Amid rising tensions with China following the violent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley, chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim and Meghalaya on Saturday (June 20) extended their support to the Centre after the all-party meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 19 to hold discussion over the matter.
PM Modi held the all-party meeting with heads of 15 political parties on Friday few days after the violent standoff with China in the Galwan Valley near the LAC, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.
"Hon’ble PM and other Ministers gave very convincing answers at the APM. Nation is and should be united on this subject. Unity brings strength and division exhibits weaknes. Concerned by the manufactured controversy surrounding the All Party Meet yesterday. This is the time to showcase our unity and solidarity with our armed forces and not the time to point fingers or find faults," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy tweeted.
Concerned by the manufactured controversy surrounding the All Party Meet yesterday. This is the time to showcase our unity and solidarity with our armed forces and not the time to point fingers or find faults. (1/2)
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) June 20, 2020
Telangana CMO also took to Twitter regarding the same and said, "We may have differences in politics but we're united by our patriotism".
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) June 20, 2020
"Prime Minister spoke on our behalf when he paid tribute to armed forces and assured India's interest will be always protected. We are happy with the all-party meeting," the tweet said.
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) said PM Modi's remarks in the all-party meeting were "crystal clear" in reaffirming the stand of the government on the China issue.
"It was reassuring to hear that the government won’t compromise on India’s interests. Everybody also had great faith in our forces to vanquish any evil design," he further said.
PM @narendramodi’s remarks in the all-party meeting were crystal clear in reaffirming India’s stand on the China issue. It was reassuring to hear that the government won’t compromise on India’s interests. Everybody also had great faith in our forces to vanquish any evil design. pic.twitter.com/Pg9w75Ge2u
— Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) (@GolayPs) June 20, 2020
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma that the prime minister's answers "clearly reflected India’s strong stand" when it comes to safeguarding the sovereignty of the country.
"During yesterday’s all-party meeting, PM spoke extensively on the India-China situation. His answers clearly reflected India’s strong stand when it comes to safeguarding our sovereignty. All other “commentary” may be best ignored. It’s not factual or desired," tweeted CM Conrad Sangma.
During yesterday’s All Party Meeting, PM @narendramodi spoke extensively on the India-China situation. His answers clearly reflected India’s strong stand when it comes to safeguarding our sovereignty. All other “commentary” may be best ignored. It’s not factual or desired.
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) June 20, 2020
During the all-party meeting, PM Modi had said that China did not enter Indian territory and that none of the Indian posts has been occupied by the Chinese troops.
"Not an inch of our land has been lost, neither has anyone occupied our posts. Twenty of our bravehearts were martyred in Ladakh but they taught a lesson to those who eyed our country," said PM Modi.
"Whether it is deployment, action or counter-action, I assure that our forces in the Indian Army, Navy and Airforce are doing everything to protect the country. We have given them all the freedom to take corrective measures. Today we have the capability that no one can eye even an inch of our land. The Indian forces are capable of moving together even in different sectors now," he added.
The prime minister also said during the meeting that infrastructure development near LAC has helped make the country secure.
"In the past years, our country has focussed on the development of infrastructure in our territory to make the country more secure. We have also put importance on other requirements of our armies like fighter planes, modern helicopters and missile defence systems," he said.
"Due to the newly built infrastructure, our patrolling capacity has increased, especially at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Because of this, vigilance has increased and we are informed about activities on the LAC on time. Our soldiers are able to monitor and respond in areas which were neglected earlier. Tension has increased now as we are interrogating every person on every nook and corner, which was not the case earlier," noted PM Modi.
