Narendra Modi Prime Minister sent three messages by his surprise and sudden decision to fly to War Zone. With Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Chief of Army Staff Gen Narwane.
A strong political message to China. Also, to silence Rahul Gandhi, who tweeted that Modi is he Narendra or Surrendera?? Meaning the pun as Surrendered to China.
A leading English daily The Hindu in its Editorial hailed Modi decision. For that matter At least sixty to seventy language and Hindi dailies published in India welcomed Modi in Leh in its edits.
Of course, as expected Chinese mouthpiece calls PM Modi’s Ladakh visit a ‘political stunt’; says Indian troops no match for PLA.
Modi touched all the important points to send a strong signal across the borders and to boost the morale of the soldiers guarding the country’s sovereignty at the borders.
Any observer of Modi including critics can assess Tale of ‘Two Modis’: What The ‘Politician’ & PM Achieved in Leh? One elite section does this as a speculation.
At Leh, PM Modi had different messages for India, China, and the world community.
With his visit to Nimu near Leh, which houses the XIV Corps headquarters including the base hospital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accomplished several objectives. He visited soldiers injured during the Galwan clash of June 15, addressed troops involved in the standoff with China, and was briefed directly by senior officers involved in operation al preparedness who are also conducting military talks with China’s People’s Liberation Army.
In his speech to soldiers at Nimu, he addressed different audiences as well, with the biggest message for the Chinese leadership, where he said that the age of expansionism is over. Calling this the “era of evolution” or development (Vi- kasvaad), Mr. Modi said that the “era of colonial expansion” (Vistaarvaad) is over. He said that in the past expansionist forces have done great harm to humanity and had been “erased or forced to relent”.
The Hindu editorial said the message to Beijing was this: it must not engage in territorial aggression across its boundaries with countries from Central Asia to the South China Sea, including India, and it must also recall its own anger against imperialism, that so many in the PRC’s leadership have decried. Even though he did not once name China, the message appeared to have hit home, with the Chinese Embassy in Delhi issuing a denial that it had made any expansionist moves. The Prime Minister also addressed other countries that are viewing the growing seriousness of the two month long standoff with concern, as he spoke about India’s tradition of peace with bravery, indicating that diplomatic options would be exhausted before any action. To his domestic audience, the address signified the government’s determination to face the challenge at the Line of Actual Control and to focus on national priorities of infrastructure and economic development. Finally, he addressed the soldiers themselves, as he spoke of the valour of the men who have been engaged in the clashes along the LAC, including the Galwan confrontation in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
In all three aspects of the address, the speech must be welcomed, and its unspoken messages should also be studied closely. While the Prime Minister’s decision to visit troops near the LAC was well timed and apt, it also raised the temperature of the India China engagement, and indicates that military talks for disengagement and the dispersal of the massive mobilisation of troops on both sides, have not made much progress.
The contrast in his tone from just two weeks ago, when he reassured the nation that “neither has anyone transgressed, nor is anyone inside Indian territory”, indicates that the situation is far more serious than was previously understood. It is to be hoped that the government, which has thus far not given the nation the full picture on what has happened, and what the nation needs to prepare for, will do so now, further clarifying the Prime Minister’s core message at Leh.
