BJP MP seeks government statement on Chinese incursion

New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tarun Vijay Wednesday said the government should brief the MPs on the Chinese incursion in the Ladakh region and sought a statement from External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on the issue.

Vijay, who is a member of the Parliamentary Group on India-China Friendship, said that a special meeting of MPs should be convened and they should be briefed by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on the Chinese incursion.

The BJP leader met P.C. Chacko, who heads the Parliamentary Group on India-China Friendship, and urged him to convene a meeting of the MPs immediately. Vijay also spoke to Mathai.

The MP said in a press release that the incursion had taken place about a month before the proposed India visit of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

"It is surprising that just a month before the India visit of the new Chinese prime minister, such a grave violation of the mutually accepted norms to resolve disputes in a peaceful, non-aggressive manner has occurred. Parliament needs to be taken into confidence about the situation," Vijay said.

He added that Khurshid should make a suo moto statement in parliament on the issue.

He also said that the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) before the incursion should be restored to ensure that the incident does not overshadow the Chinese premier's visit next month.

Indian and Chinese local military commanders Tuesday held a flag meeting for the second time to resolve the stand-off over incursion by Chinese troops into the Indian side of the LAC in Ladakh.

Chinese troops have set up a post inside Indian territory, about 10 km from the LAC, the de-facto border between India and China. The Chinese set up the post April 15.

India has asked Beijing to maintain the status quo that existed before the April 15 intrusion.

The cold desert region of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir has about 650 km of Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, which is not demarcated at most places.