Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that any war with China will also involve Pakistan, The Indian Express reported. “Mark my words, any war with China will be a collusive one, with Pakistan as well,” Singh said during an online Idea Exchange at The Indian Express.
Singh said Chinese incursions were not a new thing, but that India was much better prepared now. “This business of coming to Galwan, this is not for the first time…in 1962 they came to Galwan…but the fact is that we are in a much, much better position,” he said. “Now we have a whole corps there, which means 10 brigades. The Chinese are going to be very foolish if they think they can come on us. They had a bloody nose in 1967, and I think second time also they will get a bloody nose.”
Singh said there was still a need to deal with the Chinese militarily, because they kept demanding more and more territory from India. Singh rued that the mountain strike corps, planned to combat China, was yet to be formed. “Now we had to milk out formations from other commands and send them to block the areas in Ladakh,” he said.
Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15. The clash led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unidentified number of their Chinese counterparts.
‘Discipline needed in Congress’
Singh said Congress leaders were not angry, but only feel that a certain decorum should be maintained in the party. However, he said he was surprised at the letter written by 23 leaders to party chief Sonia Gandhi calling for a change within the party.
“I opened The Indian Express and saw the pictures and everything,” Singh said. “And the very next day the Congress Working Committee [meeting] was called. We did not even know the contents [of the letter] fully. Now, those issues which have been raised, I am sure will come up in the next meeting.”
On August 24, the Congress Working Committee passed a unanimous resolution to allow Gandhi to remain president for six more months, during which time a new president would be elected.
‘No central help in fighting coronavirus’
The Punjab chief minister claimed that the Centre had not offered his state any help in combating the coronavirus pandemic. “Government of India has given us Rs 101 crore till now,” he said. “I have spent Rs 500 crore. And I do not have the money. I have no money because my own resources have come to a complete halt.”
Singh said the state, which has over 44,000 cases at present, could have over 1.1 lakh by September 18. “I need resources,” he said. “But I learnt today that even the GST is not going to come. All our taxes have been subsumed by government. And now they are saying we are not going to get money. Where are we to get the money?”
Singh added that the chief ministers of all Opposition-ruled states will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak about funds. The matter was decided in a meeting Gandhi held with Opposition chief ministers on Wednesday.
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