Parroting the Chinese the anti-India allegations of the Global Times and other Chinese rags, the CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy ascribed the Chinese aggression in Ladakh to ‘the ultra-nationalist Hindutva world view of the BJP-RSS’.
When the pro-Chinese editorial kept mum about the Chinese aggression and its deceitful approach towards India, it launched a scathing attack on the Government of India over its measures and policies, including developing border infrastructure and formation of UT Ladakh, that are aimed at safeguarding the country’s external and internal security.
In the editorial, the CPM leader and its former general secretary Prakash Karat blamed India for stepping up infrastructure facilities along the border as it ‘is seen in a different light now by the Chinese side.’ Prakash Karat is the editor of People’s Democracy, the official mouthpiece of CPM. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury is its printer and publisher.
The editorial ruled out China’s `salami-slice’ tactics, and put the blame for border disputes squarely on India. According to the CPM, the formation of Union Territory Ladakh, reiterating PoJK & Aksai Chin as integral parts of India, developing border infrastructure and attempting to ‘corner ‘China at the World Health Assembly are the four ‘deeper reasons for this fracas on the border’.
The CPM alleged that India overlooked Chinese protests against the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir state, ‘which has an impact on an area to which China has claims’! “The steps to dismantle the state of Jammu & Kashmir and break it up into two centrally-administered territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have had external repercussions. China saw it from their own standpoint. The Chinese government protested twice to India that for them, this amounted to changing of an administrative arrangement, which has an impact on an area to which China has claims. But the Indian government overlooked this response even when China got the matter raised in an informal session of the United Nations Security Council,” stated the editorial.
“The political grandstanding indulged in by senior government leaders on this issue had also its impact. On August 6, when the restructuring of Jammu & Kashmir was discussed in parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah had asserted that, “I want to put this on record that whenever I say state of Jammu & Kashmir in the House, then both PoK and Aksai Chin are part of it”. The Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar, at a press conference in September last year talked about having “physical jurisdiction of PoK one day”,” alleged the CPM.
“The first year of the second term of the Modi government also saw speedy steps to integrate India with the Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States – a plan which is meant to counter China. In September last year, the quadrilateral alliance taking shape between the United States, India, Japan and Australia got upgraded to the ministerial level when the foreign ministers of the four countries met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session,” the editorial continues.
“During the current pandemic, India was seen going along with the United States in its diplomatic efforts to corner China at the World Health Assembly. A union minister echoed the charge of the United States that the coronavirus was produced in a laboratory in China,” it said.
“All these seem to have contributed to the standoff which has developed in Ladakh. The building of the road to Daulat Beg Oldi and branch roads northwards – which was part of India legitimately developing its border infrastructure – is seen in a different light now by the Chinese side,” it added.
In a bizarre attempt to whitewash China, CPM ruled out the Chinese involvement in the border disputes with other states like Nepal. The editorial echoed the arguments of its Chinese counterpart, The Global Times and held Hindutva and Indian nationalism as responsible for the issue. “To dismiss all this as part of some design by China is self-delusionary. The fact is, the ultra-nationalist Hindutva world view of the BJP-RSS is having its fall-out on our relations with the South Asian countries,” it alleged.
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