With stand-offs still on at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh leading to tension between India and China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday briefed former Defence Ministers AK Antony and Sharad Pawar about the ground situation.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M M Naravane apprised the two senior politicians about all the aspects related to the current dispute at the LAC. Antony and Pawar were also briefed about the operational preparedness of the armed forces to meet with any challenge, sources said here.
The meeting took place two days before the monsoon session of Parliament begins next Monday. The Opposition may raise a din on the continuing face-offs at the LAC for the last more than one year. Congress had already said it will flag the LAC issue besides alleged wrong doing in the Rafale fighter jet deal in the background a judicial probe now on in France.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has long been criticising the government alleging India has “ceded” territory to China. In a parliament strategy meet, chaired by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the Congress has decided to raise the border issue with China in the coming monsoon session of parliament, sources have said
Incidentally, this interaction between the defence ministers and two of his predecessors took place two days after foreign ministers of India and China met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on the sideline of a conclave of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO).
The two ministers resolved to hasten the process of dialogue to find an amicable and mutually solution. The two ministers, S Jaishankar and Wang Yi, also agreed to hold the 12th round of Corps Commander parleys as soon as possible. The 11th round was held in first week of April.
Referring to the tension at the LAC, Jaishankar had also said “...It was visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner.” He pointed out that the successful disengagement in the Pangong lake area in late February this year had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues. It was expected that the Chinese side would work with India towards this objective, but the situation in remaining areas is still unresolved, Jaishankar said.
As of now, more than one lakh troops from both the sides are engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation at three friction points including the Hot Springs, Gogra and the Depsang Valley.
About Friday’s meeting, sources said that Antony and Pawar had some doubts and had sought clarification about the present situation at the LAC. Rawat and Naravane explained all the issues to the senior leaders, sources said. The interactions with senior opposition leaders were seen as an outreach exercise by the government ahead of the session.