Press Statement issued by Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy,
National Spokesperson, BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party is deeply concerned at the lackadaisical and indifferent attitude of the UPA Government on the reported intrusion by the Chinese troops into Indian territory in recent times. This fact has also been categorically confirmed by the DG ITBP who has stated that over 140 such intrusions have taken place over the last one year in the regions of both Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. The statement of the ITBP chief vindicates the assertion and claim of the party MP from Arunachal Pradesh Mr. Khiran Rijuju, who after extensive scouting in the inaccessible terrains, has repeatedly asserted the fact about Chinese incursions and has also raised it on all forums including the Parliament where it has been repudiated by the Government in general and the Home Minister Mr Shivraj Patil in particular.

While the Left and Congress party are both maintaining a deafening silence on this important issue of national security and sovereignty, both the CPM General Secretary Mr Prakash Karat and UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi have instead of raising this issue have only confined themselves to congratulating Chinese President Hu Jintao on his re-election as the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party in China.

The BJP notes that the incursions are simply not the inadvertent misadventures of lost Chinese patrols but instead point towards the existence of a carefully designed strategy to undermine India’s territorial integrity. In the absence of any strong governmental reaction on the issue, what is even more shocking is that in the meantime Smt Sonia Gandhi is all set to embark on a five day tour to China accompanied by her son Mr Rahul Gandhi with an undisclosed agenda. The complete silence maintained by this high level entourage comprising even senior Ministers of the UPA Government is indeed shocking.

The BJP aptly recalls the incident of refusal of Chinese visa to the Arunachal cadre IAS officers of the 1991 batch for a study tour sponsored by Government of India to Beijing & Shanghai. The Chinese claim was that since Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China, hence the officers in question were Chinese citizens who therefore required no visa. This has to also be viewed in context of earlier visa refusals to even State Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh. All these incidents are indicative of the fact that China rarely misses an opportunity to put forth its claim on Arunachal Pradesh.

The BJP reiterates that the tactful diplomacy of the NDA government had compelled China to forfeit its claims over the Indian state of Sikkim and had set a successful milestone in the direction of permanently settling all territorial disputes. The UPA government, seemingly under the pressure of its Left Front allies, is making camouflaged niceties to China in its attempt to placate the Left partners at home and in the process compromising the nation’s territorial integrity.

(Shyam Jaju)
Office Incharge