PM talks tough to Li on Ladakh intrusion

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Policemen detain a lone Tibetan protester who tried to stage a protest against the visit of Chinese Premier Li Kequiang outside

Doing some tough talking with visiting Chinese Premier Li Kequiang on Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raised the issue of the recent incursion by PLA troops in Ladakh’s Depsang area, and emphasised the need for “peace and tranquillity” along the undemarcated Line of Actual Control.
Mr Li arrived earlier on a blazing Sunday afternoon for a three-day visit, his first trip abroad as Premier.
Sources said two other issues flagged “upfront” by the PM at the “restricted” hour-long meeting, with only a few aides present, were India’s concerns on water flows of trans-border rivers and the need to address trade imbalances.
This was followed by a dinner attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Leaders of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat.
The PM stressed the need for a swifter resolution of the vexed boundary issue in a “firm but constructive manner”, the sources said.
The Chinese PM, in turn, is learnt to have raised the Dalai Lama’s presence in India and what Beijing sees as his political activities here. Mr Li was, however, firmly told India respected the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader, and that he did not have any political rights here.
Sunday’s discussions set the stage for the longer format of delegation-level talks Monday, where the incursion and the boundary question are expected to dominate the discussions.