The Modi government’s response is the same when questions are raised on the boundaries of India deny, deflect and never answer. The latest test is in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, where the government is failing.
In a memorandum, the Nah community alerted that places of origin of their grazing, hunting and farming lands were now under the control of the PLA. Congress state president Bosiram Siram visited Taksing and has claimed that the Chinese have crossed 40-50 km. This has not been substantiated. The Army declared the reports unworthy of belief and the chief minister has already dismissed them without waiting for an independent investigation.
Then came the words of Kiren Rijiju himself. He rejected a viral statement of 60 kilometres of PLA activity on the ridgelines and said that concerns of the villagers were “real”. It is true to say that those who criticise the government for reports being “baseless” should consider what its own minister is saying about the pressure. Rahul Gandhi has gone a step further and had sated the government is suppressing reports of China blocking Indian patrols. That’s an claim, but the government’s refusal to release its patrol records contributes to that suspicion.
Rijiju also opted out of informing the villagers what was happening on their land and instead, poured his energy towards “scaring” Congress with past border policies and reminding the critics of misinformation. Twelve years into power, “the Congress did it” is not a security policy.
The cost of this escaping is being borne by the people living on the borders of the country who are said to be subjected to limited access to forests and pastures which are essential for their survival. If a government sells itself on strength, it has nothing to hide. It should share patrol-access data, permit an independent evaluation and should be open to Siram’s offer to hold an all-party delegation to Taksing.
That’s not until it does, and “national security” will only be a slogan to scoffle critics, not a promise to citizens.
The government’s supporters argue that the Army and the government itself have denied encroachment, that other pictures were indeed being circulated, and that the infrastructure of the borders has increased considerably with this government.
