The border stand-off between India and China continues to escalate with a belligerent China coming within the shooting range of Indian forces at Spanggur Gap. The PLA troops are within the Indian forces shooting range after the former had made offensive deployments between Gurung Hill and Magar Hill. Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, in a strong statement, has said that the Indian Armed Forces are prepared for any eventuality.
At a time when various levels of talks between India and China have failed to defuse the situation at the border, China has mobilised thousands of PLA troops and heavy artillery which are within the firing range of the Indian Armed Forces positions at Spanggur Gap in Eastern Ladakh.
Rattled by India’s move to occupy the tactical heights along the Eastern LAC, the PLA has made offensive deployment at the Gurung and Magar Hills with things on a knife-edge along the border.
IANS quoted a government official as saying, “Seeing the Chinese PLA troop and guns mobilisation, the Indian Army too made mirror deployments at Spanggur Gap. Both the countries’ troops and guns are within shooting range.”
While the Indian forces have categorically stated that they will retaliate if China provokes along the border, the statement of CDS Bipin Rawat holds significance.
“Armed Forces are ready for anything,” said CDS Bipin Rawat to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence. He reiterated that the Indian forces are on alert and will give a befitting reply to the Chinese in case of any misadventure along the border.
General Rawat’s comments came a day after the meeting between S Jaishankar and Wang Yi in Russia with the duo arriving on a 5-point consensus to disengage and de-escalate the situation at the LAC.
However, the situation at the border is starkly different from the agreed consensus and the success of the consensus entirely depends on the PLA’s Commander in Chief, Xi Jinping who has turned China into a rogue state. It is far-fetched to think that, Xi Jinping, whose atrocities puts even Adolf Hitler to shame, will give instructions to his western theatre command troops to go back to barracks.
China like a tree blue rogue state has mastered the art of treachery and backstabbing and one can fully expect China to make a mockery of the 5-point consensus. It is still not clear who will make the first move to disengage at the LAC.
The situation at the border is entirely the making of Xi Jinping who has been caught in a bind as India is refusing to give in to China’s bullying tactics. Isolated and cornered, as is the case with tyrants, no one can predict what Xi Jinping will do next to wiggle out of the difficult situation. At a time when the troops of both countries are at such proximity, it is unlikely that things will go according to the script unless China agrees to restore the status quo. Hence, Bipin Rawat’s statement of the Indian Armed Forces being ready for any eventuality is of extreme significance.
