Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 22: The decision of the Defence Ministry to review the budget allocation and the troop strength of the upcoming 17 Mountain Strike Corps has come as rude shock to the people of the Himalayan States starting from Arunchal in the east to Ladakh in the west.
This was stated by Congress Legislature Party leader, Nawang Rigzin Jora in a statement issued today. “How can the Defence Minister Manohar Parikhar lecture the Army Commander to ramp up defence capabilities while slashing the cost and the troop strength of the Strike Corps? he asked.
“The raising of the Mountain Strike Corps by the UPA Government was a decisive shift in our policy on Indo -China border”, he said, adding “from a policy of dissuasive posture, this was to give us a meaningful deterrence”.
“We must not forget that there is an adverse land combat ratio of 1:3 in favour of China and to address this the UPA Government in 2009 raised two infantry division at Larkabaki and Missamari in Assam”, he said, adding “the raising of the Mountain Strike Corps was a well thought -out plan to combat the deadly build up of the Chinese trans-border capabilities”.
Highlighting the importance of Strike Corps for Ladakh region, he said that the latest news of slashing of the cost and the troops of the Mountain Strike Corps has come as rude shock and is a cause of concerned for not just the armed forces but all the border people who are concerned about the security of the country.
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