New Delhi:
Amid a prolonged standoff between India and China along the LAC in Ladakh, some opposition members of a parliamentary panel on Friday questioned Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat on the prevailing situation and also demanded a proper presentation on the entire issue from the government. Sources said some members including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions about food served to soldiers and issue related to the listed official agenda of the meeting of the panel.
The official agenda for the meeting was listed as ‘provision and monitoring of the quality of ration and livery items to the Defence forces, especially in border areas. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence is chaired by BJP leader Jual Oram. During the meeting, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar asked about recent developments on the LAC and sought details and presentation on the situation at LAC, the sources said.
Later, defence ministry representatives responded that these questions have been noted down. Earlier, Pawar had told reporters that he will ask for a presentation for the members of the panel on the situation at LAC in Ladakh. This was the first time Gandhi attended this committee’s meeting since being nominated to the panel last year after the Lok Sabha elections.
During the meeting, he questioned about difference in food served to soldiers and officers in army, the sources said. Responding to his questions, representatives of the army said there is no difference in the quality or quantity of food served to soldiers or officers. It is being served as per their tastes and food habits, they said.
The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been locked in a tense standoff in multiple areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May. Shots were fired across the LAC on Monday for the first time in 45 years with the two sides accusing each other of firing in the air. However, the two countries reached an agreement during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday evening for a five-point roadmap including quick disengagement of troops and avoiding any action that could escalate tensions for resolving the four-month-long face-off, while noting that the current situation at their border is not in the interest of either side.
