New Delhi, December 19
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said ties with China were “not normal” and also strongly objected to the use of the term “pitai” (beating) by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi while referring to the December 9 India-China clashes in Tawang.
Soldiers performing duty, deserve respect
Word ‘pitai’ (beating) shouldn’t be used for our jawans who are standing their ground. They should be respected, honoured and appreciated. — S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister
Says Expectations from Pak never high
India’s level of expectation from Pakistanis was “never very high”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, in his first comments over the personal attack made by his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari against PM Modi.
Debate demand rejected, Oppn walks out of RS
A joint Opposition on Monday walked out of the Rajya Sabha as the demand by the MPs for a debate on the Tawang clashes was rejected by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, Jaishankar asserted that the Indian soldiers stood their ground in Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh and should be “appreciated and honoured”. His remarks were in response to Rahul’s allegations in Jaipur last week that China had taken away 2,000 sq km of Indian territory, killed 20 Indian soldiers and was “beating our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh”.
Without naming Rahul, Jaishankar said there was no problem with political criticism of the government’s actions, but direct or indirect criticism of the soldiers guarding the country’s frontiers was wrong. “Our soldiers are standing at 13,000 feet at Yangtse. They are standing their ground and should be honouredhellip;. Don’t use the world ‘pitai’. It’s inappropriate,” he said.
About allegations that the government was being “indifferent” to China, he said, “If we were indifferent to China then who sent the Indian Army to defend our posts? If we were indifferent to China then why are we pressurising China for de-escalation and disengagement? Why are we saying publicly that our relations are not normal?”
About the need for an Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, the minister said it was part of India’s international responsibility. India does not have a separate domestic legislation on piracy. The Bill makes the legislation applicable to all parts of the sea adjacent to and beyond the limits of the Indian exclusive economic zone. It would make an act of piracy on high seas an offence punishable with imprisonment for life or with death.
