Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for breaking status quo. And by deciding to allow Tibetan leader in exile, Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Narendra Modi has shown that he has a spine not only to take on the rogue child Pakistan but the big daddy read China with equal elan. China’s constant attempt at blocking India’s bid to get Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar declared as a UN-designated terrorist has been a serious global embarrassment for the country. It also is an open declaration by our neighboring giant to not to cooperate with India on the issue of a global malice like terrorism and side with Pakistan against India’s interests. When passive aggression doesn’t work, one has to make their stand explicit. And by allowing Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi has taken the ultimate plunge to challenge China.
That we have ruffled the dragon wing is clear from the peeved response from the Chinese side. Here’s how China has shown it’s unhappiness about the ongoing visit by Dalai Lama in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
First, it has summoned India’s envoy to China to protest against Dalai Lama’s visit. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying was quoted by the media as saying that Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang “undermines China’s interest”. He advised India to not “hype up sensitive issues between India and China”.
Second, Chinese state media directly held Narendra Modi responsible for damaging ties with China like never before. It also said that no other Indian Prime Minister has challenged “Beijing’s bottom line” like Modi by “raising public engagement with the Tibetan spiritual leader”.
Third, according to latest media reports, an irate Chinese media portended further Chinese interference in the Kashmir issue.
#BREAKING — China fumes over Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal. Chinese media threatens that Beijing could interfere in “turbulent” Kashmir pic.twitter.com/kcOzuwZGqR
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 6, 2017
It’s clear that China is seething with anger for being taken head on. Union Home Minister Kiren Rijiju said that China should have no problem with Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh as it is an integral part of India. China considers Arunachal Pradesh as its “South Tibet”.
Although there has never been any confusion from the Indian side about this bit of information, India has made a strong statement. It is indeed a very controversial stance taken by India because at the symbolic level too, the fact that Dalai Lama is visiting a Tibetan monastery in Tawang where the sixth incarnation of Dalai Lama was born in 1683. This definitely challenges the Chinese might like never before. Chinese media and foreign ministry has time and again called Dalai Lama as a terrorist in disguise. However, for some reason Azhar, the conspirator of the Pathankot attack, is never seen as a terrorist by China.
Modi has not only exposed China’s double-standards but also delivered a severe blow to its bullying tendencies all the time. With the Dalai Lama event, Modi has killed two birds – reinforced India’s geographical claims and embarrassed China for being a stubborn ally of Pakistan when it comes to fighting terrorism.
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