Highlights:
- Former Prime Minister of India made a statement today
- He asked PM Modi and the government to “rise of the occasion”
The former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh, today, made a statement on the violent face-off in Ladakh where 20 soldiers of the Indian Army including an officer were killed by the Chinese army. Dr Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must “always be mindful of the implications of his words” – which was an apparent remark to the controversy lit over PM Modi’s comments in the all-party meeting held on Friday.
The former Prime Minister also said that PM Modi and the government of India must “rise to the occasion to ensure justice for Colonel B. Santosh Babu and our jawans who have made the ultimate sacrifice and resolutely defended our territorial integrity.”
He added that to do any less would be “a historic betrayal of the people’s faith,”, in his first response to the deadly face-off on the 15th of June at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
Dr Manmohan Singh, who is widely credited for bringing LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation) in India also said, “At this moment, we stand at historic crossroads. Our government’s decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how the future generations perceive us. Those who lead us to 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,”.
In the all-party meet on Friday, PM Modi had said that “neither is anyone inside our territory nor are any of our posts captured”.
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The Congress party seized the statement and surrounded Prime Minister on whether he meant that the Indian Territory had been ceded to China, later the Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO), on Saturday, said that an attempt is being made to give Prime Minister Modi’s remarks a “mischievous interpretation”.
The government said, “Prime Minister’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces. The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day,”.
The former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh said that China was brazenly and illegally seeking to stake a claim of parts of the Indian Territory which includes the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso Lake by committing several incursions since April this year.
Dr Singh said, “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 two-time Prime Minister of India, said, “This is a moment where we must stand together as a nation and be united in our response to this brazen threat. We remind 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,” who appeared to be referring to the political leaders who praised PM Modi’s stand at the all-party meeting.
