New Delhi
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday dismissed China’s objection to Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the defence minister goes to areas across the country where troops are deployed.
Rawat said the defence minister meets soldiers to understand various issues and such trips are always a source of motivation for the armed forces.
“Defence Minister visits troops in forward areas to meet them in person, to understand various issues which might be engulfing them. I think visits by the defence minister are always a source of motivation,” Rawat said on the sidelines of an event here.
Sitharaman on Sunday visited forward army posts in the remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of defence preparedness.
China had on Monday reacted angrily to the Indian Defence Minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the visit to the “disputed” region will not be conducive to peace on the border. China maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of South Tibet, a claim which is not accepted by India.
