Will not let China unilaterally change status quo at LAC: Jaishankar

WITH THE government facing Opposition criticism over the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that the Indian military will not let China change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) “unilaterally”. He said the deployment of Indian troops has been scaled up to a level “we have never had”.

While speaking at India Today’s India-Japan conclave, PTI quoted Jaishankar: “I am saying that it is the obligation of the Indian state and that is the duty and commitment of the Indian military that we will not let any country, and in this case China, change the LAC unilaterally.”

Also read: ‘Snakes in backyard’: Jaishankar uses Hillary Clinton’s analogy to hit out at Pakistan

‘Highest deployment’

“Today we have a deployment of the Indian Army on the China border that we have never had. It is done in order to counter Chinese deployment which was scaled up massively since 2020,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying.

Rejecting the Opposition’s criticism, he said: “If we were in denial, then how is the Army out there? The Army did not go there because Rahul Gandhi asked them to go. The Army went there because the Prime Minister of India ordered them to go… the fact is what is finally the proof of the pudding. The proof of the pudding is that the Indian Army is deployed today to counter any attempt to unilaterally change the LAC.”

Criticising Rahul Gandhi

In the Lok Sabha later, Jaishankar took on Rahul for saying the Chinese troops were “thrashing our jawans (jawanon ko peet rahe hain)”.

“The word ‘pitai’ should not be used for our jawans. They are standing their ground. They should be respected, they should be honoured, and they should be appreciated. This is not something which is appropriate,” he said.

“We should not directly or indirectly criticise the jawans. Our jawans are standing in Yangtse at 13,000 feet and defending our borders. They do not deserve the word ‘pitai’,” he said, while replying to a debate on the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019.

Taking on the Opposition

Taking on the Opposition for its remarks that the government was indifferent to China, he reiterated: “If we were indifferent to China, who sent the Indian Army to the borders? Why are we today pressing China on disengagement and de-escalation? Why are we saying publicly that our ties are not normal?”

As the Opposition benches protested against his remarks, Jaishankar said: “We have no problem if there are political differences, if there is political criticism. But I think we should not directly or indirectly criticise our jawans.”

Also read: Tawang clash: Congress’ 7 questions to PM Modi on China after BJP attacks Rahul

Speaking in Jaipur last week, Rahul had accused the government of ignoring the “China threat”. “China’s threat is clear. The government is trying to hide it, and is ignoring it. But the threat cannot be hidden or ignored,” Rahul had said. “It is a full offensive preparation. The government of India is sleeping. It does not want to hear this, but they (China) are preparing not for an incursion, but for war,” he had said.

(With Agency inputs)