India defence minister sets off to North East region

During a two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim Defence Minister will inaugurate a road constructed by the Border Roads Organisation, meanwhile he will also perform a "shastra puja" at one of the local units deployed near the China border.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday departed for Darjeeling from Delhi on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim during which he will be visiting forward areas and interacting with the troops.

"Heading to Darjeeling on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim. I shall visit the forward areas and also interact with the troops.

A road constructed by the Border Roads Organisation in Sikkim will also be inaugurated during the visit," Singh tweeted.

Singh will be visiting Sikkim to boost the morale of Indian troops deployed against the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the border.

The Defence Minister is also likely to do "shastra puja" at one of the local units deployed in Sikkim near the China border as per the Hindu tradition in which arms are worshipped annually in Dushehra by warriors.

Last year, he had done it in France while receiving India's first Rafale fighter aircraft there.

This comes even as India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May this year from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast.

India has deployed close to 60,000 soldiers to counter the Chinese Army which first moved troops to transgress into Indian areas in Pangong Lake and other adjoining locations.

PTI Report