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HomeIndia TakesMANOHAR PARRIKAR MULLING NEW POLICY FOR DEFENCE LOBBYING

MANOHAR PARRIKAR MULLING NEW POLICY FOR DEFENCE LOBBYING

defPANAJI: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is considering the introduction of a new policy on the vexed issue of blacklisting defence equipment suppliers accused of corruption as well as reforming rules for lobbyists to balance the needs of the armed forces with transparency.

 

Speaking to ET in the state capital at the chief minister’s residence, Parrikar said, “One of the ideas the government is thinking about is how to ensure transparency in dealing with representatives of defence companies and also the policy of blacklisting those companies.”

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Parrikar, who has been briefed on these issues by top officials after taking charge, said a fair amount of documentation was ready as his predecessor Arun Jaitley had initiated changes in these areas.

 

Parrikar was in Goa to ensure a smooth transfer in the coastal state of which he was the CM before being moved to the Centre as the defence minister in the November 9 Union Cabinet expansion. “There are things about administration which only a chief minister knows. Some files are only with the CM or just about one bureaucrat. So I had to brief him (new CM Lax-mikant Parsekar) on key matters. I had only two days to decide on Modiji’s suggestion about becoming the defence minister,” he said.

 

Elaborating on the complications and grey areas in dealing with the issue of lobbying, Parrikar said some aspect of lobbying could be allowed.

 

“Lobbying fee needs to be clearly defined. The activity, till it pertains to transparent representation of defence companies’ products and other things, can be regulated and allowed. Actually, I would prefer the word ‘representation’ and not ‘lobbying’. After all, if these companies have to sell equipment here, they or their representatives will need an office from where they work, and provide data and information which is reliable for us to make informed decisions.” He also emphasised that he was “thinking aloud” on the matter and these thoughts should not be taken as final opinion.

 

Soon after coming to power, the Modi government had begun reviewing UPA-II regime’s policy of so-called ‘blanket blacklisting’ of defence equipment suppliers under which commercial dealings with vendors facing corruption inquiries were prohibited.

 

In late August, Jaitley had announced a modification of this policy to ensure supply of spares for equipment already purchased by the forces. He had also cited the need to balance concerns of transparency with the requirements of the armed forces, as the pace of defence procurement had slowed in the past 2-3 years following allegations of kickbacks and corruption during UPA years. This has further delayed modernisation and upgradation of security forces.

 

“If you (do blanket) blacklisting of defence companies, they will blackmail you, since a lot of equipment has already been purchased and requires spares for maintenance. Also, to give just one example of the fighter jets, there are not many manufacturers around. So if we blacklist half of them, our buying options are curtailed. As it is, there will be some among them who won’t sell (to) us for strategic reasons, like the Chinese, for example. So, it needs to be decided clearly about blacklisting for what period and which product from a company, since the companies sell different products in different countries.”

 

For his part, Parrikar appears to have brought in a sense of urgency in the ministry on this front, as the three service chiefs have been asked to prioritise their demands and prepare for the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), a structure under the defence minister to deal with acquisitions. It consists of the defence minister, the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy, the minister of state and the defence secretary.

(Source: Economic Times November 17, 2014)

 

 

DEAL FOR S KOREAN MINESWEEPERS TO BE SCRAPPED

 

NEW DELHI: India is all set to scrap the long-pending deal for South Korean mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs), which are highly-specialized smallish warships that detect, track and destroy enemy mines to keep shipping traffic safe, due to allegations of agents having vitiated the entire selection process.

 

Instead, in recognition of Navy’s critical operational requirement for MCMVs, the defence ministry will “nominate” defence PSU Goa Shipyard (GSL) to build eight such specialized vessels with foreign collaboration through a fresh tender soon.

 

With defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday returning to New Delhi from Goa, where he visited GSL and held talks with top officials, sources said the final decision to scrap the original MCMV tender is “likely in the next few days”.

 

It was under the UPA-2 regime that the final price negotiations with South Korean company Kangnam Corporation had concluded in October 2011. Under it, two MCMVs and transfer of technology were to be acquired from Kangnam in a deal worth Rs 2,700 crore, with Goa Shipyard building another six such vessels for over Rs 6,000 crore.

