President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday strongly defended the three contentious agri laws that have sparked intense protests from a section of farmers and condemned as "'very unfortunate" the Republic Day violence and the "insult" to the tricolour during the farmers' tractor parade here on January 26.
In his customary address to the joint sitting of Parliament that marks the start of the Budget session, Kovind also referred to the Chinese aggression on the border and asserted that his government is vigilant and fully committed to protecting the country's interests.
Additional forces have been deployed to safeguard India's sovereignty, he said while paying tributes to the 20 soldiers who made supreme sacrifices in a clash with the Chinese army at the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh in June last year. India and China are locked in a tense military standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 5 last.