Anger in Par over killing of soldiers on LoC

The killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control saw anger and anguish in Parliament today with BJP and Samajwadi Party questioning as to why the government was feeling "completely helpless" in the face of repeated aggression by Pakistan.

The issue saw parties coming together to assert that the country should respond strongly to such provocative acts, not only by Pakistan but also China whose troops have made repeated incursions in India in the recent months.

In the Lok Sabha, there were fervent demands for a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the serious issue. Speaker Meira Kumar said a structured debate could be held on the issue if notice was given.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar over the issue as also protests against formation of Telangana and demands for creation of Bodoland, leading to repeated adjournments.

The issue was raised by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who insisted that neither Pakistan nor China can be trusted, saying both of them were aggressive towards India.

"Our five soldiers have been killed on the LoC. Our army is not weak," he said, questioning what had been done in response to the provocative action by Pakistan troops in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"This is a matter of national unity, national security and self-confidence. Tell us why we are not able to stop these attacks," said Yadav, a former Defence Minister.

Attacking the government, he said after the previous incident of such nature in January, it had hosted the Prime Minister of Pakistan for lunch.

"China and Pakistan are preparing to attack India... We face threat from both China and Pakistan...We need to be alert," he said.