India 2020 is not India 1962!The Galwan valley violent attacks between Indian and Chinese soldiers have left 17 soldiers dead, including Col Santosh Babu, the Commanding officer of the Indian Army’s 16 Bihar Regiment. It is stated that no bullets were fired, and no guns used in the bloody scuffle, which was with iron-rods and clubs. Many soldiers were pushed into the cold river with sub-zero temperatures.
Galwan was not wholly unexpected, where India and China were staring eyeball to eyeball, similar to their confrontation in Doklam. The 73 days Doklam standoff ended with a status quo ante bellum. Both sides withdrew their troops from Doklam as China halted its road construction.
Ladakh is the territory in which the present confrontation took place, which the Chinese forcibly occupied after a battle India conceded with barely a fight in 1962. Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, dismissed the defeat claiming, ‘not even a blade of grass grows in the regions occupied by the Chinese.” India always had misgivings over the Chinese expansionist and hegemonistic motives. However, India has been cautious due to its slow economic growth and long sanctions over its nuclear tests.
Ladakh was in the close focus of China, as it bordered Tibet, which China invaded in 1950. India offered refuge to many Tibetans, including Dalai Lama, their spiritual Guru, which provoked the Chinese. Buoyed by its decisive victory over Pakistan in 1972, India admitted Sikkim on 16th January 1975. China missed a plan to invade India from Sikkim side but did not stop causing disturbances through various Gorkha fronts and Communist elements in the region. For China, India is the only force to reckon with, as the pacific rim nations and China’s South Eastern neighbours all have fallen in line bowing to the trade might of China.
India in 1971 war had only Russia as its friend and the Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev promptly sending in their submarine fleet to counter the US Seventh fleet, ensuring our winning march in the war of Bangladesh liberation with Pakistan. Since then India’s foreign policy has undergone a steep change, tilting towards the US and the West. China is offended by India’s participation in Quad, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India to counter China’s dominance in the strategic South-China Seas.
The disturbance in Galwan will end soon, but the nuisance of a mighty neighbour annoying us has to be contained once and for all. India cannot afford to be dismissive, as earlier witnessed in events like Capt. Saurabh Kalia’s mutilation and killing by a much weaker Pakistan. Non-repulsive action will only embolden all our enemies to raise their heads like a hydra.
Strange that a few opposition leaders are unable to distinguish the difference between the treacherous and pre-planned attack by a national concern, but are rejoicing over the pressure on the Prime Minister of India. I am now seeing more reference disparagingly to PM Modi’s reference to his 56″ chest. Do we at all have something called national pride?
Rahul Gandhi asks, “Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what happened. How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?” I would like to say,”Please dig your family archives and the role of Jawaharlal Nehru for the whole mess.”
Jai Hind.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
