China may attack India 'soon', Mulayam warns in LS

Former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today claimed that China could attack India 'soon' and the threat needed to be taken seriously against the backdrop of the 1962 invasion.

Former Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that China could attack India 'soon' and the threat needed to be taken seriously against the backdrop of the 1962 invasion.

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"China is laying claim on several of our states including Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand besides Ladakh region....It is going to attack us soon...The attack can take place any time", the Samajwadi party supremo said in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav supported the contention of Yadav while SP member Ramkishun felt China is a threat as it eyes Indian market.

The SP chief wanted Parliament to immediately discuss the issue threadbare in view of the threat.

He had unsuccessfully tried to raise the issue as soon as the House met for the day.

While Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said he would draw the attention of the defence minister to Yadav's statement, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "We will discuss this issue."

The SP chief said when he was defence minister, roads had been laid on the borders with China which have now turned bad. As against this, China has built four to eight lane roads on its side of the border. Yadav claimed that the Army top brass has been warning the government over the Chinese threat.

His statement came close on the heels of Army chief Gen V K Singh's remarks that India was "not sure" of China's intentions for developing infrastructure along the borders. At the same time, the General had said that a repeat of the 1962 aggression was 'never' possible.

"China is doing a great amount of infrastructure development, which it says is for locals of the area. No bones about it, no crib about it. But our problem is we are not very sure about the intentions. And when intentions change, with this capability, things can go wrong. And that is what is a matter of concern," the Army chief had said.