‘Should not disrespect our jawans’: Jaishankar objects to Rahul Gandhi’s use of the pitai word
The Minister for External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, on Monday lashed out at the Opposition for walking out of the Rajya Sabha after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the Opposition’s request for a debate on Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh.
The soldiers at Yangtse are standing at a height of 13,000 feet and guarding our border. It is important to respect and appreciate them,” Jaishankar said. Furthermore, the minister expressed his displeasure with recent remarks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the Indian Army, saying ‘pitai’ (being beaten) was not appropriate for the country’s soldiers.
“We do not mind political criticism, but we should not disrespect our jawans.” My own understanding needs to be deepened, I’ve been told. As soon as I see who is giving advice, my only response is to bow and respect,” Jaishankar said.
Gandhi had last week said, “our jawans are being thrashed by Chinese soldiers in Arunachal.” when discussing the Tawang clash.
Asked about the Opposition’s criticism of the government for not taking appropriate steps to de-escalate the situation at the Chinese border, Jaishankar replied, “If we are indifferent to China, why do we send the Indian Army to the border?” Why do we press China for a de-escalation and disengagement today if we were indifferent to China? Could you please explain why we are publicly stating that our relations are not normal? ”
Piyush Goyal, at the same time, accused the Opposition of acting like an “obstructionist” by not following the rules and regulations in parliamentary procedure.
As he spoke at a press conference in the national capital, Piyush Goyal said: “Today in the Rajya Sabha, we witnessed frustration and a complete lack of decorum from the Opposition.” “They are denying the rulings and observations of the Chair even to the point of believing that there are no rules or regulations in Parliament’s functioning.” According to Goyal, the Opposition is behaving in a destructive and obstructionist manner.
