Tawang clash: Show the world India is one, Shashi Tharoor suggests Rajnath Singh

India-China clash in Tawang: China has its eyes on Tawang and India has to be very careful, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday.

On December 9, hundreds of Chinese troops tried to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. They unilaterally tried to change the status quo but they were pushed back by the Indian forces.
 
Speaking on the clash, Tharoor today said that the Indian Army has the entire country’s support. "There is no doubt that China has its eyes on Tawang. We have to be very alert there. I think what our Army did yesterday had the support of the entire country,” he said while speaking to news agency ANI.

Tharoor, who has served as Minister of State for External Affairs, said that he told Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that they should show the world that India is one and every member of every party is with the army on this.

Before this, Tharoor in a tweet on Monday said he has long argued that China has designs on Tawang, "since they want to pre-empt the possibility of a future Dalai Lama being identified at the birthplace of the 6th DL. Proud of our soldiers for standing up to the PLA."

Earlier in the day, Congress' Leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the people want the country's soldiers to give a befitting reply to Chinese troops. For that, he said, there is a need for political will. "There's no point in covering up things. We are not enemies of the government, we want to help the government. It's our duty to protect the country," he said while speaking to ANI.

Today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the Parliament about the clash in Tawang. However, the opposition parties seemed not very satisfied and demanded more information on the development. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has even demanded the government take an all-party delegation to the clash site in Tawang.

Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile's Dy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang said that whenever there is a revolt in mainland China, the Chinese do something at the border to divert emotions. She said China will not say they have done anything but blame India. "We have to be very careful and focus on the border," she said.