Ladakh's Lieutenant Governor B D Mishra on Monday asserted that India's Defense Forces are prepared to give "a bloody nose" to anyone engaging in any misadventure, and that ‘not even one square inch’ of Indian land has been occupied by China, a claim that has been reiterated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and satellite imagery.
Rahul Gandhi who last month was on a six-day visit to Ladakh, said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Indian government is lying about the situation with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). MP Gandhi also said that China is occupying a large chunk of land in Ladakh.
“I spent a week in Ladakh. I went to Pangong Lake right in front of where the Chinese were. I had detailed discussions, probably the most detailed discussions that any politician outside Ladakh has had with the people of Ladakh. They categorically told me that the Chinese have taken Indian land. They categorically told me that the PM (Modi) is lying about the fact that the Chinese have not taken Indian land," Rahul Gandhi said.
However, Lieutenant Governor B D Mishra on Monday said that not even an inch of land in Ladakh had been captured by China and that India is in occupation of their land ‘till the last inch’.
Lieutenant Governor B D Mishra said, "I won't comment on anybody's statement. But I will say what is fact because I have seen myself 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," he said.
Mishra was in Jammu attending a three-day North Tech Symposium being organised by the Indian Army.
Responding to reporters' queries on the side lines of the event, he said, “Our armed forces are prepared for any eventuality, and God forbid if the balloon goes up, people will get a bloody nose from us.”
Further, China's move of including Arunachal Pradesh, and Aksai Chin in its 2023 version ‘standard map’ has riled up the already broken diplomatic and military relations between India and China.
Notably, satellite images have revealed that Beijing has ramped up construction of reinforced personnel bunkers and underground facilities in Aksai Chin. The Aksai Chin is the part China occupied during the 1962 Sino-Indian war.
The satellite images show that the construction is being done in Aksai Chin region about 70km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
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