Sharad Pawar should have rectified his mistakes when he was Minister of Defense, said Nitin Raut.
Mumbai:
Sharad Pawar’s comments on the 1962 war with China drew a response from the Congress of Maharashtra, highlighting once again the divide between the allies in power of the state. Maharashtra congress chief and state energy minister Nitin Raut said today that Sharad Pawar should have “rectified the mistakes” when he was the country’s defense minister.
“When China captured our territory in 1962, the situation was different. Sharad Pawar should have rectified the mistakes when he was Minister of Defense under Congress leadership. Instead of commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s remark, he should have advise the Prime Minister to speak on the matter, “Mr. Raut was reportedly quoted by the ANI news agency.
Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s repeated attacks on the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Pawar to make a specific reference to the 1962 war and the capture by China of approximately 45,000 km2 of Indian territory.
National security issues should not be politicized, said Pawar, referring to 1962, when Jawaharlal Nehru, Mr. Gandhi’s great-grandfather, was Prime Minister.
“This land is still with China. I don’t know if they (China) have yet encroached on an area. But when I make an allegation, I should also see what happened when I was there- low (in power). If such large lands were then invaded, we cannot ignore them. It is a matter of national security and it should not be politicized, that is what I feel, “said M Pawar.
Gandhi replied on Sunday with a tweet, asking “When will there be discussions on national security”.
Raut said that instead of commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the government, Pawar should have advised the Prime Minister to speak on the Ladakh issue.
Prime Minister Modi had spoken of Ladakh on Sunday on his monthly radio address “Mann ki Baat”.
Without naming China, he said India had given a “suitable response” to those who dared to look at its territory.
“If India can maintain its friendship, it can also confront someone and give an adequate response. Our brave soldiers made it clear that they would not allow anyone to tarnish the honor of Mother India,” he said. he added, referring to the shock with the Chinese. June 15 troops, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the line of duty.
