Rajnath Singh postpones visit to forward areas along Pakistan, China borders

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was scheduled to visit forward areas along the borders with Pakistan and China, has postponed the tour citing a key BJP meeting on Bihar.

Singh, who was planning to visit Samba along Indo-Pak border and Chumar in eastern Ladakh for three days beginning Tuesday, postponed the visit and may tour both the areas later this month.

"A meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board has been called on Tuesday and it is important for the Home Minister, who is a senior party leader, to attend it.

"Hence the visit is rescheduled and he is likely to visit the border areas later this month," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The BJP meeting is expected to discuss party strategy for the coming Bihar Assembly polls scheduled next month.

Indian and Chinese troops recently had a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, the same area where People's Liberation Army had pitched camps in April 2013 that had led to a three-week-long stalemate.

According to officials in the know of developments, the Chinese troops had built a temporary hut in Burtse, north of Ladakh, which was demolished by ITBP and army jawans on Saturday.

The Home Minister was planning to visit Chumar area, which saw a fortnight-long stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops a year ago.

The Samba sector along the Indo-Pak border, the other area which the Home Minister was supposed to visit, has often witnessed firing from across the border in recent times.