The surprises visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hours after Defence Minister called off his visit to the region does not convey the messages of unity among the country’s two top leaders over the military standoff on borders in eastern Ladhak. The defence minister’s absence won’t have been noticeable if China won’t have shown the tendencies of dragging on the military stand off on the borders even after third round of talks remain inconclusive after the death of twenty army men including an officer during a scuffle in Galwan valley the epicenter of the recent clashes between armies of China and India in Eastern Ladhak. The Prime Minister’s visit to Ladakh is though a move to show solidarity with the army men deployed on borders in the region but defence minister not accompanying the Prime Minister shows that top leadership does not show collectively responsibility over the responses to Chinese actions on borders in eastern Ladhak. Significantly Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently attended a military parade at Moscow in presence of his counterparts of Russia and China and after Rajnath’s meetings with Soviet leadership, the Soviet Foreign Minister ruled out the possibility of Russia playing any role in defusing India-China military stand off in Ladhak region. Prime Minister may have taken a serious note of the Soviet leadership’s unwillingness to play any role in defusing India’s border stand off with China in Ladhak region as Russian Foreign Minister during Rajnath Singh’s stay in Moscow went public to announce his country’s unwillingness to play a role in defusing the ongoing India-China military stand off in Ladhak region.
Prime Minister’s decision not to take along with him Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Ladhak for security assessment on borders and solidarity with the troops deployed on friction points in Galwan valley is by all standards of understandabilities against the spirit of collective responsibility which is crucial to national security during the times of military stand off on any border in any part of the country.
Rajnath Singh’s cancellation of his proposed visit to Ladhak region and Prime Minister’s surprise visit to Ladhak without defence minister the same day shows that Prime Minister has obviously ceased the opportunity to covey his displeasure to the defence minister over the response of the soviet leadership during his recent visit to Moscow over the issue of India-China military stand off in Ladhak region. Since the collective responsibility of the cabinet committee on security of which Defence minister is a key member matters a lot over all internal and external security issues particularly amid a military stand off with China in Ladak region, the Prime Minister’s decision not to take along with him Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Ladhak for security assessment on borders and solidarity with the troops deployed on friction points in Galwan valley is by all standards of understandabilities against the spirit of collective responsibility which is crucial to national security during the times of military stand off on any border in any part of the country.
