Acknowledgement of an issue is the first step to making any systemic change. When the Galwan valley incident occurred, the majority of the populace took true cognizance of the Chinese threat posed and the possible trickle-down of said actions for the first time in nearly half a century of relative peace.
While knowledge of the incident spread like wildfire, the actual details remain clouded due to a number of factors. What remained a consistent fact across the multitude of opinions and stories about the incident was that there was significant loss of life on either side and far more importantly an acknowledgement of increased Chinese presence across the border.
The lack of clear delineation of the border between the two nations has added to the confusion surrounding the veracity of information but the Ministry of Defence had admitted to the existence of a Chinese incursion as well as the subsequent talks between high-level Military personnel of both countries to de-escalate the situation. The page on the Ministry of Defence website, however, was recently removed. This move comes after a series of statements filled with patriotic rhetoric made by several government officials regarding the relative standing of India with respect to China and the possibility of sustaining the current belligerent downturn in bilateral relations.
The now-removed four-page MOD document, under the subheading of Chinese Aggression, had stated that “the Chinese side transgressed in the areas of Kugrang Nala, Gogra, and the north bank of Pangong Tso lake on May 17-18,2020”.
Prime Minister Modi had claimed across several statements that there was no incursion on Indian territory by PLA troops. The claim was later clarified by the PMO stating that the Prime Minister referred to only the Galwan valley region.
Said incident has brought about significant attention from opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi who released a tweet denigrating the move accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lacking “courage” to name China after the Ministry of Defence’s removal of the document.
Whether this is a move protecting the integrity of the Prime Minister or something more sinister, the move deserves criticism and a reasonable response to be provided for the same.
The very acknowledgement of an issue very close to Indian National Security objectives is at stake with this likely to be access to yet another important piece of information that should have been freely available being curtailed due to political motivations.
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