Tawang clash: Oppn walks out after Rajnath address; fighter jets deployed at border

A day after sources revealed to the media that 300 Chinese soldiers had tried to breach the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on Friday, leading to a face-off with Indian Army personnel in which soldiers on both sides were injured, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the report in the Parliament on Tuesday.

Singh’s statement came amid vehement demand by the Opposition for the government to provide an answer. The defence minister assured the Parliament that there was no loss of life or serious injuries during the scuffle and that Indian soldiers are well-equipped to handle such situations.

“On December 9, in Yangtse area of Tawang sector, PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops encroached upon and attempted to change status quo. This attempt was tackled by our troops in a determined manner. Our troops bravely stopped PLA from encroaching upon our territory and forced them to go back to their post,” Singh said in his address.

Also read: India-China army clash: A look at what happened in Tawang; 10 points

“In this face-off, a few soldiers on both sides suffered injuries. I’d like to tell this House that none of our soldiers died or suffered any serious injury. Due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers have retreated to their own locations,” ANI quoted him as saying.

Fighter jets over border

Singh also said that the matter has been taken up with Beijing through diplomatic channels. “I want to assure the House that our forces are committed to guard our borders and ready to thwart any attempt that will be made to challenge it,” he said.

Even as Singh addressed the Parliament, media reports quoted sources as revealing that fighter jets had to be scrambled “two to three times” in recent weeks to thwart Chinese incursions. On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force launched active combat patrols over Arunachal Pradesh after spotting Chinese jets flying close to the LAC, sources revealed.

Friday’s clash reportedly happened when Indian soldiers tried to prevent Chinese PLA troops from constructing an illegal fence near the LAC. Not only Friday, now it has emerged that clashes took place on Sunday as well. The Indian soldiers injured in the clashes have reportedly been admitted to a military hospital in Guwahati, Assam.

Opposition stages walk-out

Soon after Singh concluded his statement, Opposition leaders staged a walkout in Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha after the Chair announced there would be no discussion after Singh’s statement on the India-China face-off.

Earlier in the day, Opposition parties called for a discussion in both houses of Parliament. Both Congress and AAP submitted notices in the Rajya Sabha, seeking a discussion. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain gave a notice, asking for a discussion on the issue under Rule 176.

Also read: Forgotten hero who brought Tawang under Indian Union honoured

RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha submitted a notice to the Rajya Sabha chairman, calling for suspension of business under Rule 267 on December 13, 2022, to discuss the implications of the India-China clash in Tawang. Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief and MP, moved an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha, and asked the Centre why it did not mention the clash in Parliament.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge moved an adjournment motion, seeking a suspension of proceedings and a debate on the border clash. The Trinamool Congress, too, submitted a notice in Rajya Sabha, seeking a discussion on the issue.

“Govt should be honest about China”

Kharge said the government should be honest about the Chinese transgressions and take the nation in confidence by discussing the issue in Parliament. “Again, our Indian Army soldiers have been provoked by the Chinese. Our jawans fought in a resolute manner and a few of them have been injured too. We are one with the nation on the issues of national security and would not like to politicize it.

“But the Modi government should be honest about the Chinese transgressions and the construction at all points near the LAC since April 2020. The government needs to take the nation into confidence by discussing this issue in Parliament,” he said.

Also read: Galwan Valley clash hero Col. Santosh Babu awarded Mahavir Chakra posthumously

However, Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of disrupting the proceedings as a question on Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was listed for Tuesday.

“If they would have allowed (the proceedings), I would have given an answer in Parliament that Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received a grant of Rs 1.35 crore from the Chinese embassy during 2005-06 and 2006-07, which was not appropriate according to the FCRA. So, according to the rules, the home ministry cancelled its registration,” Shah said.

Statement after high-level meetings

Before his statement in Parliament, Singh held separate meetings with the three military chiefs and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the government’s response. According to the government, such confrontations have been taking place since 2006 because of “differing perceptions” of the 3,800-km border India shares with China.

The Indian commander in the area held a flag meeting with his Chinese counterpart to comply with “structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity,” said the government.

This was the first clash between Indian and Chinese troops since the bloody faceoff in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in 2020 claimed the lives of around 20 Indian soldiers and some 40 Chinese soldiers.

For a long time after that face-off, the two nations remained engaged at the border on the south bank of Pangong Lake. After multiple meetings between military commanders, Indian and Chinese troops pulled back from key points, including Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh.

(With agency inputs)