Days after Chief of Defence staff General Bipin Rawat told a section of the media that a military option against China can be exercised if diplomatic and military talks fail to yield results, Chinese PLA troops attempted another transgression on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, the site of violent clashes in mid-June.
The fact that the latest Chinese attempt to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control comes after these statements can only mean that Beijing is least fearful of such words. The attempted transgression also comes after the Indian government has taken several measures recently to hurt China economically. Given the expansionist and aggressive designs of China not only against India but also in the South China Sea, New Delhi is left with no option but to strengthen itself militarily and economically. This has to be the central theme that determines any policy towards China as Beijing only respects strength.
Going forward, India needs to urgently change its military thinking. From arms purchases, deployment and preparedness, everything is geared towards Pakistan. The Indian Army has three strike corps, its offensive arm, and all of them are deployed along the western border. This is rather strange as the military brass is well aware that Pakistan, with a weak economy, can ill afford a protracted confrontation with India. It is stranger still because the commanders have been aware of China’s designs against India. It’s time the military took a relook at this.
The Army should consider redeploying at least one of the strike corps along the LAC. It is also time to fast-track the raising of the mountain corps, which has been in the works for years now but is yet to see the light of the day. The government also needs to speed up construction of dedicated military corridors to facilitate faster movement of troops. Economically, the government needs to vigorously work towards self-reliance so that India is not critically dependent on only one country for raw material. On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the nation to be vocal about local. It is now up to the citizens to play their part.