India prepared for military option if no result from talk with China: General Rawat
New Delhi: India's armed forces are prepared to look at any military option if the extensive talks to restore status quo ante along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) did not yield any positive result, Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat has said on the prolonged border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
Gen Rawat, who has been part of the top military brass strategising on the Sino-India border issue, said a "whole of government" approach is being followed to peacefully resolve the row.
The armed forces are always prepared for military actions if all efforts to restore status quo ante along the LAC don't "fructify," the CDS said when asked about the over three-month-long border row.
Gen Rawat, who was the Chief of Army Staff from December 2016 to December 2019, said the transgressions take place along the LAC because of varying perceptions about it by the two countries.
India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border standoff.
On Thursday, the two sides held another round of diplomatic parleys following which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said they had agreed to resolve outstanding issues in an "expeditious manner" and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Gen Rawat and the three service chiefs are regularly meeting to review India's military preparedness in eastern Ladakh as well as to take measures in sync with the evolving situation in the region.
At the military talks, the Indian Army has been strongly insisting that restoration of the status quo ante of April this year by China is the only way to resolve the row, according to government sources.
There is a growing view in the Army that the Chinese military is not serious about the resolution of the border conflict as it is resorting to "back and forth" negotiations while the Indian side has very clearly conveyed about its position on the matter.
Sources said notwithstanding the border row, India has been carrying on with the work on laying new roads in the Ladakh region besides developing other key infrastructure.
"Our road construction is not in response to PLA infrastructure development but based on our requirements and those of our people," said a source.
The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.
The PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas, sources said.
In the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.
Even as both sides are engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian army is making elaborate preparations to maintain its current strength of troops in all key areas in eastern Ladakh in the harsh winter months.
Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to maintain a significantly high state of alertness to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", the sources said.
The Army is also in the process of procuring a number of weapons, ammunition and winter gears for the frontline troops, they added. The temperature in some of the high-altitude areas along the LAC drops to minus 25 degree celsius in the winter months.
The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.
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AAP claims party's LS poll campaign song banned by EC
New Delhi (PTI): The AAP on Sunday claimed the Election Commission (EC) has imposed a ban on the party's Lok Sabha campaign song, 'Jail ke jawab mein hum vote denge', stating that it shows the ruling BJP and central investigation agencies in a bad light.
There was no immediate response from the poll panel to the AAP's claim.
Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader Atishi said, "It is probably the first time that the EC has imposed a ban on a party's campaign song."
According to the EC, she said, the song shows the ruling party and investigation agencies in a bad light.
"The song does not mention the BJP and does not violate the Model Code of Conduct. It includes factual videos and incidents," she added.
Atishi, who is also a Delhi government minister, accused the EC of not acting on poll code violations committed by the BJP.
"If the BJP does dictatorship, it is right. But if someone talks about it, that is wrong. This shows that democracy is in danger. I want to urge the EC to act on the (poll code) violations committed by the BJP and not stop campaigns of opposition parties," she said.
The AAP's over two-minute campaign song has been penned and sung by AAP MLA Dilip Pandey. The song was released at the party headquarters here on Thursday.
#WATCH | Delhi Minister Atishi says, "... Another political weapon of the BJP, the Election Commission has put a ban on AAP's campaign song. This has happened for the first time in the history of India, that the Election Commission has put a ban on the election song of a… pic.twitter.com/9BgLQYbUeC
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2024
