Former Diplomat and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday backed the Government's response to Chinese incursions, saying that the Centre is correctly working towards a resolution instead of aggravating the Indo-China relationship.
Speaking to the media here, Aiyar said that the Government was committed to mitigate differences with China through talks instead of wars.
"When diplomatic talks fail, it leads to war. Diplomacy and violence cannot go together. We understand your concerns and, in my opinion, the approach taken by our government is the most productive way forward," Aiyar said.
Aiyar added that though India and China have had a complicated history of violence, the UPA-led government was taking steps to constructively solve the differences pertaining to the border between the countries.
"We do have a tangled history but the wise thing to do is work towards their resolution and not work towards their aggravation, that is why I support the Government of India," Aiyar said.
Aiyar also said that the Government should not act in a matter of haste and excitement and must analyze the situation from both sides.
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"We must ask ourselves what these incursions mean-are they threats? At the same time, we have to think about how China is reacting to us while we are making our army significantly stronger by investing thousands of crores of rupees. Keeping all these things in mind, we must not get too excited and trigger a war but instead look for a solution outside those which call for violence," Aiyar said.
Meanwhile, political parties have called for a tough stand against Chinese troops, along the unresolved Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav attacked the UPA-led government's reaction to China saying, "When the country's government is weak, enemies start to attack."
Shiv Sena lawmaker Sanjay Raut on Monday criticized the government for remaining silent over the recent incursions.
"It is very unfortunate that Chinese troops had entered Ladakh and they stopped Indian troops from patrolling after entering our territory. It is the weakness of our government. This has not happened for the first time. This happens in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and other parts of the country and we are sitting quietly," Raut said.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar urged Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to seriously take up the Indo-China issue.
"The Prime Minister of India should seriously discuss the matter and he should submit a report before the Parliament on the activities of the Chinese troops alongside the Indo-China border," Kumar said.
Earlier Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agarwal said that China posed a threat to India's security and warned that they had deceived India in the past.
"I have been repeatedly saying that China is posing a threat to our country. In the past they had said that India and China are brothers and then they deceived us. Similar situation has arisen once again," Agarwal said.
On July 26, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that both India and China are presently trying to find a long-term solution to their border dispute through frank discussions.
"Both sides are trying to find a long-term solution to the long-pending border dispute. Till that time, our aim is to maintain peace and tranquility along the border. Still, there are disputed points. Both sides are going by their own perceptions. Sometimes, this gives cause to some embarrassing situations," Antony said.
Talks with China, Antony said, were at the "final settlement" stage and would be continued through another round of talks in Beijing within the next few months.
The India-China relationship has caused worry over the past weeks following multiple Chinese intrusions into India. Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave its approval for the establishment of a 40,000-strong Mountain Strike Corps along the Indo-China border, which would boost Indian defence capabilities in the area.
Chinese troops are reported to have crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on July 16, 18 and 20, and on each of these occasions, they intruded into Indian territory upto three kilometers before turning back under pressure from the Indian side.
