New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday hit back at the Congress over its criticism of the government’s handling of China, with party spokesperson Nalin Kohli describing the India-China frontier as a “dynamic border” and arguing that localised engagements do not necessarily indicate a war or a wider conflict.
Speaking to Times Now, Kohli said the Opposition was reading too much into the remarks of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor on recent face-offs with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops in Arunachal Pradesh.
“The border is a dynamic place, and there are units and units that work there. These units are engaged with local units. That does not mean a war is on or that a conflict like last year’s is underway. During Manmohan Singh ji’s tenure, there was regular firing along the border, and mortar shells were also fired along the Bangladesh border on a regular basis. That did not mean war. These were things happening in a localised manner,” Kohli said.
The political row erupted after ITBP DG Kapoor, addressing personnel at a ceremony in Alwar, Rajasthan, on Thursday ahead of the force’s Raising Day, said the force’s newly raised Shaurya commando unit had demonstrated its capabilities during ongoing face-offs with PLA troops at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Kapoor noted that face-offs had occurred at several places and that the situation was continuing. He said the commandos would be deployed in every border battalion as the ITBP strengthens combat readiness along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC). The force is also expanding drone platoons, specialised training (including a “Strike” course), and other modernisation measures.
Reports indicate the friction, including in the Taksing/Maja area of Upper Subansiri district, has persisted since around July, with Corps Commander-level talks held on September 6 at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point.
Congress leader and party general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh accused the government of maintaining a “deafening silence” on China and alleged that it had made “calibrated concessions”. In a post on X, he praised the ITBP’s performance but raised concerns over reported patrolling losses (drawing a parallel with Ladakh), China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, a major dam project (described as 60,000 MW) that he said threatened ecological and water security, and India’s widening trade deficit with China, which he put at a record $112 billion in 2025-26 (up from $99 billion the previous year). He said this had hurt MSMEs and turned “Make in India” into “Import from China”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also called on the Union Home, Defence and External Affairs ministers to respond to the ITBP chief’s remarks, citing concerns over national security and India’s approach to normalising relations with China. She said those responsible must be held accountable given the sensitivity of the issues involved.
The ITBP, raised in 1962, is the primary force guarding India’s border with China. The latest developments come amid continued efforts to manage differences along the LAC through military and diplomatic channels, even as both sides maintain heightened deployments and modernisation following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. The BJP’s response frames the current face-offs as routine localised activity on a disputed and dynamic frontier rather than an escalation into broader conflict.
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