 

The inking of the deal, however, was kept on hold due to the allegations swirling around it. Now, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi has recommended scrapping of the entire selection process for the MCMVs, which began way back in July 2005, since Kangnam hired agents to facilitate the deal. The MoD has already “encashed” the Rs 3 crore bank guarantee furnished by Kangnam under the pre-contract “integrity pact”, as was earlier reported by TOI.

 

“Under the new tender or RFP (request for proposal), all the eight MCMVs will now be built in India by GSL. The defence shipyard will tie up with a foreign collaborator, which can include Kangnam since it’s not being blacklisted,” said a source.

 

The Navy has repeatedly sounded alarm over delays in the acquisition of MCMVs, down as it is to just seven ageing Karwar and Pondicherry-class of minesweepers for both the east and west coasts when it needs 24 to be comfortable. They have become all the more important due to the increasing forays of Chinese submarines, which can easily lay mines, into the Indian Ocean region.

 

Just last week, Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan again stressed the “urgent need” for MCMVs. “They are required to keep our harbours open and safe in the event of hostilities. The government has to take a decision since our force-levels of minesweepers/mine-hunters has gone down drastically,” he said.

 

Underwater mines, which are cheap and relatively easy to plant, can create havoc by choking up harbours. The around 1,000-tonne MCMVs are used to “clear” harbour approaches or departure routes as well as offshore installations for shipping activity. With high-definition sonars, acoustic and magnetic sweeps, these specialised vessels can detect marooned and drifting mines. They then use remote-controlled systems like small underwater vehicles to then detonate the mines at safe distances.

(Source: Times of India November 17, 2014)

 

IAF EYES TECHNICAL CHANGES TO ITS SU-30 MKI FLEET

 

With details emerging that premature automatic ejection of seats could have been the cause of the Sukhoi crash of October 14, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is considering making certain technical modifications to the ejection kit of India’s frontline combat aircraft fleet.

 

Speaking to Mirror, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Simranpal Singh Birdi said, “A team of Russian experts, along with IAF personnel and officials from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), conducted evaluations of all Sukhoi fleet in the country, following which the decision to uplift the ban was taken.”

 

When pressed regarding details of any modifications being considered, Birdi said, “The Court of Inquiry (CoI) is still on. Once that is complete, some technical changes might take place in the fleet.”

 

The crash took place at Theur village, about 20 km from Pune. Sources said, “When the Sukhoi was prepared to land, the cockpit computer notices a reduction in engine power, following which, it activates rescue mechanism, ejects both pilots and deploys parachutes. However, the ejection mechanism is used only as a last-ditch effort. The automatic system helps unconscious or injured pilots exit the aircraft. In this case, the crew was not given time to try and rectify the snag, leading to the loss of a costly aircraft.”

 

However, sources also said that the Russian team of experts have claimed that the ejection of seats cannot take place automatically, a contention that is not being accepted by IAF.

 

Former Indian Air Chief PV Naik said, ” The experts must have checked the ejection kit of all fleets during which they could have come across technical snags in the circuit diagram of the kit and the software. On the basis of these details, they might have decided to make some changes in the kit. Grounding the fleet was a big blow to the IAF.”

 

Meanwhile, the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters of the IAF, which has been grounded since October 22, have been cleared for flying again. After receiving clearance, the first sortie was conducted on Friday.

 

IAF is already down to 34 combat squadrons, as against an authorised strength of 44. Each squadron has up to 18 fighter planes. This was the fifth accident involving a SU-30 MKI since 2009 and the fleet has been grounded at least twice earlier.

(Source: Pune Mirror November 17, 2014)

 

SUPERSONIC BRAHMOS CRUISE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY STOLEN BY CHINA

 

China’s CX-1 cruise missile which was exhibited at the Zhubai Airshow bears stark similarities to the Indo-Russian Brahmos Missile. China has been well known of cyber attacks on sensitive military installations and stealing hi-tech military technology from the west. This time it is from India.

 

At the ongoing 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition or Zhuhai Airshow, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has for the first time demonstrated a supersonic cruise missile called the Chaoxun-1 or CX-1, which bears a close resemblance to the Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile.

