Shiv Sena (UBT) questions Centre on border security after ITBP chief's remarks on China face-offs

Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has questioned the Centres handling of border security following remarks by IndoTibetan Border Police ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor about continuing faceoffs between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal PradeshIn an editorial published in the partys mouthpiece Saamana on Monday the Uddhav Thackerayled party accused the BJPled government of withholding information about developments along the border and failing to ensure accountability over national security concernsITBP chief confirms continuing faceoffs in Arunachal PradeshKapoor recently said that confrontations between Indian and Chinese forces had occurred at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border and were continuing He praised the ITBPs newly raised Shaurya commando teams for their role during the faceoffsThe editorial claimed that Chinese troops had crossed into Indian territory in the Asafila area advancing six to seven kilometres and setting up camps However Kapoors publicly reported remarks did not independently confirm the specific distance or all the details cited in the editorialThe controversy intensified after the video of Kapoors address was reportedly removed from the ITBPs official online channels No verified explanation for the removal has been establishedSaamana accuses Centre of suppressing border concernsThe editorial alleged that the government had dismissed earlier warnings about Chinese activity along the border It referred to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhis previous remarks on alleged Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh and accounts shared by local tribal communities and young people on social mediaLeader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had warned a year ago that China was encroaching upon Arunachal Pradesh but top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh dismissed his statements as false propaganda and blamed him Local tribal communities in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and youths who posted social media reels about the Chinese intrusion were similarly silenced with the government dismissing their accounts as enemy propaganda said the editorialNaravanes unpublished memoir features in editorialThe party also referred to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravanes memoir Four Stars of Destiny which remains unpublished pending the required review and approval processThe editorial cited passages concerning the August 31 2020 military standoff in eastern Ladakh when Naravane reportedly sought operational directions amid Chinese troop movements It alleged that the account raised questions about decisionmaking during the crisisParty questions ModiXi engagement and demands accountabilityThe editorial contrasted the reported border confrontations with Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit in New Delhi in SeptemberIt also referred to environmentalist Sonam Wangchuks campaign highlighting concerns about Chinese activity in Ladakh alleging that critics had faced political attacksThe party questioned the governments response to the Pulwama attack the Pahalgam attack and the latest border developments arguing that national security concerns required greater transparency and political accountability