Tibet Card will be played by India at the Appropriate time as a FORCE MULTIPLIER
Lobsang Sangay – the head of Tibet’s government-in-exile – had been invited at the t swearing in ceremony of the NDA Government in 2014. This was a clear signal to China that things had started changing in New Delhi. In July 2017, Sangay had a photo-op with the Tibetan flag at Pangong Tso in Ladakh. Also in 2017, the Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh while China raved, ranted and whined all the time claiming as its own as part of ‘southern Tibet’. It even went ahead and renamed places in Arunachal. Indians still remain unaware of those names and so are most of the Chinese.
China occupied Tibet in late 1950s through brutal military intervention.Ever since China has been forcefully dominating Tibet covering all aspects … ethnically, culturally, societally and linguistically …. for over 70 years and even settled millions of Han Chinese in the Himalayan region to turn it into a province of China. However even till date, it has still been unsuccessful in eradicating the Freedom Movement and deep veneration for the Dalai Lama from amongst three generations of indigenous Tibetans. Seven decades have passed since occupation of Tibet by the PLA, but Communist Party Of China still continues to deploy commissars across the ‘autonomous region’ to discredit and vilify the Dalai Lama, openly referring to him as a ‘monk in wolf’s clothing’.
Beijing’s claiming super power status continues to shiver in paranoia over the Dalai Lama. Recently a 42-year old Chinese national was arrested in Delhi on charges of bribing Tibetans from their Majnu Ka Tila settlement in north Delhi, to gather information on the Dalai Lama and his close associates. Chinese paid agents are active in both Dharamsala and Mysore, amongst other places where Tibetan communes are located gathering latest information.
China also goes into visible convulsions when Western leaders, their businessmen and celebrities visit the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala or elsewhere, or when he travels abroad and meets heads of governments and state. Though in spite of all its efforts including economic measures, Beijing has not been successful. The flame of Freedom continues to burn brightly.
The initial message to China regarding Tibet had gone home. This was evident from various Chinese reactions. So in the interest of overall peace, India too kept Tibet as a backburner. For, despite its economic progress and technical military “wizardry”, China remains hypersensitive about both Tibet and Dalai Lama viewing them as security, political and diplomatic dangers, despite the long passage of time since the PLA occupied Tibet in 1950s by force.
The new NDA government at the Centre after sending the clear message to China and seeing the Chinese conscious efforts at mending fence, reciprocated by keeping the Tibetan affair at a low key. Modi’s then had his first informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April 2018 and then a summit last year at Mamallapuram. Meanwhile both Dokalam and Maldives crisis had happened and scores were in favour of India. The new GREAT GAME was on.
All the while PLA was calculating and weary at the same time because since 2014, India had speeded up the infrastructure building along the Himalayan Border. Finally the PLA calculatedly intruded across the LAC and attacked the Indian troops at Galwan.
Incessant rounds of official talks are going on with China at both Military and Diplomatic level, following military face-off in eastern Ladakh. India has started deploying its “ FORCE MULTIPLIERS “ one by one. Firstly it airlifted three additional t divisions into Ladhak thereby neutralizing any actual or perceived military advantage of PLA. Then India banned a very large number of Chinese Apps etc operating in India. Next Chinese companies have been banned or curtailed severely in their operation within India. India has started reducing its import from China in a phased manner. People are already boycotting Chinese products. A clear message has gone that now onwards there will be no BUSINESS AS USUAL.
India has already started its open overtures to Taiwan and more talks with Japan, Australia and USA with respect to South China Sea. Talks and trade have been increased with Vietnam and Philippines too.
Also there is one more compelling force multiplier that remains to be Unleashed at an appropriate moment whereby both Tibet and India may be able to benefit and that is the Dalai Lama.
Thanks to Indian efforts, already there have been increasing vocal demands at the Various Capitals of the World and even at UN to haul up China for its Human Rights violations in both Tibet and Xinjiang.
Most so called China specialists and retired diplomats who did nothing during the pre 2014 regime, are now in their public ruminations are talking that it is the enduring People’s Liberation Army (PLA) threat along the line of actual control (LAC), that has muted the Indian response with respect to the Dalai Lama, Tibet, and even Buddhism. How ridiculous.
They should know that reference whatsoever to either or all three issues of Tibet,Dalai Lama or Buddhism will be made at a juncture when Delhi decides that it is the right time from military and diplomatic angle.
Former Research and Analysis (RAW) China specialist Jayadeva Ranade, who presently heads the Centre for China Analysis in New Delhi, for instance, feels that the Dalai Lama is needed to appear publicly on the same platform as Indian ministers and officials to indicate support for the Tibetan leader. He has stated that the Dalai Lama, who epitomised Buddhism the world over and remains well disposed towards India, could well have an positive multiplier effect in Delhi’s dealings with China.
Former national security adviser M.K. Nayaranan went even a step further. Writing in The Hindu, recently, he declared that with a view to appeasing China in recent years ( he must surely be talking about his own time as a diplomat and later as NSA ) that India had “distanced itself from the Dalai Lama which has, without doubt been a mistake” that needs rectification. Restoring the Dalai Lama to the same level of eminence (like earlier) in India’s official thinking “should be an important plank in India’s anti-China policy”, the former NSA added.
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