Former President Pranab Mukherjee has said that the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley is of “grave concern” for national strategic interest. He warned that it will also have far-reaching global geopolitical ramifications.
Mukherjee, who also served as Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister during the UPA regime, said the conscience of the nation has been bruised and needed to be addressed satisfactorily by the entire political class through bipartisan consensus.
He said the onus of achieving bipartisan consensus was mostly on the government, which has to take various stakeholders, including the Armed Forces onboard.
“It is for the government of the day to ensure that nothing but our national interests are kept supreme,” Mukherjee said.
He said this situation has to be successfully diffused and contained but it also has to be ensured that all avenues were explored to avoid any repetition in the future.
Mukherjee said that it was his “considered opinion that no service in the cause of Mother India could be greater than the service rendered by the brave hearts, who guard our sovereignty and integrity”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss the situation in the India-China border areas.
(Published 18 June 2020, 04:19 IST)
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