NEW DELHI: India’s “national pride” will not be compromised as far as border tension with China is concerned, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told a BJP’s virtual rally on Sunday.
“Both India and China are keen that the issues are sorted through talks at military and diplomatic levels. I want to assure you that India’s national pride won’t be compromised. I want to assure our opposition parties that they won’t be kept in the dark and will be briefed when the time comes,” he said, adding that China has expressed wish to resolve the dispute with India through talks, and the Indian government also has a similar view.
“This is also our effort to defuse the tussle between India and China through military and diplomatic level talks,” he said, stating that the two countries are engaged in military level dialogue.
On the decision to abrogate Article 370, he said while previously the Kashmir Valley used to witness IS flags being unfurled, the move by the Centre has changed the scenario. “Earlier in Kashmir, protests demanding ‘Kashmir azadi’ were held and flags of Pakistan & IS were seen. Now only the Indian flag is seen there.”
The Defence Minister took a swipe at Pakistan, saying “mausam badal chuka hai (the season has changed).”
“Our channels are broadcasting weather forecasts of Muzaffarabad-Gilgit. Ye darja hararat batane ke karan, ab Islamabad mein bhi kuch hararat mehsus hone lagi hai (Islamabad too is feeling the heat). That’s why they are bent upon doing more mischiefs,” the senior BJP leader said.
Going a step ahead, Singh said, “Soon people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir will demand that they want to be with India and not under the rule of Pakistan. And the day it happens, a goal set by our Parliament will also be accomplished.”
‘India wants peace from neighbours’
India is not interested in land of Pakistan or China but wanted peace and amity, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.
At a virtual ‘Jan Samvad’ rally of Gujarat BJP from Nagpur, he said India believed in peace and non-violence and do not want to be strong by becoming an expansionist.
“India never tried to grab land of its neighbours like Bhutan and Bangladesh,”the senior BJP leader said.