……..Contd) Later, Sonia Gandhi also visited China on quite a few occasions. In 1996 she paid a visit, but her planned trip in 2003 was cancelled. However in 1987, Sonia Gandhi, after taking over as the Congress president, accompanied by her son and AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi paid a five-day visit – first by a foreign leader after the conclusion of the CPC National Congress. Senior party leader Karan Singh, Prithviraj Chavan and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma were part of the high-level delegation.
In 2008, Congress President and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi along with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, her husband Robert Vadra, and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma attended the inaugural ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing as guests of the CPC leadership.
During the visit, Rahul Gandhi personally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wang Jia Rui, Minister in the International Liaison Department of the CPC, which is nothing but the covert intelligence agency, in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and then Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping. The pact agreed to put in place a mechanism that would help regular high-level exchanges between the two sides was signed. Sonia Gandhi, sources told IANS that “It is strictly on the party-to-party basis”. What was in the MOU? Why has it not been made public? Are the two parties indulging in regular high-level exchanges and their outcomes?
Anand Sharma’s official tweet on 12 May 2020 is irrefutable proof of the Congress Party soft pedaling with China “The Indian National Congress recognizes and values the special strategic partnership between India and China. As two ancient civilizations and large economies of the world both countries are destined to make significant contributions in the 21st Century. “Furthermore, there was irrefutable evidence of financial flows from the Chinese side to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
During the above period of UPA rule in 2008, the Chinese occupied Tia Pangnak and Chabji Valley (250km) in Chumur area, Zorawar Fort in Demjok was destroyed by PLA and the PLA set up Observing Point in 2012 and also created the Chinese/new Demjok/Colony with 13 cemented houses. In 2008- 2009, India lost Doom Cheley (an ancient trade point) between Dungti and Demjok.
During the Doklam crisis with China in 2017, Rahul secretly met with the Chinese Ambassador to India and when questioned, the Congress denied it had happened till a photograph was released on the website of the Chinese Embassy! Rahul’s closeness with the Chinese was again on display when visited Kailash Mansarovar in September 2018. Everything was laid out for him and reports came out of the Chinese Ambassador even being present when he departed from New Delhi. Similarly, a photo was taken of the entire Gandhi-Vadra family being hosted by the Chinese at the Olympics.
An article by S Gurumurthy in The New Indian Express titled, ‘UPA policies weakening India and enriching China’ clearly exposes the benefits China got during the UPA regime. He stated: that India’s imports from
China were13% of the country’s total imports in 2006-7. It rose to 17% by 2011-12. As a result, India’s trade deficit with China topped USD 175 billion in the last six years to 2012-13. The UPA was the architect of the huge deficit syndrome with China. India ran a trade deficit of $1 billion with China in 2001-2. By the third year of the UPA rule, it rose to USD 9 billion. Later it galloped to USD 16 billion [in the 4 years] USD 23 billion [in the 5] USD 19 billion [in the 6] USD 28 billion [in the 7] USD 39 billion [in the 8] and USD 41 billion [in the 9] aggregating to USD 175 billion or 54pc of India’s total current account deficit of USD 325 billion in the last seven years. The capital goods imported from China alone amounted to USD 150 billion-plus. India imported from China three times more than it exported to it.
Based on the irrefutable evidence given above, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and their sycophant followers must maintain restraint in passing disparaging and provocative remarks on significant bilateral issues with far reaching ramifications in posterity. By indulging in such duplicitous behaviour, they are not only scoring self-goals only against themselves with adverse fallout on long term national security interests.
UNDERSTANDING GEO STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES FROM NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS
In my humble view, understanding geo-strategic imperatives from national security interests is most critical. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 had highlighted the geo-strategic significance of Oceans: “Mediterranean Ocean is an ocean of the Past; Atlantic is an Ocean of the present; and Asia-Pacific is the Ocean of the future.
And, Admiral Zumwalt– 1974-75 -also highlighted “India’s emergence as super power must be accepted as an emerging reality. And, it must be prepared to assume a policing role. “Surely, Great Nicobar Islands hold the key to the effective policing role of the gateway to Malacca straits.
The island is located some 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) east of India’s mainland, close to Indonesia’s Sumatra and only hundreds of kilometres away from Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. It currently has around 8,000 residents. Banda Aceh in Indonesia is at a distance of just 80 nm.
India holds the trump card in the Great Channel South of Great Nicobar to settle scores in any confrontation with China on the land frontiers. Shore-based UCAVs, surface-to-ship missiles, fighters, submarines, underwater anti-submarine nets and mines hold tremendous strategic significance that cannot be squandered. Hopefully, “Environmental Activists, Scientists and Civic organizations” are aware of China’s strategy of “String of Pearls”: building a network of military and commercial bases and ports in the Indian Ocean region. Almost 80% of oil that China imports passes through the Great Channel. Economically significant is that the Indian Ocean is a treasure chest of raw material resources next only to the Pacific.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has approved a mega project, worth `72,000 crore, for the “holistic development” of Great Nicobar. Approved plans to be implemented over the next 30 years include the construction of an international container terminal; a dual-use airport for military and civilian purposes; a gas, diesel, and solar-based power plant; and a green field township spread across 166 sq. km of the 910 sq. km island.
Wise learn from others’ lessons; fools from their lessons; and idiots refuse to learn from others” lessons!! Take the ongoing war in West Asia. The HOUTHI have almost paralyzed international shipping in the Straits of Hormuz. Learn from its lessons.
Let me record extracts of my infatuation with Island territories over the past 60 years. It dates back to the late 1960s with an article in a “Gold Medal Competition”. Followed my “THESIS” on “Defense of India’s Island Territories” in 1984 which was graded A+ by the Madras University. Furthermore, the “Indian Express” after visiting the College of Combat, Mhow, reviewed my article in the Combat Magazine in their piece on 31st August 1990 (authored after a visit to the Island Group particularly Indira Point of Great Nicobar) whose extracts are given below:
“India should urgently develop the full power potential of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands to protect its security interests in the South Asian region. The step was more than overdue given the emerging and futuristic geo-strategic significance of the island region. Certainly, the region offers challenges and can act as a window of opportunity in all fields if the strategies are imaginatively formulated and bilaterally executed. The region can easily turn into the “promised land” of the 21st century, thereby automatically promoting security”. (Concluded)