 

Wang Hongpo, the missile’s designer, told the paper that the CX-1 has a range of 280 kilometers, can attain a speed of Mach 3 at 17,000 meters and is capable of sinking a large warship. The missile lowers its altitude to 10 meters when it arrives at a distance 10 kilometers away from its target, he said. This is exactly what even the BrahMos does.

 

The CX-1 supersonic missile travel faster than the speed of sound, usually using ramjet engines. The CX-1 supersonic cruise missile is available in two variants, the CX-1B which can be launched from an 8×8 truck chassis and the CX-1A is a sea version, designed to be launched from a combat ship.

 

According the first information of the designer, the CX-1 is especially designed to destroy naval targets, but it can be also used against land targets.

 

For the naval version, the CX1 is launched from oblique container mounted onboard ship. For the land version, two CX1 missiles in container can be mounted on 8×8 heavy truck chassis. The same truck chassis is used as launch station for the M20 missile and for the rockets A100, A200 and A300.

 

There is no way that China could have developed a supersonic cruise missile technology all by itself in such a short period of time given its technical capabilities in developing cruise missiles.

 

There are believed to be between 3,000 and 4,000 supersonic cruise missile in service around the globe.

 

Wang admitted that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation had faced speculation as to whether it had stolen technology from the BrahMos missile when designing CX-1. Designed jointly by NPO Mashinostroyeniya based in Reutov, Russia and the Defence Research and Development Organisation based in New Delhi, the BrahMos serves as India’s primary supersonic cruise missile which can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land.

 

Wang told Global Times that the CX-1 shares only superficial similarities with the BrahMos. The wing, aerodynamic guidance and jet vane of the CX-1 are completely different from those of BrahMos, he said. Wang also pointed out that CX-1 shares similar characteristics with the BrahMos due to the Missile Technology Control Regime since both missiles are developed for overseas markets.

 

Only a handful of countries have supersonic cruise missiles, including the United States, Russia, and India and now China with stolen technology.

(Source: Defence News November 17, 2014)

 

 

THE FUTURE OF INDIAN ARMY’S AIR DEFENCE CORPS

 

The Indian Army’s (IA) Air Defence (AD) corps has long been considered the most neglected of its specific arms. However with the induction of the Akash medium range surface to air missile (MRSAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) the long awaited modernization of this arm has now kicked off. Alongside the Akash, Army AD is also inducting a new generation Russian very short range SAM (SR-SAM). These two inductions have meant that the IA now can wait for an indigenous offering in the quick reaction SAM (QRSAM) segment which has begun development in DRDL rather than procure that from overseas. The AD corps is however having to make do with interim upgrades of its obsolescent AD guns via domestic industry and is exploring the possibility of crafting a domestic replacement. Meanwhile domestic programs have also yielded sensor spinoffs that have found favour with the AD corps and these are being used to pave the way for greater network centric warfare (NCW) capability.

 

Despite years of criticism by naysayers, the Akash MRSAM has made it to the IA’s stables. The two lead integrators Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) along with 205 other domestic suppliers are currently executing orders for two Akash Mk-I missile regiments for the IA worth Rs 14,180 crores. And in mid-2014 the IA wrapped up the last round of validation trials for the first-off production units. These final trials included a successful low altitude near boundary intercept of a banshee unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target at an altitude ofjust 30 metres validating the systems capability against subsonic cruise missiles such as the Babur.

 

A typical Akash battery consists of four launchers carrying three missiles each with a range of 30 km and maximum interception altitude of 18 kms. The launchers built by Tata Power SED are now mounted on 8×8 Tatra trucks supplied by BEML. After years of experimenting with tracked launcher vehicles based on BMP and T-72 chassis, the IA has settled for a wheeled configuration now. Each battery has three radar sensors – one 3D central acquisition radar (CAR), a 3D Rajendra Phased Array Radar also known as Battery Level Radar (BLR) and a 2D Battery Surveillance Radar (BSR) which feed information to a mobile battery C4 control center. In autonomous mode deployment an additional BSR is added to a typical Akash battery for providing point defence to mobile assets. The Akash can also be deployed in group mode where four batteries ‘report’ to a group C4I control center providing coverage over an area of 5000 sqkms.

