Shimla, Sep 6: After a recent visit by India alliance leader Rahul Gandhi in border areas of Indio-China in Ladhakh and raising concern over the occupying of Indian territory by the responsible People’s Liberation China, now ministers of government and revenue Negi flagged similar concern while interacting with media persons here recently.
Addressing mediapersons on Friday at the State State Secretariat, Negi, who is five times MLA of Kinnaur district and currently serves as a tribal development, revenue, and horticulture minister in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government and also holds the portfolio of Deputy Speaker (2012–2017), said the constant lie being spoken by the Prime Minister that ‘no one came or no one would come inside India on the India-China border.
Negi said China has occupied Indian land, especially in Ladakh, as the two nations share a long border, and China is continuously strengthening its border structure. China has occupied Indian land, especially in Ladakh, where it has captured a large area.
Negi said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has continued to raise this issue, and he has also drawn the attention of the government recently as he returned from his bike ride in Ladakh.
“Rahul went to different places in Ladakh along with Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sunder Singh Thakur. Minister said in the presence of Mt. Thakur, who was accompanied by Negi in the press briefing.
Negi said with the escalation of the Docklam standoff in 2017, 20 Indian soldiers were killed by the PLA, and the Indian government is trying to ignore the illegal occupation by the invading Chinese army.
Thakur, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi in the Ladakh visit, told the mediapersons at Shimla that Mr Gandhi met many residents during his visit, and they informed Mr. Gandhi that the pastures where they used to graze their animals and sheep for a long time are now under PLA occupation. He said it is clear that China has occupied our territory.
The relationship between India and China was further harmed when Chinese President Xi Jinping decided not to attend the G20 summit being held in India.
Geopolitical link between India China has deep consequences in relation to Himachal Pradesh, as around three lakh Tibetan refugees who have been waging wars against China for seven decades reside in the state.
However, Tibetans living in Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh, are deeply influenced by Chinese development, which forced Tibetan spiritual leader and apostle of peace, the Dalai Lama, to shower praise on China, the age-old enemy of Tibetan refugees here.
Recently, in media interaction, the Dalai Lama said, “I am always open to talk. Now China also realises that the spirit of the Tibetan people is very strong. So, in order to deal with Tibetan problems, they want to contact me. I am also ready”,
The spiritual leader has not stopped here, but he acknowledged that China was undergoing changes and that there is growing interest among Chinese officials, both formally and informally, to establish contact with him.
A public relations officer posted in the border district told UNI that the India-China border in Himachal Pradesh was largely peaceful.
He said the state shared about 260 km of porous border with Chinese-administrated Tibet in Kinnuar and Lahaul-Spiti districts, bordered by the Indio Tibet Border Police (ITBP) at 20 outposts, including the high-security camp at Kaurik.
Previously, media reports had highlighted that the standoff also affected the age-old annual cross-border trade in Himachal Pradesh, as Tibetan people and traders had enjoyed hassle-free traditional mountain trails and passes for centuries. (Agencies)
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