During the Parliament’s Budget Session, Indian Defence Minister (DM) Rajnath Singh said that India has the capability and strength to give a befitting reply to any aggression that comes its way. Singh was replying to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s remarks that China had occupied large swathes of Indian territory.
Chowdhury’s Remarks
During the debate on the President’s Motion of Thanks, Chowdhury claimed that China has occupied vast areas of Ladakh. He questioned the DM about the situation in Ladakh, saying that it is deteriorating day by day.
Chowdhury further raised concerns about the absence of any reference to the security concerns in the President’s address. He mentioned that the government had promised to restore the statehood of Ladakh. ’Today, the shepherd is unable to go there,” he said while stressing that the government had failed in its China policy.
The Congress leader added that, when the Galwan incident took place, the government claimed that no one had entered Indian territory, but this was far from true. He alleged that around 2,000 square kilometres of the Union Territory (UT) have been occupied by China.
Singh Rejects Chowdhury’s Allegations
Expressing disagreement with Chowdhury’s comments on China and the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Singh assured that India was not weak anymore and had become strong. “If someone dares to stare at India, India has the capability and strength to give a befitting reply,” the DM said, accusing Congress of unnecessarily defaming the country in the parliament.
Situation Along Ladakh Border
While the government has claimed several times that there is no Chinese occupation of Indian territory, Army Chief Manoj Pande said that India will not reduce its troop deployment along the border in Eastern Ladakh till the ‘status quo ante’ is restored. At present, around 50,000 troops continue to be stationed along the LAC in Ladakh.
Following the Galwan Valley clash with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in mid-2020, 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers were killed, causing India-China ties to deteriorate greatly. The two countries are currently engaged in de-escalation talks and have successfully disengaged at Galwan, Gogra, Kugrang Valley, the north bank of Pangong Lake, and the Kailash range. However, progress on the critical points of Depsang and Demchok has been difficult.
There have been several reports of Chinese soldiers intruding in areas earlier under India’s control. Chinese soldiers repotedly stopped Indian graziers in Ladakh’s Kakjung area along the LAC earlier this month. On 30 January, Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin shared a video in which herders could be seen hurling stones at PLA troops who were asking them to go back, saying that it was Chinese territory.
VIDEO | Social activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday backed the mass protest in Ladakh demanding statehood and said people have become very restless after nothing materialised despite series of talks.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 5, 2024
In an exclusive interview to PTI, Wangchuk said, "30,000 people came out which is… pic.twitter.com/F1glyyNhlq
In addition to this purported territorial encroachment, Ladakh is witnessing a rising demand for restoration of statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. Ladakh was made a UT on 5 August 2019, when Article 370 and Article 35 A were abrogated, repealing the status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating it into UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.