“If such big land was encroached upon then, it cannot be ignored. It is a matter of national security and it should not be politicised is what I feel,” Pawar said.
Amidst a war of words between the Congress and the BJP over the face-off with China, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said matters of national security shouldn't be politicised and added one cannot forget China had captured about 45000 sq kms of Indian land after the 1962 war.
Pawar's comments came in response to a query about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had surrendered Indian territory to the Chinese aggression.
Pawar also said the Galwan Valley incident in Ladakh cannot immediately be labelled as a failure of Defence Minister, as Indian soldiers were alert during patrolling.
Speaking to reporters, the former Union minister said the entire episode is “sensitive” in nature. It was China which played the provocateur in the Galwan Valley, he said.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash with their Chinese counterpart in eastern Ladakh on the night of June 15.
The former defence minister further said India had been constructing a road in Galwan Valley within its limits meant for…