 

Early warning in all modes is provided by the S-band CAR which can track while scan 150 targets simultaneously beyond a range of 200 kms and up to an altitude of 18 kms. The BSRs come into action for targets that are up to 100 kms away. The Akash missile itself of course employs a command guided missile with fire control being provided by the Rajendra III which can track 64 targets simultaneously while being able to guide up to 12 missiles at a time to engage 4 different targets. The Rajendra III which is in production is a slewable passive electronically scanned array (PESA) that has a tracking range of 60 km against fighter aircraft flying at medium altitudes.

 

This order for two initial regiments though seemingly substantial actually represents only the beginning. The Akash was developed to replace legacy ZRK-SD Kub SA-6 systems of which 12 plus regiments still serve in the AD corps. Till not so long ago the IA was even looking to bring in MRSAMs from overseas in addition to the Akash and an RFI was even issued to that end. However the evolution of the Akash system seems to have put paid to that need and it is clear that the Army will order many more Akash regiments. This also means that US attempts to sell the HAWK XXI is unlikely to head anywhere. The Rajendra has demonstrated track and scan capability on the move and the IA is confident that a distributed Akash battery can both keep up as well as provide adequate area AD to its advancing formations. Moreover the MK-2 version of the Akash with a range of 37 km possibly mounting an active radar seeker head is also under development. There is constant work underway to improve the electronic counter counter measure (ECCM) capabilities of the Akash system also.

 

Even as the IA settles for the indigenous Akash system in the MRSAM segment, it may be bringing in the Russian Sosna-R which is meant to replace current holdings of the SA-13 Gopher (Strela-10) mounted on a MT-LB. The Sosna-R is mean to counter precision guided weapons (PGMs), low flying aircraft and even ground vehicles at short range. The Sosna-R two-stage missile has a range of between 1 and 10 km and carries two warheads with a cumulative weight of 7 kg and of course two fuzes. The missile can achieve speeds of up to Mach 4 according to some sources. Each Sosna-R vehicle has 12 ready-to-fire missiles and can be reloaded in 12 minutes, according to the Russian manufacturer KBTochmash. The missile is command guided when in its boost phase and has a laser beam riding guidance system for the end game. Several launcher vehicles typically operate together with a command vehicle carrying a surveillance system that provides off-board target designation. The passive optical fire-control system on each launcher vehicle makes the Sosna-R survivable in a dense electronic countermeasure (ECM) environment and can simultaneously track 50 targets while being able to engage one on the move. It remains to be seen if the IA will simply use Strela-10 carrying MT-LBs to now mount the Sosna-R. There are over 250 SA-13 launcher vehicles in the IA’s inventory at the moment. As an aside, The IA also has a tender underway since 2010 to procure a shoulder launched SAM being fought out between the MBDA Mistral, Saab RBS 70 NG and KBM Igla-S. The order is for up to 1,000 launchers with 6000 missiles procured initially and many more under license production at BDL for a tri-service requirement.

 

The Akash and the Sosna procurements have meant that the IA now has the space to consider the the indigenous QRSAM being developed by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) to replace the 50 plus OSA-AK SAM units it has in the AD core. In 2012, the defence acquisition council had given the IA the go ahead to issue request for proposals to foreign vendors who had responded to its RFI for a QRSAM with a range of not less than 15 km, altitude capability of not less than 6 kms, reaction time of 6 seconds or less, guidance package consisting of an onboard seeker and the ability to engage targets flying at 0-500 m/s as well as hovering helicopters. Up to eight regiments of this QRSAM were sought to be procured. For this particular tender, DRDO was expected to bid with the Maitri missile that was slated to co-develop with MBDA. It is believed that the Israelis would have offered the Spyder SR and the Russians the TOR-M2KM mounted on a Tata vehicle.

