The marching boots of the Red Army remains a sudden rash of acne which needs an ointment for the Indian government. While the Chinese stubbornly camp 19 km inside Indian Territory for 15 days, the Centre continues to grovel before the dragon and wobble in its response. If the Prime Minister has called it a localised problem, Union minister RPN Singh delivered a shocker, refusing to call even a 19-km land-grab an incursion.

Speaking to Rahul Kanwal in Aajtak's Seedhi Baat programme, Singh said, "The Chinese think we are intruding into their territory. Forty Chinese soldiers camping in four tents is not an intrusion. We think it's our territory. It's a matter of perception. It's an over 4000-km undemarcated border. The army will be deployed only when there's an incursion. Talks are on and the standoff will be resolved through diplomacy."Echoing foreign minister Salman Khurshid's theory of Chinese pimples on the face, Singh said, "It's not a Chinese invasion. It's a localized problem and should not be blown out of proportion. Our foreign minister is going to Beijing and the Chinese premier will be visiting us soon. The issue will be resolved soon."Singh also refused to be drawn into a debate on the nature of Indian response if Pakistanis had intruded 19 km inside our territory. "The border with Pakistan is demarcated, fenced and lit. There's no controversy on this," he said.And while the government scrambles for strategy on the Chinese faceoff to the stalemate over the JPC on 2G, the Opposition is adamant on JPC chairman PC Chacko's resignation over an alleged warped draft report. Taking a belligerent position on allegations of bias, RPN Singh said, "When JPC was being formed to probe the 2G scam, the BJP should have known about its statutory, legal framework and functioning? Why are they talking it a Congress-dominated JPC? If they have a problem, they should raise it in Parliament. The BJP has paralysed Parliament. When Parliament has lost its importance for the Opposition party, then what's the significance of JPC?"Despite a huge embarrassment for the government after the CBI affidavit in Supreme Court confirmed that the status report had been shared with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, the government is putting up a brave face. "No changes were made in the status report by the law minister. CBI is an independent body and there's no interference from the government. The report was not vetted. The law minister just tried to ensure that the report did not have any legal loopholes. The matter is sub judice," the minister said.Despite its stout defence, the government stares at a washout in Parliament and will again depend on its heartland props to pass the crucial finance bills.