External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday, while reacting to the Opposition’s walkout in the Rajya Sabha after the Chair rejected demands for a debate on Chinese incursion on the borders, said that India’s jawans should not be criticised directly or indirectly.
“Our soldiers are standing at a height of 13,000 feet in Yangtse and guarding our border. They should be respected and appreciated,” Jaishankar said while speaking in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday rejected all nine notices under rule 267 saying they were not in order.
Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comment on the Indian and Chinese troops clash in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang recently, the minister said that the word “pitai” should not be used for our jawans.
“We have no problem with political criticism but we should not disrespect our jawans. I have heard that my own understanding needs to be deepened. When I see who is giving the advice I can only bow and respect. The word ‘pitai’ should not be used for our jawans,” Jaishankar hit out at Rahul Gandhi without naming him.
Rahul Gandhi, earlier on Friday while commenting on the recent faceoff between India and China had said that Indian jawans in Arunachal Pradesh are being “thrashed up” by the Chinese Army troops.
“The ones who captured 2,000 sq km of India and killed 20 Indian soldiers, and are thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh,” Gandhi had said.
