'Centre casual and callous to Chinese actions'

New Delhi, Jun 21: The BJP today accused the UPA government of displaying a ''casual and callous'' attitude to China's attempts to build a road and other infrastructure on their side of Mount Everest by proclaiming that it would not pose any security threat to the country.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that the Chinese action was not an ''isolated incident'' and they were working in a sustained manner, be it attempts to divert Brahmaputra waters to their side, denial of a visa to an Arunachal-born IAS probationer, or its claim that the entire Arunachal belongs to that country.

''China's attempts to build a 108-km long metalled roads would spell ecological disaster in the Himalayan region,'' he claimed.

He also noted the Brahmaputra project on the Tibetan side, envisaged building of 11 dams on the river to produce 48,000 MW of power. ''The enormity of the scheme close to the Indian border can't be ignored,'' he said.

Mr Javadekar alleged that the Chinese Foreign Minister was also seeking to wriggle out of the accepted principle of resolving border talks with his stand that the dispute should be restricted to non-populated areas, thereby derailing the bilateral talks going on for years between the two countries.

He said the BJP demanded that the UPA government should take up the issues of national importance with China and sort them out in national interest.

UNI