Vivek Katju says unified political national policy can be an answer to China’s aggression on the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh

When the whole country is fighting COVID-19 crisis, China is becoming a rowdy neighbour, which needs to be given a firm message that India will not brook its approach at any cost. For this all parties have to come together to have a quiet conversation about strategy, maintains former diplomat Vivek Katju in his opinion piece in Hindustan Times.

He says it is time to build a unified national policy approach to begin with on China and give political ideological divides a rest.

According to his opinion piece, the political parties need to ask themselves whether the nation can afford normal ebb and flow of politics at this stage.

To make his point, Katju recalls an incident which happened some two decades ago when I K Gujral was the External Affairs Minister. He says when in 1997, Pakistan suddenly decided to mend ties with India after keeping a distance for over 3 years, the country was in a need of a unified strategy. The then EAM held quiet and separate conversations with leaders of the ruling party and main opposition parties as well.

In the wake of the June 15 violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were dead, Katju says that when PM Modi called an all-party meeting, there was a huge controversy that followed however, the meeting gave away a strong message signalling India’s firmness to confront China’s actions.