Govt. neither weak nor incompetent in dealing with alleged Chinese incursions: Kamal Nath

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Friday said Defence Minister A.K. Antony would make a statement in both Houses of Parliament at 1 p.m. on the alleged Chinese incursions in Ladakh.

Emphatically rejecting Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's charge that the UPA-II regime is weak, incompetent and lacks the political will to counter China's alleged aggressive designs, Nath said: "I categorically state that this government is neither weak nor incompetent and has the capacity to respond to any aggressive designs by any country. There are rumors floating around. We are studying and assessing the situation, and will take the appropriate decision at the right time."

Nath further stated that the government has nothing to hide, especially in matters of national interest, and added that Defence Minister Antony would address Parliament at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.

"Defence Minister will make a statement in the House on the press reports about Chinese intrusion and occupation of Indian territory. He will make a statement in Lok Sabha at 1 p.m. and in the Rajya Sabha at 3 p.m. The government has nothing to hide. It is a matter of national interest and national importance," he told media here today.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla urged people not to fall for statements made by various people on this issue, and said that the statement made by the defence minister would be the most credible source of information.

"Several people are making different statement, but there is no truth in all this. The statement that Defence Minister will make is valid and credible. That will reflect the real situation and truth," he said.

Antony is likely to confirm whether Chinese troops have occupied 640 kilometres of Indian territory near the border in north-east Ladakh, in April or not.

A National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) ground situation report has stressed that the

Chinese side had stopped Indian troops from patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the latter has lost access to the line in some areas in eastern Ladakh.

The report was submitted last month after NSAB Chairman Shyam Saran was asked by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to oversee the border infrastructure development and situation at the LAC by visiting the Ladakh and Siachen sectors.

According to reports, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has gradually occupied nearly 640 square kilometres of area on the LAC in Ladakh in the past few months.