India Of 2017 Is Different From That Of 1962: Arun Jaitley’s Response To China’s War Threat

A day after the official spokesperson of China’s People’s Liberation Army warned India of escalating the current border crisis, asking New Delhi to ‘learn lessons from the past’ and stop 'clamor for war,’ Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has responded by saying that the country today is different from the India of 1962.

“If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different, the India of today is different,” Jaitley said at India Today’s Midnight Conclave.

Jaitley’s remarks come amid rising tensions along the India-China border in Sikkim over Beijing’s latest attempt to build a road criss-crossing territory controlled by Bhutan near the Siliguri Corridor. Thimphu has also responded to Chinese misadventure, issuing a demarche over the construction of the road and asking Beijing to restore the ‘status quo’ by stopping the work immediately.

“After the statement of the government of Bhutan, I think the situation is absolutely clear. It is Bhutan’s land, close to the Indian border, and Bhutan and India have an arrangement to provide security,” Jaitley said.

“China is trying to alter the present status-quo. After this, I think the issue is absolutely clear. To say we will come there and grab the land of some other country is what China is doing and it is absolutely wrong,” the minister added.