New Delhi: PM Modi's observation at an all-party meeting on Friday evening that "there was no Chinese presence on our side of the line of actual control (LAC) pertains to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) clarified. It said the clarification was necessary since attempts are being made insome quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to the PM's remarks that were made to clarify the post-June 15 situation that "neither is anyone inside our territory, nor did anybody intrude, nor have any of our posts been captured."
In a statement, the PMO said: "The focus of PM's remarks was the events of June 15 that led to the loss of lives of 20 Indian military personnel. The sacrifice of 16 Bihar Regiment soldiers foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day." It said the meeting was informed that "This time, Chinese forces have come in much larger strength to the LAC and that the Indian response is commensurate."
As regards transgression of LAC, the PMO said: "It was clearly stated that violence in Galwan on 15 June arose because the Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions." The words of PM that “those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil”, succinctly summed up the ethos and the values of our Armed Forces, the PMO said, adding that the PM further emphasised that “I want to assure you, that our armed forces will leave no stone unturned to protect our borders.” "What is Indian territory is clear from the map of India.