 

However the Maitri project is now as good as dead because both the IA and the Indian Air force feel that its specifications would lie more or less within the capabilities of the Akash Mk-I itself and the IA’s fire on move requirements are being met by the Sosna-R. So at the moment an indigenous QRSAM option is being pursued in earnest with elements of this system already starting to coming together in the form of both new radar as well as IIR seekers under development at DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Laboratory and a stabilized electro-optical sight (SEOS) developed by DRDO’s Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE). IRDE’s SEOS has two-axis stabilisation and integrated automatic video tracker facility. Three electro-optical sensors-3rd generation 3-5 μm (640 x 512 FPA) thermal Imager (TI) with optical zoom, colour day TV with optical zoom camera and eye-safe laser range finder (ELRF). The day TV camera and TI are having a narrow field of view (NFOV) of 0.8° x 0.6° and wide field of view (WFOV) of 5° x 4° with additional 2 X electronic zoom in TI. These sensors provide a recognition range of 7 km for a NATO type of target. ELRF provides range of the target from 200 m to 9995 m with an accuracy of ± 5 m. The SEOS will complement the Ka-band radar that will guide the QRSAM in dense ECM environments. The SEOS

 

enables steering of line of sight with an azimuth angular freedom which enables the system operator to carry out independent surveillance over a wide area with target acquisition and tracking from a moving or static vehicle, with wide/narrow field of view in day and night. The sight is integrated with a robust automatic video tracker, to track the aerial and ground targets with the tracking accuracy of ±3 pixels and maximum tracking rate of 0.1 mil/sec to 70 mil/sec.

 

Meanwhile even as new missile systems begin to find their way into the AD core, there is still no clarity on what exactly will replace the IA’s large holding of L-70, L-60 and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns. In the first decade of this century this seemed like a done deal what with the Ordnance Factory Board(OFB) all set to produce Rheinmetall AD’s Oerlikon-Contraves 35 mm Skyshield system firing the proprietary AHEAD ammunition round to be acquired in both towed as well as vehicle mounted configuration on trucks supplied by Tata. But the OFB scandal which broke in 2009 derailed this plan since it led to the blacklisting of Rheinmetall AD itself. To make the best of a bad situation the IA is considering various upgrades to the L-70 offered by domestic players such as Larsen and Toubro with optical payload, auto-tracker, fire control computer and an electromechanical gun laying system. Meanwhile Punj Lloyd is offering similar upgrade packaged for the ZU-23.

 

Even as IA mulls over its future towed and truck mounted AD gun situation, it is also going ahead with the upgrade of the legacy Schilka ZSU-23-4 with new electro-optical sights, radiation hardened electronics and a new diesel engine instead of old gas guzzling gas turbine. The upgrade is being executed by BEL for over 90 systems and it remains to be seen whether the same route will be used to upgrade the AD cores Tungushka regiments as well eventually. The upgrade is supposed to enable the Schillka to operate in a more networked environment something that both the Akash Systems and Sosna-R obviously are capable of. Indeed, in a boost to bring in more NCW enablers the IA also has several 3D Tactical Control radars (TCR) on order derived from the Akash system’s CAR developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) which are more compact and have a range of about 90 km. TCR is Tatra VVL mounted, mobile stand-alone and all weather. Interestingly, pertinent data can be collected at a Target Data Receiver (TDR), located 20 Kms away from the TCR itself. The radar operates in S-band and its antenna is mechanically rotated in azimuth to provide 360 deg and 50 deg elevation coverage up to a height of 10 kms.

 

The AD core has also opted for the low level light weight L-Band 2D Bharani Radar which is a battery powered compact sensor providing 2D surveillance solutions to alert AD weapons mainly in mountainous terrain against hostile aerial targets like UAVs, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft flying at low and medium altitudes. The radar can be transported by vehicles, animal transport, a group of men or as helislung loads. It can be dismantled into packages to facilitate quick installation and re-location in mountainous terrain. It will act as an early warning element to AD weapon systems employed to provide protection to vulnerable areas or vulnerable points. The Bharani consists of radar, Commander Display Unit (CDU) and messaging unit Target Designation Unit (TDU) and TDRs. One radar can service up to 10 TDRs using existing combat radio resources/ network. The CDU can be located up to 750m from the radar. The radar with modular architecture, advanced ECCM features, ruggedness as per Mil standards can be operated in varied conditions including extreme climactic and geographical conditions and in battle field situations, especially in an offensive EW environment.

