Statement of Shri Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary (Communication): The Ministry of External Affairs’ weak response to the recent video showing PLA troops harassing and blocking shepherds’ access to grazing areas in the Chushul sector is par for the course for the Modi government. The MEA spokesperson reportedly stated that “both countries are well aware of their respective traditional grazing zone. Any spat, controversy, or dispute is dealt with the established mechanism”. Regarding established mechanisms, we have seen how the Modi government has failed to prevent the Chinese from denying our troops and graziers access to 2,000 square kilometres of territory in eastern Ladakh for the past four years, despite 18 rounds of military talks.

But the MEA and the Ministry of Defence are not the only authorities involved here. Border management comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.It is the responsibility of the Home Ministry to ensure that Indian graziers are able to exercise their rights as citizens inside Indian territory.

We demand answers to the following questions by Home Minister Amit Shah:

(1) How many instances have there been since May 2020 of our graziers being harassed or pushed back by Chinese border guards within our perception of the LAC? (2) Have our graziers suffered any injuries or material losses in these encounters? (3) Has there been any effort to protect them from Chinese harassment or are they forced to defend themselves with no support from the ITBP as it appeared in the video? Friday, February 2, 2024