NEW DELHI, June 30 - The India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley asserted today, hitting out at China for asking the Indian Army to learn from �historical lessons�.
A day after China�s oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago, the defence minister also said the current stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing. Bhutan, he added, had made it clear that the land in question belonged to it.
�If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different,� Jaitley said when asked about China�s warning yesterday.
China had asked India to withdraw its troops from the Doklam (referred by China as Donglong) area as a precondition for �meaningful dialogue� to settle the boundary issue. It warned that the Indian Army should learn �historical lessons�.
The Defence Minister said the Bhutan government had made its stance clear stating that the �land in question belonged to Bhutan and it is located near India�s land�, but China was trying to alter the status quo in the area. �I think after this the issue has become very clear,� Jaitley said. � PTI
