India wants peace with China through consensus: Defence Minister

Guwahati, Oct 30: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India wants to continue the peace process with China through consensus as per the ideals of former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Speaking to the personnel of the Indian Army at the headquarters of Gajraj Corps in Tezpur on the occasion of 'Bada Khana', Singh lauded the efforts of the soldiers in the peace process.

"We want to continue this peace process through consensus. Our former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee had said we can change friends, but not neighbours. We want to maintain good relations with our neighbours and that's a clear policy of India," he said.

However, sometimes such situations arise that need struggle to protect the country's borders while the government is doing everything possible to maintain the peace, he said.

"This is not a small development, it's a big development. We achieved this because of you. This mutual dialogue took place because everyone is aware of your courage and valour," he added.

Singh said the Northeast is very important from a security point of view.

"The region is beautiful from a natural point of view and equally challenging from a geographical point of view," he said.

The defence minister said India and China had been in talks for a long time to solve the issues.

"It is a big border-related development at LAC. After our efforts, we have reached a consensus at LAC on the ground situation," he said.

Indian and Chinese troops have completed disengagement at two friction points at Demchok and Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh and patrolling is set to commence soon at these points, Army sources said on Wednesday.

Singh was scheduled to visit Tawang during the day but had to cancel his trip due to inclement weather. He will now visit on Thursday.

"My 'bada khana' was scheduled at Tawang. But destiny decided that I should enjoy the 'bada khana' at Tezpur's Gajraj Corps," he said.

'Bada khana' is a meal wherein all ranks eat together.