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Nepal invaded by China, for India's good?
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Claude Arpi | Date:11 Mar , 2013 2 Comments
Claude Arpi
Writes regularly on Tibet, China, India and Indo-French relations. He is the author of 1962 and the McMahon Line Saga, Tibet: The Lost Frontier and Dharamshala and Beijing: the negotiations that never were.

The Chinese are slowly invading Nepal.

A Nepali anaylsyt told AFP “In Tibet, unrest has significantly increased, so Chinese investment in Nepal should be understood in the context of China’s integrity, which is very important for the giant nation.”

…China has built these ports to prepare for a war with India…

He added: “Some Indian analysts repeatedly warn that China has built these ports to prepare for a war with India, it will definitely provide China with an edge but at heart, its goal is to expand the economic opportunity to its workforce and make them loyal to the state.”

From Mao’s time, the Chinese have always spoken of dual use for infrastructure. In Tibet’s Nyingchi prefecture  for example, infrastructure has tremendously been developed, with the first objective to accommodate more than 1 million tourists every year. But the same infrastructure can be used in case of conflict with India (Nyingchi is just north of the McMahon Line).

Ditto in Nepal which is fast invaded by China.

In this context, it is interesting to mention an article published by The Hindustan Times on November 11, 1950. The title is “Sardar Patel Exhorts people to stand unitedly to see conditions in Tibet and Nepal and defend their country”.  The article quotes Patel in one of his last speech (probably the last in Delhi). His conclusion was “In this kalyug we shall return ahimsa for ahimsa. But if anybody resorted to force against us we shall meet it with force.”

Sardar Patel emphasized that the “internal feud” in Nepal had laid India’s frontiers in the north wide open to outside dangers. It was imperative, therefore, for Indians to be well prepared to meet any challenge that might come from any quarter.

Sardar Patel said in Delhi that the present or potential dangers arising from what was happening in Tibet and Nepal made it incumbent on the people to rise above party squabbles and unitedly defend their newly-won freedom. The path shown by Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Dayanand, he added, would help the people to tide over these none too easy times. Sardar Patel was addressing a meeting organized by the Central Aryan Association to commemorate the 67th death anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, social reformer and thinker. Referring to the recent developments in Nepal, Sardar Patel said: “In this country, our near neighbour, the Raja has sought sanctuary in the Indian Embassy. How could we refuse to give him refuge? We had to give it. Those who are wielding real power today in Nepal do not accept the Raja as the head of the State. They have installed the Raja’s three-year-old grandson on the gaddi. They want us to accept this position. How can we do so?” Sardar Patel emphasized that the “internal feud” in Nepal had laid India’s frontiers in the north wide open to outside dangers. It was imperative, therefore, for Indians to be well prepared to meet any challenge that might come from any quarter. Sardar Patel criticized Chinese intervention in Tibet and said that to use the `sword’ against the traditionally peace-loving Tibetan people was unjustified. No other country in the world was as peace-loving as Tibet. India did not believe, therefore, that the Chinese Government would actually use force in settling the Tibetan question.

“The Chinese Government,” he said, “did not follow India’s advice to settle the Tibetan issue peacefully. They marched their armies into Tibet and explained this action by talking of foreign interests intriguing in Tibet against China. But this fear is unfounded: no outsider is interested in Tibet. India made this very plain to the Chinese Government. If the Chinese Government had taken India’s advice, resort to arms would have been avoided.” Continuing, Sardar Patel said that nobody could say what the outcome of Chinese action would be. But the use of force ultimately created more fear and tension. It was possible that when a country got drunk with its own military strength and power, it did not think calmly over all issues. But use of arms was wrong. In the present state of the world, such events might easily touch off a new world war, which would mean disaster for mankind. In these difficult times, Sardar Patel said, the duty of the Indian people lay not in fleeing from trouble but facing it boldly. That was the real  message of both Swami Dayanand and Mahatma Gandhi. “Do not let cowardice cripple you. Do not run away from danger. The three-year-old freedom of the country has to be fully protected. India today is surrounded by all sorts of dangers and it is for the people today to remember the teachings of the two great saints and face fearlessly all dangers.” The Deputy Prime Minister continuing declared: “In this kalyug we shall return ahimsa for ahimsa. But if anybody resorted to force against us we shall meet it with force.”

The Chinese continue to advance. But now, they say that they want to do business with India.

Courtesy: www.claudearpi.blogspot.in 

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2 thoughts on “Nepal invaded by China, for India’s good?

  1. It might have seemed to Sardar Patel, that internal issues might also be seen in a light. There were issues where Muslims were alienated in the circumstance, and Mr. Patel had to see a situation, where Muslims were concerned about what had happened during partition, were not absolving responsibility, and were concerned about other issues. In fact, Pandit Nehru was perhaps in wonder, how Mr. Patel was concerned with the border, when one then surmises, that the main border that was shared was with Pakistan.
    The Chinese border was sensitive on the Indian perspective as the rest of the neighbors weren’t challenging of the Chinese border, but the Soviets were improving relations, for no visible reason of any gain or loss to either India or herself. China was having differences with the Soviets.
    The issue is, that can a state of anxiety have changed the situation? When Sardar Patel would have made the circumstance known as worrying, it might have been a paralyzing effect. What could have been done? The soldier on the plains is at an advantage when soldiers from mountains are descending to attack, and at a vital disadvantage when soldiers are attacking.

  2. Any Nation that uses such Brute Military force & repression mixed with Abuses & false accusations against the Spiritual,Peaceloving & Simple Tibetan people & his holiness -The Dalai Lama is a Evil nation. !! With all its Military might & Economic largesses it has not been able to Subdue or Purchase the Tibetans.. China is a Existential threat to India & other Peaceloving Democracies of Asia. They follow a total ” STEALTH APPROACH ” in all their External & internal policies. Now,these Chinese along with the Maoists are trying to take over Nepal. India & other Democracies must resist these Attempts.

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