“Serious deterioration of India’s national security environment”: Jairam Ramesh on Army Chief’s remarks

New Delhi [India] : Army Chief General Manoj Pande’s recent remarks are a timely reminder of the “serious deterioration” of India’s national security environment under the Modi government, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged on Saturday. 

General Pande’s remarks at his annual press conference on Thursday that “our attempt is to continue talks (with China) to go back to the status quo ante which existed in the middle of 2020” are a reminder that the Chinese continue to deny Indian troops access to 2,000 square kilometres of territory in Ladakh almost four years after their intrusion, Ramesh claimed in a statement. 

The Army Chief’s observation that “Rajouri-Poonch has seen increased terrorist activities” and that “support infrastructure for proxy tandems in the Rajouri-Poonch sector from across the border continues” is a reminder that despite “repeated false claims” that terrorism will end because of demonetisation or the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the senior Congress leader said. 

The Congress General Secretary said that since August 5, 2019, more than 160 troops have been killed in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. The latest attack occurred as recently as January 12 on the troops in Poonch, this time fortunately with no casualties, he added. 

“The Prime Minister’s June 19, 2020 clean chit to China – when he said ‘Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai’ (no one has infiltrated into the Indian territory) was an insult to our fallen soldiers and contributed to continuing Chinese control of 2,000 square kilometres despite 18 rounds of military talks”, Ramesh said. 

Meanwhile, China is making “inroads across our neighbourhood”, Ramesh said adding that the most recent examples are the fact that President Mohamed Muizzu became the first president of Maldives to visit China before visiting India and China’s continuing inroads into the territory of our close ally Bhutan, Ramesh said. 

“The PM appears to believe that beach visits and social media campaigns are a substitute for real action to protect India’s national interests,” the Congress General Secretary alleged, further claiming that individuals like Chang Chung-Ling and Nasser Ali Shaban Ahli are allowed to play “murky roles” in critical infrastructure projects controlled by the “PM’s close friends,” he added. 

Jairam Ramesh further added that the Modi government’s callous attitude towards national security, which it looks at solely from the lens of electoral advantage, is also evident from the revelation in former Army Chief MM Naravane’s book that the Army was “taken by surprise” by the Agnipath Scheme and that “for the Navy and Air Force, it came like a bolt from the blue.” 

Earlier on Thursday, Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, said that the situation and terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch in the last 5-6 months have been an issue of concern and because peace is coming in the valley, India’s adversaries are encouraging proxy wars in the area. 
General Pande said that the security situation on the northern border is stable but sensitive. He highlighted that disruptive technologies have become the new arena of strategic competition.