On Saturday, a rare thing happened: The government issued a statement clarifying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at the all-party meeting the previous evening. It was to rebut “mischievous interpretation” of his “no intruder in our territory” remark.
This was a first. When was the last time you saw an official statement to clarify what Modi had said? It was always the other way round. Some minister or BJP leader would kick up controversy and the Prime Minister would step in to douse the fire— like Modi’s clarification on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), contradicting Home Minister Amit Shah. The Modi we knew would simply slay those ‘mischievous’ interpreters with such wit and sarcasm that one could hear Fugees playing in the background: killing me softly….with his words.
Remember Modi’s bathing-with-raincoat-on jibe at his predecessor, Manmohan Singh?
The official clarification of Modi’s no-intruder in Ladakh remark had many talking about Singh’s ‘Sharm el-Sheikh’ moment. The furore over the 2009 India-Pakistan joint statement in that Egyptian resort would haunt then-Prime Minister Singh for months. In Modi’s case, however, the BJP is solidly backing him using the old playbook to dub all critics as traitors and anti-national. In Singh’s case, his party, the Congress, had refused to come to his defence.
So, what has changed for Modi? On Saturday morning, in fact, he had an opportunity to put paid to that ‘mischievous’ interpretation when he launched a job scheme for migrant workers in Bihar. He did speak of the Bihar regiment’s valour in Ladakh but left it to his spin doctors to draft a statement about what he meant by ‘no intrusion’ earlier. It’s another matter that this statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was of little help to Modi, because it seemed to confirm Chinese transgressions in Pangong Tso and Hot Springs by emphasising that the PM’s no-intruder remark was in the context of Galwan Valley — after 20 Indian soldiers had sacrificed their lives to push back the intruders.
Also read: Xi has thrown the gauntlet at Modi. He can pick it up like Nehru, or try something new
Did the Dragon take Modi for a ride?
Is Modi losing his mojo? Or has the betrayal by his ‘plus one’ friend, China’s Xi Jinping, unnerved him? Neither. Give him an audience — not the questioning kind like Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee — and a mike, and Modi will be back at his eloquent best.
As for his equation with Xi, Doklam would be too fresh in Modi’s memory for him to be charmed by the Chinese despite their 18 meetings.
Let’s not forget that right after getting a renewed mandate in May 2019, the Prime Minister showed he was very much mindful of the Chinese threat. He promoted the so-called ‘Doklam team’ of 2017: then foreign secretary and China expert S. Jaishankar was made external affairs minister; national security adviser Ajit Doval, who played a key role in resolving the Doklam crisis, was elevated to the rank of a Cabinet minister; and, then-Army chief General Bipin Rawat was appointed India’s first chief of defence staff. They were all avid China watchers.
Way back in 2014, Doval said at the Hindustan Times summit that Indian had to be prepared for a two-front war, build deterrence, and that conflict was not an option for its adversaries. By June 2017, then Army chief Rawat was talking about India’s readiness for two-and-a-half front war (Pakistan, China and internal conflicts).
So, did the fabled Jaishankar-Doval-Rawat trinity fail Modi? Did they fail to take note of China’s expansionist designs and readiness for military adventurism? We don’t have enough information in public domain to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Many foreign policy experts are having a hearty laugh today about the number of Xi-Modi meetings. Modi’s critics say that these 18 meetings were just an effort to project Modi in the big league of global leaders—more to impress the domestic audience than to achieve any diplomatic objective. But they probably fail to appreciate the fact that the same showed the Modi’s conscious attempt to keep China engaged. That the dragon still bared its claws is not Modi’s fault. He can be blamed for misjudging the nature of the dragon but not for trying to befriend it, especially when he was trying to tame Pakistan. As someone who can’t claim any expertise in strategic affairs, I wonder what else Modi could have done to engage China, a neighbour bent on using its military and economic prowess for territorial expansion and a Communist regime that finds it a convenient diversion of its domestic public attention from the international isolation over its role in the coronavirus outbreak.
