At a time when India is advocating peace in the neighbourhood especially with China, an Arunachal Pradesh minister’s assertion that the state will experience a ‘Kargil like
situation’ holds some weightage. He laid emphasis on the lack of development which is forcing people to migrate from border region to urban areas. He said this movement of people from far flung areas is giving China an opportunity to venture deeper inside Indian territory. The minister painted a grim picture of the security and blamed that the Centre’s population based funding was reason for the lack of development in thinly populated state. Finding the fault with the Union Government’s funding, based on state population, he said the states are told by the Centre to control their birth rate but funding is more for state with bigger population. Lack of development in border areas of Arunachal Pradesh is forcing people to move to urban places as they have no facilities. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s assertion “peace with China not at the cost of honour” shows India’s resilience to go the proverbial extra mile in search of elusive peace. The Home Minister said China often raised questions over the border and has raised objection when India wanted to improve border within its own territory. India’s overture with peace by the neighbours especially China and Pakistan is seen as weak link in the foreign relations. Arunachal Pradesh is most vulnerable because of the terrain and lack of infrastructure but much of the trouble was visible in Leh and Ladakh. China had raised objections on even India building roads near Arunachal Pradesh border territory, which it has been claiming its own. The mass movement of population has been reciprocated by Chinese making inroads as the borders in this stretch of land remained ambiguous for decades. These developments may have political angle but Rajnath Singh’s Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The whole world is one family concept, looks like out of symphony.
