'Every Indian's chest would swell with pride': Rajnath Singh on India-China LAC face-off

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that 'every Indian's chest would swell with pride' if the government were to give complete information on the 2020 face-off between India and China at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

“I won't say much about the Indo-China face-off, but our army showed great courage and worked charismatically. If the complete information could be given to you, every Indian's chest would swell with pride,” he said on Friday

Earlier last month, the Defence Minister sent a clear message to China, stating that if harmed, India will not spare anyone. He also asserted that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a powerful country.

“I cannot say openly what they (Indian soldiers) did and what decisions we (the government) took. But I can definitely say that a message has gone (to China) that India will not spare anyone if India is harmed. (Bharat ko agar koi chherega to Bharat chhorega nahi,” he had said.

India-China border standoff

The Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. The face-off escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 that year when Chinese forces attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh after tensions along the LAC. As many as 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed in the clashes.

India and China have held 15 rounds of military talks so far to resolve the eastern Ladakh standoff. As a result of the talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

It was also agreed upon by the sides that the next round of Commander-level talks will also take place soon. However, no date has been confirmed yet. 

(With inputs from agencies)