While talks with China over the stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will continue, there is growing consensus within the Indian government that the country should be prepared for a “military response” if needed.
According to a report in The Indian Express, specific words such as “takrav (clash)” and “ladhai (fight)” have come up in discussions of the top leadership.
“We do not want an escalation but we will not compromise by yielding to China,” a unnamed top official involved in these discussions, told the newspaper. “We are not going to step back, we will take them on.”
Also read: India accelerates infrastructure projects along India-China border
“The view in the government is that if you start thinking of consequences, you will not be able to move forward,” the official was quoted as saying when asked if the Centre had worked out on the implications of such a military conflict.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.
Tensions along the LAC had been rising since early May amid a stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers. However, the tensions escalated to another level after 20 Indian Army soldiers, including an officer, were killed in a violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15-16. There were casualties on the Chinese side too. However, that number is not clear.
Also read: India deploys air defence systems in Ladakh; Lt General-level talks on with China
The Indian Army has already sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border in the last two weeks.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also moved a sizeable number of its frontline Sukhoi 30-MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft and Apache attack helicopters to several key air bases including Leh and Srinagar following the clashes.
Read our complete coverage on the India-China border tension
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