Somebody has to be accountable for LAC fiasco

In a feeble attempt to provide an explanation for what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the all-party meeting on Friday, the Centre has inadvertently ended up deepening the mystery of what transpired in the Galwan Valley region where 20 of our jawans and officers lost their lives in the most barbaric manner. The official stand is that when the Prime Minister said that no one had either intruded into our sovereign territory and nor had anyone captured any military post, he was referring to the post 15 June violent clashes. It has to be kept in mind that Modi is not among leaders who articulate in ambiguous terms; his communication strength lies in the clarity with which he puts across his point of view. If the government clarification is to be accepted, it means that the Prime Minister had been inadequately briefed about the situation and thus said what he should have not said. The fact of the matter is that the Chinese are not going to relent in the pursuit of their expansionist ambitions unless they are hit hard and brought down to see the reality.

The Indian establishment, particularly the Army, cannot any longer hide behind the supreme sacrifices of our soldiers, and has to furnish convincing answers regarding the Galwan fiasco. Experience has shown that the Chinese are ruthless soldiers and they demonstrated this beyond any shadow of doubt by resorting to the use of primitive methods to attack our bravehearts. The question here is not about how the Indian Army personnel inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy side before laying down their lives. It is about why such a situation was allowed to develop. Whenever, strategy is devised or implemented at the ground level, it is done by experts who have comprehensive knowledge about the terrain, the atmosphere and the surprise element of the enemy amongst various other factors. In the latest instance, it appears that the blueprint to deal with the Chinese was prepared in haste and without taking sufficient advice and counsel from those who are familiar with strategic and tactical deployment. The execution of the ill-conceived plan of the engagement with the Chinese did not bring in the desired results. Instead, we incurred unnecessary humiliation resulting in the death of our personnel in the most savage manner. There has been a very strong reaction amongst retired officers, some of who believe that the Northern Commander, the Corps Commander, the Division Commander and the Brigade Commander should be held responsible unless they are able to provide a satisfactory explanation. The clippings of the funerals of our jawans and officers have got etched into the consciousness of every Indian. The expectation is that the government would not only give a befitting reply to the aggressors but also not allow the political leadership to repeat the mistakes of the past while dealing with the Chinese. The final call is that of the Prime Minister.