Chinese incursion: Mulayam slams govt, opposes Khurshid visit

New Delhi: Government on Monday came under sharp attack in the Lok Sabha over Chinese incursion in Ladakh, with its crucial ally Samajwadi Party accusing it of acting in a "cowardly" manner and objecting to the upcoming visit of External Minister Salman Khurshid to Beijing.

Taking the lead in targeting the government, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the Chinese incursion was an "attack" on India which had "humiliated" the country and there should be a strong response, even if it leads to a war. The former Defence Minister described China as the "biggest threat", even more than Pakistan, as he demanded statement by Defence Minister AK Antony on the issue of the incursion to the extent of 19 kms in Jammu and Kashmir. Accusing the government of being "cowardly, incompetent and good for nothing", he took strong objection to the upcoming visit by Khurshid to Beijing asking whether he was going to "beg" there. Khurshid is scheduled to travel to Beijing on May 9 in connection with preparations for Chinese Premier Li Keqiang`s visit here next month. "China has again attacked (India). I have been warning continuously for eight years that China has started occupying our territory. But government is paying no heed to this," he said during the Zero Hour amid din created by BJP members over coal block allocation issue. He said the Indian Army Chief has said the troops are ready to throw out the intruders but the government is not giving them the required instructions. This is demoralising the army, he said. "We want the government to respond and immediately throw out the Chinese troops from there (Daulat Beg Oldie). Give directions to the Indian Army...If it leads to a war, let it be. Our Army is not weak," he said. He said he had raised the issue of Chinese aggression with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh several times and even hinted to Congress President Sonia Gandhi but "regrettably" even she did not give any direction to the government. Yadav was supported by B Mahtab (BJD) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) and some other members, including Jagdambika Pal (Cong), Nama Nageswara Rao (TDP) and Suvendu Adhikari (TMC) associated. PTI