Also read: Modi’s foreign policy puts Modi first, India second
Modi loses the perception battle in Ladakh
Where the Modi government has bungled is in its refusal to come clear on the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It didn’t find Rahul Gandhi’s questions in May about the situation at the LAC worth responding to. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in fact, legitimised the opposition’s concerns when he admitted in a TV interview, whether inadvertently or deliberately, that a large number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers had gathered at the stand-off site along the LAC. But he refused to give any straight answers to Gandhi, maintaining that he would do that in Parliament. As the opposition kept baiting the government on this issue, the latter just chose to look the other way.
An acknowledgement of the recalcitrant neighbour’s predatory designs wouldn’t have hurt Modi’s image. Burdened by history, the 1962 debacle, Rahul Gandhi wouldn’t have the moral authority, beyond a point, to question Modi government’s failure to rein in the marauding Chinese. But the chest-thumping brigade in the ruling party seemed to have their say as the government went into a denial mode, until the death of 20 Indian soldiers made it impossible to evade questions. Even then the security and political establishment kept quiet about 10 Indian soldiers being in Chinese custody. It was only after they were released that the Army issued a statement, saying that no Indian soldiers were missing in action.
Also read: India learnt the wrong lesson from 1962 China war. Modi govt must be more open
The Chinese intrusion across the LAC — or the ‘perception of the LAC’ — is no secret anymore. Any debate on whether the Prime Minister spoke about no Chinese intrusion in Galwan Valley or in Pangong Tso, too, would only hurt his image. Given that it’s going to be a protracted battle with the Chinese, militarily or diplomatically, Modi had better go public with the situation on the ground. He still commands enough popular faith and authority to swing the public opinion in favour of the government’s move — and even constraints — at the LAC. If a survey were to be conducted today, Narendra Modi would get more votes than anyone as the leader the people trust to tackle the Chinese. Any attempt to obfuscate the facts about a threat to India’s territorial integrity may, however, shake this trust and give an impression of a weak leader hiding his failures.
When demonetisation wreaked havoc in people’s lives in 2016, Modi had played a masterstroke, asking people to bear the pain for 50 days to deliver them the “India of your dreams” and then punish him if he failed. They bore the pain happily and gave him 50 days even though India of their dreams has continued to elude them. The people would give him 500 days or even more to sort out the Chinese at the LAC but Modi must tell them the truth.
Views are personal.
CHINA praises Modi’s statement to raise doubts in the minds of the question mark type people in India. Suppose Modi has reached some agreement negetive for India is he so stupid to disclose in a statement like this?. NO. So, what he said has nothing to do with losing but China praises so that people like the ” Sawali” types destabilise this strong governance. It is all psychological tactics of the Chinese Government to harm Indian confidence. Sawalis fall prey to it and strengthen China.
When China praises Modi’s statement, it is clear that something is wrong with the statement and China has benefited from it. Overconfidence can be fatal. It merely shows that we Indians are garrulous and careless with what we say, as against the inscrutable chinese face which gives away nothing.
My comment is irrevelant to the article but it agitates me everytime I read, hear people reffering to china as Dragon? Why do we let others to decide for us? Why we let others to decide a narrative and thus a perception for us on how we should look at things? Why do we keep reffering China as Dragon (an imaginary, hypothetical, never existed creature) and not Panda(national animal)? Most importantly, why we refer ourselves as Elephant and not Tiger(national animal)? I keep LOL at this everytime I read dragon anywhere. LOL. I hope and believe there are rational and logical visitors on this website and will take my suggestion at face value, of reffering China as Panda and India as Tiger.
Shameless! Are you a paid media of the kongress n china?
Ur article is nothing but a PAID ARTICLE like the Lutyens to demoralize the Indians and Indian forces. Just one question I would like to ask u , ARE U AN INDIAN ? ARE U PAID BY THE CHINESE LIKE THE CONGRESS AND COMMUNIST ?
