‘Troops ready to give befitting reply’
Army morale very high, credit goes to PM
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 11: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brig (Retd) BD Mishra today strongly rejected the allegations of Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi that China has occupied the Indian territory on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and declared that troops are ready to give befitting reply to anyone indulging in misadventure against the country.
He was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of North Tech Symposium at IIT Jammu.
“Not even an inch of Indian land has been occupied by China,” he asserted when asked about Rahul Gandhi’s remarks during his nearly 10-day long visit to the Union Territory of Ladakh last month.
Asserting that he won’t comment on anybody’s statement, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh said he will say what is fact because he has seen himself on the ground that not even one square inch of land which the Chinese have occupied.
“Whatsoever happened in 1962 that is immaterial. But today we are in occupation of our land to the last inch,” Brig (Retd) Mishra said.
During his visit to some forward areas on the banks of Pangong lake in Leh, Rahul Gandhi, in his media interaction, had stated quoting people that their grazing land has been occupied by China.
“You can talk to anyone. They say their grazing land has been occupied,” Rahul had said drawing sharp reactions from the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Central Government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representatives who had countered the charges levelled by Rahul Gandhi.
The Lieutenant Governor said the armed forces are prepared for any eventuality.
“God forbid if the balloon goes up, people will get a bloody nose from us,” he declared.
Maintaining that morale of troops is very very high, Brig Mishra said: “Their intent is to defend every square inch of land. Nobody can dare to come towards India with any design to have a foothold here. I think all the credit goes to great leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Asked whether weapons have been identified and procured to be deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to boost security, he said it is being done.
“…When I was commissioned in the Army in 1961…There was nothing indigenous in my battalion. Our rifles, .303 small arms were made in Birmingham. The watch we got was made in Switzerland. Today, there is nothing that is not indigenous,” he added.
A large number of companies and start-ups are showcasing their military equipment at the North Tech Symposium which began on the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus on the outskirts of Jammu today.
The symposium facilitates a structured approach to product evaluation, prioritisation and acquisition while contributing actionable inputs for Exprocurement plans.
The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh went through the North Tech Symposium and inspected many weapons on display. The Symposium which began today will last three days. Tomorrow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh will attend and address the Symposium.
Brig (Retired) Mishra was briefed by the Army Commanders and others about weapons on display at the Symposium.
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