Mumbai, Oct 26 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Monday said that a major political storm has erupted following explosive disclosures made by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujit Singh Kapoor regarding Chinese incursions along the Arunachal Pradesh border.
The Thackray camp in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, claimed that the revelations have shattered the government’s narrative, exposing alleged systemic suppression of security truths and a failure of national leadership.
The editorial said that ITBP Director General Shatrujit Singh Kapoor recently revealed that Chinese troops have crossed the Arunachal Pradesh border, penetrating six to seven kms deep into Indian territory in the Asafila area and establishing military camps.
He disclosed that armed clashes between Indian and Chinese forces have been ongoing along the border for the past four months, noting that modern warfare has drastically evolved with the heavy deployment of drones and that China holds a technologically superior military standing. However, as the remarks sparked widespread public concern, the official video of his speech was swiftly removed from the official website.
The editorial contended that the Modi government has deliberately attempted to conceal these critical developments from the public.
It highlighted that the government has systematically targeted individuals attempting to bring forward the reality of Chinese aggression. “Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had warned a year ago that China was encroaching upon Arunachal Pradesh, but top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, dismissed his statements as false propaganda and blamed him. Local tribal communities in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and youths who posted social media reels about the Chinese intrusion were similarly silenced, with the government dismissing their accounts as enemy propaganda,” said the editorial.
According to the editorial, former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s autobiography, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, has faced government censorship because it addresses the 2020 Ladakh-Galwan clashes and the Agnipath scheme.
The book revealed that on the night of August 31, 2020, as Chinese tanks advanced, Gen Naravane sought clear operational directives from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who allegedly handed down a vague response (“Do whatever you think is appropriate”) after consulting the Prime Minister — a situation described in the book as a difficult “Hot Potato” responsibility, said the editorial.
The editorial remarked that Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, who brought attention to Chinese intrusion in Ladakh, was branded a “traitor” by the government. Similarly, the editorial warned that ITBP’s Director General may now face similar political branding for speaking the truth.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena drew a sharp contrast between active military engagements on the border and diplomatic optics in the national capital. While Indian soldiers were locked in active clashes with Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi was busy hosting and entertaining Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit in Delhi.
The editorial labelled this simultaneous occurrence as an insult to the sacrifices and injuries of frontline Indian troops.
Accusing the ruling leadership of using soldiers for political leverage during crises and subsequently abandoning them, the editorial noted that Prime Minister Modi has evaded accountability for major security failures, including the Pulwama attack, the Pahalgam massacre, and the ongoing Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh. The editorial asserted that leadership failing to safeguard national territory must face democratic reckoning and accountability.
–IANS
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