New Delhi:
The government sent out top trouble-shooters to placate crucial ally Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has today said that it now seems serious about tackling the Chinese incursion into Indian territory in Ladakh.
Mr Yadav had lambasted the UPA government that he gives external support to in Parliament earlier this week, accusing it of being "cowardly" in the face of Chinese pressure and slamming the proposed visit of External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to Beijing next week.
Mr Khurshid, along with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, met Mr Yadav in Parliament House this morning and briefed him on the government's strategy to deal with Chinese intrusion. A softer Mulayam Singh appeared from that meeting to say, ""Now the government is showing some seriousness. But the need is to drive the Chinese out of our territory...it is a very serious matter."
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath too met Mr Yadav on the issue.
Mr Yadav said he had advised Mr Khurshid that the "Chinese could not be trusted."
Mr Yadav said the Chinese army had entered one kilometre inside Indian territory when he was Defence Minister. "I directed the (Indian) forces to drive them out. We entered four km inside Chinese territory in the process," he claimed.
A Chinese platoon has pitched camp 19 kilometres inside Indian territory in Ladakh since April 15. India has repeatedly asked them to withdraw, but China insists that it is not camped in Indian territory.
In the Lok Sabha, Mr Yadav had warned that "China, not Pakistan, is the biggest enemy" and had demanded a firmer approach with Beijing and that Mr Khurshid's visit be scrapped.
The Congress-led UPA government is in minority since it lost two big allies in the Trinamool Congress and the DMK. Mr Yadav with his external support of 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha is one of its life lines.
Mr Yadav had lambasted the UPA government that he gives external support to in Parliament earlier this week, accusing it of being "cowardly" in the face of Chinese pressure and slamming the proposed visit of External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to Beijing next week.
Mr Khurshid, along with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, met Mr Yadav in Parliament House this morning and briefed him on the government's strategy to deal with Chinese intrusion. A softer Mulayam Singh appeared from that meeting to say, ""Now the government is showing some seriousness. But the need is to drive the Chinese out of our territory...it is a very serious matter."
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath too met Mr Yadav on the issue.
Mr Yadav said he had advised Mr Khurshid that the "Chinese could not be trusted."
Mr Yadav said the Chinese army had entered one kilometre inside Indian territory when he was Defence Minister. "I directed the (Indian) forces to drive them out. We entered four km inside Chinese territory in the process," he claimed.
A Chinese platoon has pitched camp 19 kilometres inside Indian territory in Ladakh since April 15. India has repeatedly asked them to withdraw, but China insists that it is not camped in Indian territory.
In the Lok Sabha, Mr Yadav had warned that "China, not Pakistan, is the biggest enemy" and had demanded a firmer approach with Beijing and that Mr Khurshid's visit be scrapped.
The Congress-led UPA government is in minority since it lost two big allies in the Trinamool Congress and the DMK. Mr Yadav with his external support of 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha is one of its life lines.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
