Opposition walkout in both houses of Parliament after Rajnath LAC statement

Opposition leaders on Tuesday staged a walkout in both the houses of Parliament - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - after defence minister Rajnath Singh concluded his statement on the India-China LAC (Line of Actual Control) clash in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang. This came as the Speakers announced there will be no discussion on the matter post the Defence Minister's address.

The opposition has been demanding a discussion on the present border situation along the India-China border. Several leaders had also given a notice in the upper house during Zero Hour in the Parliament for the same.

Congress president and Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was quoted saying by news agency ANI, “We were told by the Leader of the House and Deputy Rajya Sabha Chairman that we would be given a chance for clarification but they did not give it and were not ready to listen to us. This is not good for the country.”

Earlier, the Defence Minister told both houses of Parliament that “no soldier died or no major injuries were reported” during the clash. He also underlined that the army is prepared to face such incidents. “The Indian Army stopped the troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) last week along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector,” he said.

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“On December 9 in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector, PLA troops encroached upon and attempted to change the status quo. This attempt was tackled by our troops in a determined manner. Our troops bravely stopped the PLA from encroaching upon our territory and forced them to go back to their post,” he told Parliament.

In his statement, Rajnath Singh further underlined, “In this face-off, few soldiers on both sides suffered injuries. I'd like to stress that none of our soldiers died or suffered any serious injury. Due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers have retreated to their own locations. This matter has also been taken up with China through diplomatic channels. I want to assure the House that our forces are committed to guarding our borders and ready to thwart any attempt that will be made to challenge it.”