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Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi hit out at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday for not allowing the opposition to raise their concerns on the India-China border issue.
"I am sure he is able to answer any concern or question that the opposition might have. By choosing to talk about China through a statement, the External Affairs Minister allowed himself to be excluded from any question...I think it was unfair. The government themselves have to see that why they did not allow opposition parties specifically the LoP to raise a point of concern..." Earlier, Jaishankar said that India remains "committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, resonable and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement." Briefing the Lok Sabha on India-China ties as well as disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Jaishakar said that bilateral ties between the two countries have been "abnormal" since 2020 when "peace and tranquillity in the border areas were disturbed as a result of Chinese actions." "Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement since then have set our ties in the direction of some improvement," he said. He also shared with members of the expectation regarding direction of ties with China in the near future. "Our relationship had progressed in many domains, but was obviously negatively affected by recent events. We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of our ties. In the coming days, we will be discussing both de-escalation as well as effective management of our activities in the border areas," he said. He noted that "The House is well aware of the circumstances leading up to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. In the months thereafter, we were addressing a situation that had not only seen fatalities for the first time in 45 years, but also a turn of events serious enough for heavy weaponry to be deployed in close proximity to the LAC. While a determined counter deployment of adequate capability was the Government's immediate response, there was also the imperative of a diplomatic effort to defuse these heightened tensions and restore peace and tranquility." The winter session of Parliament commenced on November 25 and will conclude on December 20. (ANI)
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