George denies being rapped by PM: China row

Asked if he apprehends his being shifted to some other ministry in the wake of the disquiet his statements on the issue has caused in the Government, Fernandes said: 8220;I don8217;t, and it8217;s Prime Minister8217;s discretion to decide on the issue.8221;

When asked if his views on China represented the opinion of the BJP-led Government, Fernandes said: 8220;No those were my own.8221; On the question if his sudden outbursts 8220;was a case of misplaced focus vis-a-vis the growing ISI activities in India,8221; the Defence Minister said: 8220;If this is the way people interpret what I had to say, I have no comments to make.8221;Fernandes, who spent anhour with the Sankaracharaya, said: 8220;I want Indo-China relations to grow and both the nations should try to resolve the outstanding issues.8221;

Fernandes ruled out any possibility of troops reduction on the country8217;s border with China, Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, China today avoided a direct comment on India8217;s twin mollifying statements reiterating New Delhi8217;s commitment to improve Sino-Indian relations, PTI reports from Beijing.

Asked about Indian statements, Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman said, 8220;Last time on May 5 I have already made clear the Chinese position.8221;