 

All of these elements ultimately feed into the Air Defence Control and Reporting System (ADC & RS) developed by the DRDO is “to detect all aerial targets and neutralize the threat well away from the vulnerable area/vulnerable point (VA/VP) by effective integration of all AD Weapon Systems”. This in turn will be an element of the Tactical Command Control Communication and Intelligence (Tac3I) System developed for the IA by DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

(Source: IBN Live November 17, 2014)

 

INDIAN NAVY BEGIN HUNT FOR ANTI-SUBMARINE PROTECTION

 

The Indian Navy has launched a hunt for integrated anti-submarine warfare suites to fill a void in the security framework that renders its frigates and destroyers vulnerable to underwater threats.

 

The new system is being procured as there has been a substantial delay in the development of advanced towed array sonars, a crucial component of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suite, by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

 

The defence ministry, which was earlier in favour of waiting for the DRDO to complete its project, has given the go-ahead for procurement.

 

The delay has already exposed the Navy’s fleet to threats from submarines and torpedoes. Even the latest warships, like aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and brand new destroyer INS Kolkata, were inducted without advanced towed array sonars, which are more effective in detecting underwater threats than hull-mounted sonars.

 

Hostile submarines pose a grave challenge as Pakistan has a superior underwater arm.

 

The new Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvette too joined the fleet without a towed array sonar and it is fitted only with the HUMSA hull-mounted sonar, which offers partial deterrence at best. The towed array sonars trail behind ships to detect traces of hostile submarines and torpedoes more effectively.

(Source: Daily Mail UK November 17, 2014)

 

 

CHINA ASKED NOT TO SUPPORT PAK’S ANTI-INDIA ACTIVITIES

 

JAMMU: Amid reports of China training Pakistani army, Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said India has conveyed its “dismay” to China and asked it not to support Pakistan’s activities directed against this country.

 

“The ministry of external affairs has already expressed its dismay to the Chinese side, that it should not support Pakistan’s anti India activities,” Rijiju said.

 

A report submitted by the intelligence wing of the BSF recently said that the Chinese troops have been seen training the Pakistani army personnel in “weapon handing techniques” opposite the LoC in Rajouri sector of J&K where the paramilitary force is deployed.

 

The report has added that these military maneouvers were being conducted at the forward defense locations of Pakistan that are usually manned by Pakistan Rangers, that country’s paramilitary force.

 

To another question, Rijiju said development of areas along the LAC on the China border is a priority of the Narendra Modi government.

 

“The people who live in Ladakh and in the areas along the LAC are Indians and have every right for development. We are committed to develop a top class road connectivity and other related infrastructure for them,” he said.

 

He said the union government has earmarked Rs 20,000 crore for the development of infrastructure for the areas along the LAC.

 

“In the next five years, these (border) areas will be developed… These areas remained neglected in the past but no longer now,” the minister said.

(Source: Times of India November 17, 2014)

 

NO DIALOGUE WITH PAKISTAN TILL CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS STOP

 

SRINAGAR: There will be no dialogue with Pakistan till it continues to violate ceasefire along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister General (retd) VK Singh said today.

 

“Dialogue process has been stopped because if you (Pakistan) are firing at me, you are stopping my ability to talk to you,” the Minister of State for External Affairs told reporters here.

 

The former Army chief said New Delhi has conveyed the message to Islamabad that ceasefire violations and dialogue cannot go together.

 

“So that is what has been conveyed by telling Pakistan that, look here, you cannot do both the things together,” he said.

 

On the standoffs with Chinese Army in Ladakh, Singh said there is an ongoing dialogue process.

 

“There is a Line of Actual Control. The perceptions of both the countries on the Line of Actual Control differ,” he said.

 

Gen Singh said the issue figured in the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter’s visit to India.

 

“I think in the recent talks between our Prime Minister and President of Peoples’ Republic of China, these issues have been talked about. We will see the results as time passes,” he added.

 

The BJP leader was here to interact with party candidates and leaders for the Assembly elections in the state which will begin on November 25.

(Source: Economic Times November 17, 2014)

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