'I don't think...': Rajnath Singh on if China has occupied Indian land in Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that China has not occupied any Indian land in Ladakh under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I don't think so," he said when asked if the PLA, which entered the areas claimed by New Delhi in 2020, had occupied the Indian land along the LAC. He, however, said there were some issues dating back to 2013 that were yet to be resolved.   

"Commander-level talks are going on between India and China. There are some issues, some date back to 2013, which need to be resolved. India and China are holding talks with the belief that we will reach a resolution," the defence minister said while speaking to news agency ANI's Editor Smita Prakash.  

The Centre has maintained that the PLA has not taken any land, but the Congress claims that China is sitting on Indian land in Eastern Ladakh. 

Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram recently claimed that under the BJP government, China has occupied 2000 square km of Indian territory and is fortifying the area. "China is on a re-naming spree and is merrily changing the names of villages and landmarks," he wrote, referring to Bejing's renaming of some places in Arunachal Pradesh. "Why is the Foreign Minister subdued in his response to the actions of China?" asked Chidambaram.

The Congress in its manifesto has promised to restore the "status quo ante" on borders with China. 

Reacting to this, Rajnath Singh wondered whether the Congress would take back lands lost to China under its previous governments. "I can only wonder that the Congress government can do this. I wouldn't like to comment on what happened under their rule, how many 1000 square kilometres of the land went into Chinese possession," he said. 

"But, I want to assure the countrymen that under PM Modi-led government, no one can capture even an inch of our land and we won’t cede even an inch of our land," the defence minister said. 

The relations between India and China have not been normal ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area. The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of corps commander-level talks to resolve the standoff. 

According to the Chinese military, the two sides so far agreed to disengage from four points, namely the Galwan Valley, the Pangong Lake, Hot Springs, and Jianan Daban (Gogra). 

India is pressing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.

(With inputs from PTI)