INDIA AA Learnt lesson from ’62 war, forces are prepared: Jaitley 

TNN | Updated: Aug 10, 2017, 01:33AM IST

Indian armed forces are strong enough to meet any challenge to the country’s security, Jaitley said People of the country have a strong desire to retrieve parts of Jammu & Kashmir that have been occupied by Pakistan since 1948, Jaitley mentioned NEW DELHI: Amid the border standoff with China in Doklam, defence minister Arun Jaitley said the Indian armed forces are strong enough to meet any challenge to the country's security as he underlined that lessons have been learnt from the 1962 war. Jaitley also said that the people of the country have a strong desire to retrieve parts of Jammu & Kashmir that have been occupied by Pakistan since 1948. "Initially (after Independence), we faced a crisis. Our neighbour had an eye on Kashmir. Even today, we cannot forget that a part of the country has got separated. It is a wish of every Indian today as to how to retrieve that part," Jaitley said. The remark came while Jaitley was initiating a special debate in the Rajya Sabha to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE ENTERTAINMENT Here's how 'Pardes' actress looks now INDIA RS adjourned after heated exchanges between govt, oppn INDIA How India, US and Japan can spoil Beijing's party Recalling events related to the movement, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad took a jibe at the ruling BJP. "Last night was eventful like the night of 8 August 1942. I don't want to go into details," he said as Congress candidate Ahmed Patel managed to win a thrilling contest against BJP. Noting that when the leaders gave the call of Quit India, the entire nation stood up with them due to their credibility, Jaitley said representatives from all political parties should strive to restore credibility in public life that has eroded over the years. Azad said the leaders of the freedom movement had emphasised on unity among different communities. He said the Quit India Movement never saw any riot as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had sought unity among Hindus and Muslims. Jaitley, on his part, emphasised that different religions and castes are an integral part of the country. He said it is important to maintain harmony in the country and there should be no place in the country for violence in the name of politics, religion and terrorism. He said India had "learnt a lesson" from the 1962 war with China that "the armed forces will have to be made fully capable on our own because even today the nation faces challenges from our neighbouring countries." In a clear reference to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said a Prime Minister and a former Prime Minister had to lose their lives to terrorism. Jaitley stressed that terrorism posed a big challenge to the nation's integrity and the whole nation needed to commit in one voice to fight the menace. Making a veiled reference to the Emergency, he said many challenges came before the Indian democracy "especially in the decade of the 1970s", but the democracy kept gaining strength with every challenge.