Chronic indicisiveness of Indian political leadership
I’m sure if any one has to write on ‘India and controversy’, it would require at least couple of years and a storage space of 100GB, even to do some kind of partial justice to the subject. Anything less than this would be gross injustice, as controversies in India has had a very exhaustive, elaborate and enticing history. Leaving aside all other controversies and such contestable personalities and taking a peep only into the political ones, and that too the border rlated ones, one can clearly deduce that most of the controversies have been a manifestation of ‘acute indecisive syndrome’ of Indian political leadership.
Let’s start with Pakistan. 1948 was probably the very first examples of Nehruvian indecisiveness. The Indian army that marched after signing of instrument of accession was made to stop short of capturing the whole of the state. It is no secret that Nehru’s announcement of taking the issue to UN has costed India dearly. Since then Kashmir has been bleeding, both economically and socially. Also, other than the Indus Water treaty, which was heavily tilted against India, the Simla accord that was signed between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has gone into the pages of history as their diplomatic treachery and our indecisiveness.
Moving over to Nepal - The 1952 friendship treaty between the countries have made Nepalese heavily resent the Indian domination. But India has been invariably dilly dallying even when the Maharaja played India against China game. Even the recent upsurge in Nepal based terrorism has yet to generate a response from India.
In 1962, while roads were being built in the Aksai Chin region, Nehru continued proclaiming in the parliament that there is no reason to worry. Defeat in 1962 war came after the Chinese captured the positions of strength both in the Western Aksai Chin and the Eastern NEFA. We have since then developed cold feet when it comes to either Tibet or Taiwan, but the Chinese keep their options open on Arunachal, Sikkim, and even Kashmir. What more, India doesn’t even talk on the area ceded by Pakistan to China in J&K. Another neighbour Bangladesh, who owe their evolution to India, has been the forerunner in creating troubles for India. Starting as a base for illegal immigration to the country, the country has graduated as being the base camp for terrorists operating in North Eastern India. The Borai bari incident where 16 Indian BSF jawans were hacked to death and sent back to India logged as animals, sent shivers in every Indian, but the Indian government scontinued with their elephantine indecisiveness.
Sri Lanka too has seen both Indian indecisive interference and their informed intransigence. The Sinhalese persecution of the Tamil population drew Indian ire, but for those hundreds of Tamilians who crossed border to India, it has been a lost case. Sri Lankan navy fires at Indian fisherman but Indian response had been inconclusive, as usual.
Somehow all these incidents and more, glaringly stare at Indian polity’s failure to take ‘those’ timely decisions. And worse, there doesn’t seem to be any change forthcoming in the attitude. So for now at least, Indian controversies would be continued………..
I’m sure if any one has to write on ‘India and controversy’, it would require at least couple of years and a storage space of 100GB, even to do some kind of partial justice to the subject. Anything less than this would be gross injustice, as controversies in India has had a very exhaustive, elaborate and enticing history. Leaving aside all other controversies and such contestable personalities and taking a peep only into the political ones, and that too the border rlated ones, one can clearly deduce that most of the controversies have been a manifestation of ‘acute indecisive syndrome’ of Indian political leadership.
Let’s start with Pakistan. 1948 was probably the very first examples of Nehruvian indecisiveness. The Indian army that marched after signing of instrument of accession was made to stop short of capturing the whole of the state. It is no secret that Nehru’s announcement of taking the issue to UN has costed India dearly. Since then Kashmir has been bleeding, both economically and socially. Also, other than the Indus Water treaty, which was heavily tilted against India, the Simla accord that was signed between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has gone into the pages of history as their diplomatic treachery and our indecisiveness.
Moving over to Nepal - The 1952 friendship treaty between the countries have made Nepalese heavily resent the Indian domination. But India has been invariably dilly dallying even when the Maharaja played India against China game. Even the recent upsurge in Nepal based terrorism has yet to generate a response from India.
In 1962, while roads were being built in the Aksai Chin region, Nehru continued proclaiming in the parliament that there is no reason to worry. Defeat in 1962 war came after the Chinese captured the positions of strength both in the Western Aksai Chin and the Eastern NEFA. We have since then developed cold feet when it comes to either Tibet or Taiwan, but the Chinese keep their options open on Arunachal, Sikkim, and even Kashmir. What more, India doesn’t even talk on the area ceded by Pakistan to China in J&K. Another neighbour Bangladesh, who owe their evolution to India, has been the forerunner in creating troubles for India. Starting as a base for illegal immigration to the country, the country has graduated as being the base camp for terrorists operating in North Eastern India. The Borai bari incident where 16 Indian BSF jawans were hacked to death and sent back to India logged as animals, sent shivers in every Indian, but the Indian government scontinued with their elephantine indecisiveness.
Sri Lanka too has seen both Indian indecisive interference and their informed intransigence. The Sinhalese persecution of the Tamil population drew Indian ire, but for those hundreds of Tamilians who crossed border to India, it has been a lost case. Sri Lankan navy fires at Indian fisherman but Indian response had been inconclusive, as usual.
Somehow all these incidents and more, glaringly stare at Indian polity’s failure to take ‘those’ timely decisions. And worse, there doesn’t seem to be any change forthcoming in the attitude. So for now at least, Indian controversies would be continued………..
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