Former Prime Minister and renowned economist Dr Manmohan Singh has, with his trademark brevity, offered what is being seen as sage advice to the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the handling of the India-China border situation. The former PM’s statement was issued without fanfare by the Congress party and comes in the wake of a weekend of controversy after the Prime Minister’s Office issued a clarification on Modi’s statement on the alleged intrusions by China into Indian territory across the Line Of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
In his address to the All Party meeting on June 19, to talk about the India-China border situation, PM Modi had said that no one was inside Indian territory nor was any Indian post captured. He had said, “Those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil.” As a national controversy erupted over those words the PMO issued a quick clarification on Saturday, and said that “Attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to remarks by the Prime Minister at the All-Party Meeting (APM) yesterday.” The controversy raged on all weekend as various interpretations of PM Modi’s words, and how China was going to use them as validation of its stand that there was no intrusion by its soldiers.
On Monday, former PM Singh reminded the current PM Modi that the “Prime Minister must always be mindful of implications of his words and declarations on our Nation’s security, as also strategic and territorial interests.”
He said China was “brazenly and illegally seeking to claim parts of Indian territory such as the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso Lake by committing multiple incursions between April 2020 till date. We cannot and will not be cowed down by threats and intimidation nor permit a compromise with our territorial integrity. The Prime Minister cannot allow them to use his words as a vindication of their position and must ensure that all organs of the Government work together to tackle this crisis and prevent it from escalating further.”
The former Prime Minister reminded PM Modi that the latter should be careful of the implications of his words and that “the Prime Minister cannot allow them to use his words as a vindication of their position, and must ensure that all organs of the government work together to tackle this crisis and prevent it from escalating further.”
“At this moment, we stand at historic cross-roads. Our Government’s decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how the future generations perceive us. Those who lead us bear the weight of a solemn duty. And in our democracy that responsibility rests with the office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must always be mindful of the implications of his words and declarations on our Nation’s security as also strategic and territorial interests,” the former PM stated.
Dr Singh also reminded the Government that “disinformation is no substitute for diplomacy or decisive leadership. The truth cannot be suppressed by having pliant allies spout comforting but false statements.“
The entire statement by Dr Singh may be read here:
The APM had been also informed that this time, Chinese forces have come in much larger strength to the LAC and that the Indian response is commensurate. As regards transgression of LAC, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan on June 15 arose because Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC.
Dr Singh also called upon the Prime Minister and the Government to “rise to the occasion to ensure justice for Col B. Santosh Babu and our jawans who have made the ultimate sacrifice and resolutely defended our territorial integrity.”
“To do any less would be a historic betrayal of the people’s faith,” he added.
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