This only shows that our foreign policy lacks certain lacunae, it changes with every change of the government. This may prove to be very dangerous.
Even as the shock of the 1962 war is still fresh in the minds of the people of the region, it gains momentum with the occasional confusing remarks made by the Chinese Government. All too often, China has claimed Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of itself. Such remarks by China only help in creating fear psychosis in the minds of the people particularly those residing in the Indo – China border.
China’s activities need serious reviewing. China has started construction of the Stillwell road on its side of the border connecting Arunachal Pradesh with the Chinese Yunna province through Myanmar. Roads built in Tibet are disturbingly close to the Indian border. Not only that, China’s control of the sources of many Indian rivers which have their origin in the Tibetan plateau is also a cause for concern. China had constructed a dam at the head waters of the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra to divert their water to its parched provinces of Xingian and Gansu. This will affect most of the people of the North East.
All this suggests that India should take a stronger stand with regard to China to ensure that India is not caught in a situation of crisis. The silver lining is that the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh on the 31st of January 2008 and suggested a series of economic measures including the construction of roads. (Read Eastern Panorama, February 2008)
India must assert its strength. Though for China, human lives and the opinion of the global community are of no value, the recent agitations of the people of Tibet have successfully aroused the attention of the world community on the need for looking into the affairs of Tibet. In light of all this, the question arises, “How long can India remain silently complacent?”