Not even an inch of our land can be taken: Rajnath Singh

Defence minister Rajnath Singh landed in Leh on Friday (July 17) to review the security situation in the region in the wake of India-China border tension. It is part of his two-day visit to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir

The minister on interacting with troops there said, “whatever talks have happened so far, the matter should get resolved… but to what extent it would be resolved, I cannot guarantee. However, I want to assure you that not an inch of our land can be taken by any power in the world.”

Singh accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army chief Gen M.M. Naravane visited Stakna and Lukung forward areas.

The Defence Minister Office’s twitter handle posted pictures of Rajnath Singh witnessing para dropping and scoping weapons at Stankna near Leh.

Rajnath Singh also visited the Lukung post near Pangong lake where currently the troops of India and China are in disengagement process after several rounds of talks between the military commanders of both the countries. After Leh, Singh will be headed to Kashmir to review the security along Line of Control (LoC).

His trip comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Ladakh on July 3 during which he also addressed troops in a forward post in Minu, at a height of 11,000 ft. “History knows that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back,” he said, boosting the morale soldiers posted near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and sending out a strong message to China.

Before leaving, he took to Twitter to say, “Leaving for Leh on a two-day visit to Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir. I shall be visiting the forward areas to review the situation at the borders and also interact with the Armed Forces personnel deployed in the region. Looking forward to it.”

Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for over eight weeks since May 5. The tension escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian army personnel were killed.

However, following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a mutual disengagement process on July 6 and withdrew troops from most of the friction points.