Incursions a hot poll issue in Arunachal

Even as the Centre continues to downplay reports of alleged Chinese incursions into Indian territory,it has become a hot poll issue in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh....

Even as the Centre continues to downplay reports of alleged Chinese incursions into Indian territory,it has become a hot poll issue in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh which is heading for Assembly elections on October 13. Leading the campaign is Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu,who has emphasised on India countering alleged Chinese threats through rapid economic and infrastructural development in the border areas.

I dont think China can afford to go for a war with us. Chinas sole intention,I believe,is to weaken India on all fronts and prove itself as an economic superpower in the region, Khandu told The Indian Express,adding that China wants to engage India in increasing its defence expenditure at the cost of the economy to further this goal.

The Congress chief minister has been seeking votes by claiming that it was his government that provided 100-kw small hydel generators that have lit up about 400 villages along the international boundary. We are also pressing for more roads along the border. This will not only improve connectivity but also make troops movement better, he said.

Khandu is also using the Chinese threat issue to draw the attention of the states unemployed youth. I have been telling the Centre to recruit more local boys into the Army. This will help overcome language problems apart from improving the intelligence network, he said.

If Dorjee Khandu is using China as an election issue,so is the BJP. Chinas repeated claim over Arunachal Pradesh and the Centres meek response to it does not go down well with the Arunachalees. A sense of insecurity has engulfed the Arunachalees living in areas bordering China, said the BJPs 16-page election manifesto for the Assembly polls.

China is definitely an election issue here, claimed Tapir Gao,former BJP Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh. The Centres policy of not developing major infrastructure after the 1962 Chinese aggression has severely affected people across the Northeast. The Congress is responsible for this, Gao added.

Only last week,senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi lambasted the Congress-led UPA government for poor response to the Chinese threats. There have been over 200 incursions in the past three years,and 76 have taken place in the last three months. But when we have external affairs ministers like SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor,what better response can we expect? Modi asked.