It was a chaotic start to the day in Parliament on Tuesday as opposition leaders lashed out at the central government over the clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang on December 9. The details about the face-off emerged on Monday when the Indian Army – in a statement – underlined that the face-off “led to minor injuries to few personnel from both sides”. This is the first such incident involving the two nations since June 2020 Galwan Valley clashes in the sensitive Ladakh sector.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress and highlighted a link to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. He accused the Nehru government of giving away Permanent Membership of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council). “Who was giving dinner to the Chinese diplomats when soldiers were killed in Galwan? When the Congress was in power in 2006, China claimed its right over Arunachal,” he said. The grand old party was accused of raising the border issue in Parliament “to avoid questions on the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s FCRA [Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act] cancellation,” by the Union Minister.
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), he alleged, had got ₹1.35 crore from the Chinese Embassy. Its registration was cancelled as this was not according to FCRA rules, he said.
Shah also raised the issue of the Chinese issuing paper visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir in 2010 when the Congress was in power. He said that road and infrastructure construction in Demchock was halted by the Congress. “I want to say, the BJP government will not allow any incursion on land. The bravery shown by soldiers is appreciable, they have saved our land,” the Home Minister said.
Ahead of the expected address of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, both the houses saw huge ruckus, prompting the Speakers to call for brief adjournment. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were thereby adjourned till 12 pm.
“Looking at the gravity of the situation and the request made by the Opposition, I urge the Chair to allow the Defence Minister to make a statement at 12.30 pm instead of 2 pm,” Union Minister Piyush Goyal urged Speaker and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Rajya Sabha amid the chaos. Rajnath Singh’s 2 pm Rajya Sabha address was then preponed to 12:30 pm.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge earlier gave a notice under rule 267 to adjourn business and take up the matter. “China has encroached upon our land. From Ladakh and Uttarakhand, they have reached Arunachal. We’ve the right to know the government’s preparation to tackle China’s conspiracy,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, was quoted as saying by news agency.
In his address Rajnath Singh said the Chinese troops were sent back following the December 9 clashes. He also said that no deaths or major injuries were reported from the Indian side.