So much waste of time reading this artical.
What exactly you want to say I doubt anybody understood . Please don’t write and waste time of yours also.
Our neighbors Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are against us. There is something wrong in our policy and diplomacy. We need friends and supporters.
be a true patriot not a hijida……
We should understand that the matter of our neighbours concern about India is if POK is merges or captured by India Gilgit and balkishan will be indian territories. If so we would have direct link between Russia and Afghanistan. Certain countries including out neighbours don’t want to happen it Indo-Russia border will be in creation.
So every major powers do not want this to happen , because India and Russia will become neighbours and Direct link will be established militarily and transportability.
So many astrologers have predicted AKHAND Bharat abd there by every possibility is there , this thing will happen
Mr Arunkumar c Anjaria: You claim:
“.. many astrologers have predicted AKHAND Bharat abd there by every possibility is there ..”
Were any of these astrologers Chinese?
Just don’t write articles Mr DK Singh.. Provide suggestions or solution as to how to tackle the dragon. No point in essaying or condemning Modi just for the sake of seeking attention.
The way to tackle the dragon is to get rid of Xi’ s agent in India, Modi. You are not ready to face that reality that this crook was getting Xi’s largesse for personal benefit.
Xi is Chanakya. Modi and his acolytes are like Pritihvi Raj Chohan and Jaichand, fighting withing the country with students and women, while Xi takes over.
You want to elect incompetents and not be accountable.
According to bhakths, India lost 20 and China lost 43. India won. We must thank the chowkidar for saving us.
Did the print question the agreement between Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and CCP? What is behind this agreement? Is it the reason that congress steps in favorably to chinese statements and positions consistently? We would think you are fair publication if you can bring up this issue too in Indian public interest. How do we know India as a nation is not compromised due to this so called party to party agreement? There is only one party in China that rules all the time. Why not make this deal/agreement transparent to make sure congress has not compromised India’s national security interests.
No Sir, you are not neutral, just neutered.
Some dogs are paid for baking in media.
Penning down has great power , but that instrument when misused by the person like you it’s the most dangerous weapon, please let everyone know How we lost POK , Aksai chin and other places under Congress, were they laying eggs then!?
Very well said ! It is time Modi brings in new politicians who are also ready to speak their mind some one like Arun Jaitle. As he has no fear in medium term of any competition within BJP. First and foremost he should remove both FMs. Finance and Foreign Ministers.
We need in public domain the following two documents :
(1) a document which shows our official map on Chinese side, an inner line showing Chinese line of actual control and when did the Chinese intrude in those spots/areas since 1947, further inner line showing LAC (are of contention) and the innermost line of our actual physical control. This will show how over the years from 1947, we lost different parts of our land to Chinese, the Aksai Chin being the biggest one. Once this chronology is established, we can check under which government how much area was lost over the years and in particular, how much area we lost since 2014. Our territory is what we physically control though our claim of sovereignty is much further eastward. This will make for a fact based debate. It must be noted that there is difference between intrusion and transgression as area beyond our physical control but up to the LAC is contested. Also, let us know clearly what are Chinese claims through the map, so that we know what Chinese are demanding from us.
(2) A document which shows what was the infrastructure along the physical area of control before 2014 and after 2014 till now. This will enable us to debate on the readiness of the government to take on Chinese. And how much more we have to build to be at par with the Chinese. It should also contain what should government do to stop transgression from Chinese in future.
Once these are available, we can debate about China dispassionately and check out what Modi did since 2014. Without these documents, everybody, including all the retired army officers, are talking ambiguously and adding the confusion of the general public.
Can The Print organize this fact based research with the help of its brilliant journalists? Hopefully it will it help its anti Modi agenda too!
VERY APT … WE NEED TO FIRST KNOW THESE FACTS AND FACTS ONLY UNDOCTORED .. ..
OFF THIS HAPPENS THEN PEOPLE CAN COMMENT. .TILL THEN …