Don't fall prey to the Chinese propaganda: Defence Chief General

New Delhi – Defence Chief General Bipin Rawat warned about China’s propaganda warfare. He highlighted that China has advanced propaganda warfare mechanism and they are using it shrewdly. Speaking at a function organised by a private news channel, General Rawat said that China’s recent land border law was a part of the technique to pressure India. He explained that the new law was to be applied to China only and not India. Therefore, we should ignore the noise China is making.

Expressing his views on issues related to national security, General Rawat appealed not to fall prey to the Chinese pressure. Rawat warned that if India feels the pressure and China succeeds in the propaganda war, it will be detrimental. A report submitted to the US Congress by the Pentagon a few days ago stated that China is building a village near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh. The news was widely reported in the media. India also had to react, taking cognisance of the report. The sources linked to the Indian defence department pointed out that the construction is being carried out at a site, which has been under Chinese military control for the past six decades. General Rawat exposed the propaganda tactics of China, citing the example of this news.

General Rawat informed that the Indian Defence Forces were well prepared on the LAC and that India would respond decisively to any China’s offensive. After the skirmish at Galwan on the LAC at Ladakh, China is projected to have built a village on the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and increased the population of Chinese citizens here, but that is not the case. China is building heavily in the area under its control near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. Houses are being built for the labourers. This village must have been built to solve the problem of housing for these labourers. But it is being touted as a Chinese invasion of Indian territory; General Rawat pointed out.

General Rawat assured that today’s India is ready for any security challenge. After the infiltration by the Chinese army in 1962, the then political leadership decided not to use the air force against it. The decision prompted concerns that China would also use its air force and inflict heavy losses on India. But at the time, if there was a defence chief in office and had advised the political leadership, the invading Chinese army could have been blown away using the air force. This would have changed the entire scenario of the 1962 war. Today, however, the Unified Theatre Command, an integrated structure of the Indian Defence Forces, has greatly enhanced the country’s defence capabilities, said General Rawat.

Meanwhile, speaking on the potential threat posed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, General Rawat made a striking statement that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will capture and kill the terrorists soon. Killing terrorists by the people is not a welcome thing; there could be an issue of human rights, but it would not be wrong for the people to kill them to protect themselves from terrorist activities, he said, citing some of his experiences in Jammu and Kashmir.