India wants end to border tension with China but will not cede an inch of land: Rajnath

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India wants an end to the border tension with China in eastern Ladakh, but at the same time asserted that Indian soldiers will never allow even an inch of the country to be taken away by anyone.

The defence minister made the remarks after performing ‘Shastra Puja’ -the customary worship of weapons at the Sukna-based headquarters of the Indian Army’s 33 Corps in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on the occasion of Dussehra

The defence minister was scheduled to perform the puja at Sherathang, a high-altitude border area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Sikkim, but could not go there due to inclement weather, officials said.

“India wants an end to the ongoing border tension with China and restoration of peace. This is our objective. But at times, some nefarious incidents keep happening. I am very confident that our soldiers will never allow even an inch of our land to be taken away by anyone,” Singh said after performing the “puja”.

Chief of Army Staff Gen. MM Naravane and several senior officers of the Army were present on the occasion when the defence minister performed the ‘puja’ at the key military base, which is responsible for guarding the LAC in the Sikkim sector.

After performing the puja, Singh inaugurated a new road in Sikkim through a video-conference from Sukna.

“I can say with confidence and on the basis of concrete information that the courage and deeds of Indian soldiers during whatever has happened at the India-China border in Ladakh recently will be written in golden letters by the historians,” the minister said without elaborating.

The defence minister’s ‘Shastra Puja’ at the strategically important military base was a message to India’s adversaries, a military official said.

Singh has been performing Shastra Puja’ during Dussehra for the last several years, including during his tenure as the Union home minister in the previous NDA government.