Indian Army won't cede an inch of land: Rajnath Singh hails forces; performs Shastra Puja

On Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh exuded confidence in the Indian Army, saying that they will not let anyone take even an inch of our country's land. Singh made these remarks after performing 'Shastra Puja' at Sukna War Memorial in Darjeeling, West Bengal. 

Speaking to reporters, Rajnath Singh said that India goal is to end the India-China border tension, adding that peace should be preserved.

"India wants that the Indo-China border tension should end and peace should be preserved. It is our goal, but sometimes, nefarious activities take place. But, I am fully confident that our army will not let anyone take even an inch of our land," Singh said.

The Defence Minister's comment came a day after he reviewed the combat preparedness of the Indian Army at the Sukna-based headquarters of its 33 Corps which is responsible for guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Sikkim sector. He further hailed the Jawans for responding bravely, adding that historians will write about the valour and courage of our jawans in golden words.

"Whatever happened at Indo-China border at Ladakh recently and the way our Jawans responded bravely, historians will write about the valour and courage of our jawans in golden words," he added.

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The defence minister arrived at the key military base, known as 'Trishakti' Corps, in Darjeeling district in late afternoon on Saturday as part of his two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim to review the military preparedness in view of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh as well as to celebrate Dussehra with soldiers. Singh is accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

The Army has significantly bolstered deployment of troops and weaponry along the nearly 3,500 km-long LAC including in the Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sector

READ: Rajnath reviews LAC situation in eastern sector at Army's Trishakti Corps in Sukna

LAC tensions between India and China

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control exploded when 20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. The Chinese side also suffered casualties though Beijing refused to disclose the figures. Multiple rounds of Corps Commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. In September, both Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met their respective Chinese counterparts in Moscow.

During the 7th round of Corps Commander-level talks held on October 12 at Chushul, the two sides tried to understand each other's positions on the disengagement of troops along the LAC. In the "constructive" meeting, India and China agreed to implement the consensus reached by their respective leaders. Moreover, there was also a consensus on maintaining dialogue through military and diplomatic channels in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution of disengagement at the earliest. 

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