The Chinese have done it again.  Inch by inch, they move in through cold terrains and pathless woods into our lands.  Bristling with hostility they brazenly demand demolition of India's bunkers, claim 90,000 sq. km of Arunachal Pradesh and violate our borders with impunity.  The Chinese envoy rarely quits his monotonous drumbeat of "Yes, that is our position.  We lay claim to the whole of Arunachal Pradesh." And the Chinese Institute of Foreign Studies has the temerity to threaten India, right after the days when Mumbai bled with terror, "China can firmly support Pakistan in the event of war. While Pakistan can benefit from its military cooperation with China while fighting India, the People's Republic of China may have the option of resorting to a strategic military action in Southern Tibet (Arunachal Pradesh) to thoroughly liberate the people there." Over 70 incursions across the LAC have been recorded in 2008.  

 While our northern neighbor behaves true to his philosophy of "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is also mine," how do our wobbly politicians and leftist windbags react?   Nothing beyond the usual sound bites expressing the same esoteric expressions of peace, same spin on opening new chapters to la-la land, and the same harping on the national vibe of cooperation, prosperity and the cusp of waking to a new era - possibly the "era of the mice."  Completely absent is any sense of outrage, of passionate defiance, or even a categorical statement such as, "Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.  It is not negotiable." Moreover, the Prime Minister even avoids going to Tawang in order to appease the boisterous and puffed-up dragon.   Contrast this with Iran, a smaller country with a much mightier spine, which can give the powers to be a run for their money. Even the nut jobs across the border can take a stand and fight for what they want. Yet we, the "Quiet" Indians are either in a virtual world or busy revving up the money engine, while a "coalition of opportunists" continue to bask in the sweet comfort of inaction.

Last update : 19-05-2009 15:12