India-China Clash: High-level Meeting Over China's Intrusion in India

India-China Clash Security tightens up in the wake of China's intrusion (pic: ANI) — India-China Clash: Security tightens up in the wake of China’s intrusion (pic: ANI)

India-China Clash: As the government gets ready for the Opposition’s attack over the India-China border confrontation in Arunachal Pradesh last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in charge of the reaction from the centre today, NDTV reports.
After the border incident on December 9 became the most recent flashpoint in the tense relations between New Delhi and Beijing, the country’s military and diplomatic leadership will meet today to consider the next course of action.

Today, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari will meet with Rajnath Singh, the minister of defence.

Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (retired) and Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will be at the meeting. Giridhar Aramane and Vinay Kwatra, the foreign secretary, will also be there.

The Prime Minister and other top cabinet members will meet with the Defence Minister shortly after to finalise the political response to the Opposition’s onslaught on the subject. Both Houses of Parliament will hear from Mr. Singh this afternoon. This follows requests for a debate on the border conflict from a number of MPs from opposition parties.

The two sides “quickly withdrew from the region” after the confrontation on December 9 that resulted in “small injuries to a few people from both sides,” according to an Army statement released Wednesday.

The Congress attacked the centre shortly after the revelation became public, claiming that the administration needed to gain the people’s trust by raising the matter in Parliament. In order to have a debate over the matter, the Trinamool Congress has filed a notice in the Rajya Sabha.

According to government officials, the centre “never backed out of any conversation and is ready with data.”

Manish Tewari and Syed Nasir Hussain of the Congress, Raghav Chadha of the Aam Aadmi Party, Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen are among the opposition MPs who have requested a debate on the matter.