New Delhi: Bravery and valour displayed by the armed forces during the Galwan valley clashes and the recent face-off in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh is commendable and no amount of praise for them is enough, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
In an address at industry chamber FICCI, Singh also said that India aspires to become a superpower to ensure global prosperity, but it does not have any intention to dominate other nations or capture even one inch of land of any country, in comments seen as a thinly veiled reference to China’s aggressive behaviour along the borders.
The defence minister also took an indirect dig at Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the border row with China, a day after the Congress leader accused the government of downplaying the threat posed by the Chinese military along the Line of Actual Control.
“Any amount of praise is not enough for the armed forces for the way they displayed bravery and valour, be it in Galwan or Tawang,” Singh said.
“We have never questioned the intention of any leader in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics should be based on truth. Politics cannot be done on the basis of falsehood for a long time,” he said, without naming anyone.
“The process of taking the society towards the right path is called ‘rajniti’ (politics). I do not understand the reason behind doubting anyone’s intention always,” Singh added.
Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a fresh clash in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, in a first such major flare-up after the deadly hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
“When I am saying we aspire to become a superpower, it should never be construed that we want to dominate over countries in the world. We do not have any intention to even capture one inch of land of any country,” he said.
“If we want to become a superpower, then we want to become a superpower for global good and prosperity. The world is our family,” Singh added.
PTI

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Press Trust of India