.

There are indications that the government tried to reassure the two former defence ministers that the situation across the LoC and post-Galwan status quo were being maintained. Pawar and Antony are believed to have asked for some clarifications, which the two officers tried to answer.

While the government has demonstrated through the briefing its outreach to the opposition in an attempt to build bipartisan understanding on national security matters, inputs of briefing could temper and contribute to the opposition’s perspective on the border issues and its reflexes during the Parliament session.