(TibetanReview.net, Jan25’23) – Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi has said Jan 25 that it is the duty of every Indian to boycott China, and bemoaned the fact that there has been a 50% rise in trade between the two countries. He has called China’s occupation of Indian territory worrisome.
“Today a newspaper has reported that China has occupied some of our land. This is cause of worry for us all. On one hand our soldiers are facing China with bravery at the border and on the other hand it is our duty to be with them in this fight. It’s our duty to boycott China and give them a strong message,” thehindu.com Jan 25 quoted Mr Kejriwal as saying at Republic Day celebrations of the Delhi government.
He was apparently referring to a report in thehindu.com that India had lost access to 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points (PP) in eastern Ladakh.
“But in the past few years what have we done? On one side China is occupying our land and on the other hand we are increasing our trade with China. In 2020, we bought materials and products worth 65 billion dollars from China and in 2021 it increased to 95 billion dollars. An increase of 50%. We are making China richer and giving them more money and they are using our own money to buy more weapons, recruit more soldiers and attack us. This is not right,” Kejriwal has added.
“We are buying slippers, figurines and mattresses from China. Why can’t we manufacture these in India?” the PTI news agency Jan 25 cited him as asking, speaking at the Chhatrasal Stadium. He has added that this was also a matter of creating jobs for the youth while sending a strong message to China.
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The “play safe” approach of the Indian Army that restricts the movement of the district administration and locals in forward areas has turned areas that were once accessible into informal “buffer” zones, another thehindu.com report Jan 25 cited a research paper submitted at last week’s annual police meet in Delhi as saying.
The research paper was stated to have noted that in order to avoid consternation with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that had placed high-resolution cameras at vantage points, the Indian Army restricted the movement of graziers by installing check-posts and deploying personnel in disguise. And the recent disengagement agreements at PP 15 and 16 resulted in the loss of pasture lands at Gogra hills, North Bank of Pangong Tso, and Kakjung areas.
The report recalled that The Hindu had earlier reported on Dec 22, 2022 that there were at least 30 PPs in eastern Ladakh along Line of Actual Control (LAC) that were not being patrolled any more by Indian troops.
These points were started to have been regularly patrolled before Apr-May 2020, when China started amassing troops close to the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
The report said the research paper, however, did not come up for discussion at the annual Director General of Police (DGP) Conference organised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that was held from Jan 20 to 22 and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
It was stated to be among 15 research papers submitted by police officers across the country on the subject ‘Security Issues Pertaining to Unfenced Land Border’.