NEW DELHI, Feb 17: Against the backdrop of China`s rapid military modernisation in Tibet, Defence Minister AK Antony will visit the northeastern states for two days from Friday to review the security situation and infrastructure developments ordered there by the government.
Antony will be accompanied on the trip by the army chief, General VK Singh and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.
“Defence Minister AK Antony will be going on a two-day visit to the northeast beginning tomorrow to review the security situation there and the progress of infrastructure development,” a defence ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Antony will be visiting Tezpur and Chabua in Assam, Rangapahar military station in Nagaland, Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh and Leimakhong in Manipur during the visit. All these places have witnessed increased deployment of the armed forces in the recent years.
India last year based a frontline Sukhoi SU-30 fighter squadron at Tezpur to shore up its aerial offensive measures and there are plans for another Sukhoi squadron at Chabua too, both facing China. Tezpur is also home to the Indian Army`s 4 Corps.
Under the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps, a new mountain division with about 15,000 troops has been raised to boost the army`s mountain warfare capabilities. Another mountain division, under the command of 4 Corps, has been raised at Leimakhong in Manipur. The army has also raised a new regiment called the Arunachal Scouts in Arunachal Pradesh.
Antony is expected to visit these new formations of the army and the air force to review their deployment and operational readiness, apart from going to the forward areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Arunachal Pradesh.
China has been claiming the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.
On Wednesday, Antony said India was “not unduly worried” over China`s military modernisation, though the neighbour`s defence budget was a matter of concern.
“Modernisation of China`s armed forces and its ever increasing military spending is a matter of serious concern. But we are not unduly worried because what we need to do is we have to modernise our own armed forces,” he told reporters here.
Saar Anthony!Yes Sir!Salaam Saab!Saar,maanipoor mei mei asa asa hei.
Hamara maanipoor mei jabaan lok thik thaak hei. Sab maanipur ka chawal aura baria baria ek dam baria masalli khata mei…saar saab asa hai….
Saar keliya saab lok baria lalia ….(Guard of honor from all Singh in Kangleipak)
I was going to post a comment that A K Antony is irrelevant to Union Defence Policy perhaps an investigative journalist from mainland India given that Manipur has no investigative journalists, is required. I would have gone on to ask for a bona fide journalist to point out to General Singh that amassing more troops in what India has called since independence from British Tyranny Disturbed Areas does not respond to purported Chinese aggression. Since disturbed areas are not treated as liberated free India but instead operate under quasi Martial Law of the jungle under the black law of AF(SP)A all troop increases do is feed what one student in response to experiencing Ley Mashalein described as the normal biological needs of our brave Indian Soldiers. Does it not embarrass the General every time his squaddies murders or gang rapes the citizens they swore to protect, that he has to make up a story about how it’s the fault of the citizens for not wearing brightly coloured clothing at night when the women of India defecate because mother India is more interested in purchasing foreign armaments then building latrines for her children. Or saying that the soldiers only opened fire because the citizen was trying to flee from their attempts at gang rape and looting. I know that no journalist will ask General Singh why he doesn’t demand better equipment for soldiers in India. Why does he pride himself on their twenty year experience in fighting on Loktak Lake with wooden canoes and sometimes with paddles when the Chinese Army have helicopters, hovercrafts, aerofoils and amphibious craft full air support and could clear Loktak in one day. Why is the only demand insisted upon by General Singh that AF(SP)A never be repealed. Are Indian Citizens the only enemy of the Indian Army to be acknowledged publicly by General Singh. Kangla-online usually publishes uncensored opinions. The Free Press of Manipur merely publish whatever the last gunman brought to them. Any journalist of integrity and ability has long left Manipur for Delhi and beyond. I would have concluded if you cannot press the General on his psychotic need for AF(SP)A to protect the murderers and rapists among the new mountain regiments can you at least refrain from further insipid reflections from the careers of Indian soldiers in Manipur even if General Singh volunteers the next one. But I realized that all this does is encourage A K Antony to claim look we are the largest democracy in the world and General Singh leader of the second largest army in the world. And we maintain these credentials because even when our troops rape and murder our own citizens in the north east and J&K and even when we refuse to allow the police to investigate but instead allow the Army to cover up their war crimes look how we allow people to laugh at us, publicly mock the brutality unbecoming even an aspiring third world backward barbarian State. Surely this affirms our democratic credentials. So on reflection I shall refrain please strike all the above from your memory.