`MoD report in no way contradicts PM Modi's remarks at all-party meeting'
Aug 07, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 8 : The Defence Ministry's report about the situation along LAC in Eastern Ladakh in "no way" contradicts the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June which were about localised events in Galwan Valley that led to casualities, sources said on Friday.
They said that there are renewed attempts to misrepresent Prime Minister Modi's remarks at the All Party Meeting on June 19 and the tool being used for this "insidious purpose" is the Defence Ministry report about the situation all along Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.
The report had mentioned transgressions by China into Indian territory at different locations in eastern Ladakh.
The sources said that efforts to conflate the MoD report with PM's statement of June 19 "are obviously politically motivated".
Such attempts strengthen the hands of the adversaries who are rattled by India's increased border infrastructure development in strategically sensitive geographies, they said.
The sources said the Indian Government has never denied Chinese attempts to transgress the LAC, change facts on the ground or alter the status quo.
In fact, in a series of talks - foreign ministers, special representatives, corps commanders and WMCC - Indian interlocutors have strongly emphasised the need for complete disengagement of troops along LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas, they said.
They said that senior veterans, retired diplomats and eminent members of the strategic community have condemned efforts to take statements out of context and play politics at the expense of our armed forces.
At an all-party meeting to discuss the situation along the India-China border on June 19, the PM said there was no intrusion into Indian territory.
The sources said that the remarks of Prime Minister Modi were about localized events of June 15 in Galwan valley during which there was clash between Indian and Chinese troops.
The document posted by Defence Minister admitted transgressions by the Chinese Army into the Indian territory in different parts of Eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso, Gogra and Kungrang Nala areas. It was later removed from the website.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been targeting the government and the Prime Minister over border tensions with China.
