Borders under threat in UPA rule, says Mulayam

Kolkata, Sep 12 (IANS) Attacking the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance on security issue, former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav Wednesday alleged that the country’s borders from Punjab in the northwest to the areas bordering Nepal in the northeast were under threat.

“There is a threat to our borders, particularly from Punjab to those areas bordering Nepal,” Yadav said while addressing the inaugural session of the Samajwadi Party’s national executive meet here.

Yadav, who was the country’s defence minister between 1996 and 1998, said his party raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.

“The prime minister (Manmohan Singh) then came to me and said he wanted to speak to me separately on the issue. When we spoke, he merely said his government wanted all kinds of support and cooperation.”

Yadav said he was “astonished and sad” that when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited India, “(Manmohan) was talking (in the meeting),(while) he (the Chinese premier) was only listening”.

Yadav referred to Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s concerns over increased Chinese military activity along the border.

“This issue is so important that we took it to the people in the UP (Uttar Pradesh) election earlier this year,” he said.

IANS 2012-09-12 17:12:35