Seek peace, ready to face any challenge: Rajnath in Arunachal Pradesh

India does not believe in war but is prepared to face any challenge that arises before it, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, during his first visit to Arunachal Pradesh since the December 9 India-China faceoff in the Tawang sector.

In the state to inaugurate projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Singh pointed to a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the present era was not one of war. "Through this statement, the Prime Minister brought this resolve of the country to the attention of the world," he said.

Throughout its history, India never began a war and never captured even an inch of another country's territory, the minister said, adding: "But if anyone mistakes our peace-loving nature as our weakness, I would like to assert that we worship not only peace, but also strength."


He added: "Conflicts of some or the other kind are being seen frequently around the world. India has always been against war, and this has always been its policy."

On Tuesday, Singh inaugurated 28 infrastructure projects, built at a cost '724 cr, in Arunachal Pradesh. These comprised 22 bridges, three roads and three other projects, built under challenging weather conditions at inhospitable terrains.

According to the defence ministry, the highlight of the event was the inauguration of a 100-meter-long bridge over the Siyom River.

This bridge will facilitate speedy induction of troops, heavy equipment and mechanised vehicles to forward areas of the Upper Siang district, and the Tuting and Yinkiong regions and will also boost socioeconomic development of the regions.