Opposition extends support to NDA Govt in diplomatic solution to China standoff

Their support came at an all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday to apprise mainly the opposition parties of the Government's measures following the military standoff at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction and the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir.

The purpose of the meeting was also to garner the opposition backing, particularly ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on Monday.

"We conveyed our concerns to the Government and proposed diplomacy be employed to ease tensions," senior Congress leader Anand  Sharma told reporters.

Stressing the need for maintaining peace, Sharma said attempts must be made to defuse the tension to which the Government agreed, saying the recent agreement forged with China was a pointer to its intention of taking measures against fresh disputes and de-escalating the situation.

The meeting was attended by 19 lawmakers representing different political parties who were briefed by senior ministers and top officials.

There will be a second round of meeting tomorrow for the remaining political parties.

The ongoing standoff   has heightened tension at  Doklam, a disputed territory claimed by both Bhutan and China, where the Indian Army have reached to stop China from building a road.

Taking a serious note of the Chinese activities, Delhi has described it as a major  security concern  since it  gives China access to the narrow strip of land connecting  mainland India to its north-eastern states.

China has accused India of  trespassing into its territory and demanded withdrawal of troops leading to a heated exchange.

While India and Bhutan  say the land belongs to the tiny Himalayan kingdom and that the Indian troops are there at the request of Bhutan, China has warned that it will not accept any dialogue till Indian soldiers pull out from Doklam.

"China has explicitly pointed out that the illegal trespass of Indian border troops into China's territory this time took place at the defined Sikkim section of the China-India boundary, which is utterly different in nature from the previous frictions between the two sides at the undefined sections of the China-India boundary," Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang has recently said.

In reply,  Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has  said that the India of 2017 is different from the India of 1962.

The opposition, particularly the Congress,  has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the confrontation and the way the situation is being handled.