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North East : PM’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh : Clear message to China

	February 04, 2008

Close on the heels of his recent historic visit to China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made his presence felt in Arunachal Pradesh, where the Communist dragon often indulge in pinpricks.



During his two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week (Jan. 30-31), the Prime Minister among other important state¬ments, assured the nation that the Defence forces will be moder¬nised to face any challenge.



Addressing jawans of the Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) posted in the forward areas of Kibithu along the India-China border and Lohitpur along the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh, Dr. Singh said: “I know that apart from guard¬ing the country’s border, you are also fighting terrorism and insurgency. This is a challenging task. You have achieved tremen¬dous success in operations against terrorists in Assam while upholding human values.”



Congratulating the jawans for their achievement in counter-insurgency operations, Dr. Singh said: “People of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have full faith in you. Now, there is demand for peace from all corners. I also believe that your sacrifice and service coupled had created the right environment for the State governments to deal with security-related problems. It is imperative that permanent peace is established in the north-east region.”



Keeping in mind the problems of transit facilities faced by the jawans posted along the country’s northeast frontier, the Prime Minister announced a grant of Rs. 60 lakh for setting up transit facilities at Senge, Dehan, Likabali and Missamari.



He also announced an additional amount of Rs. 30 lakh for setting up satellite telephony at Subonsiri, Siang, Lohit, Dibang and Seam to improve telecommunication with far-flung areas of the country.



Manmohan Singh is the first Prime Minister to set foot on Arunachal Pradesh soil in over a decade. The last to visit the state, bordering China, was H.D. Deve Gowda in 1996.



The weatherman has forecast rain and thundershowers across Arunachal Pradesh over the next couple of days, but the Union cabinet’s decision to grant a subsidy for the helicopter service had warmed up the political establishment already. The subsidy amount will be 75 per cent of the actual cost of operation of the MI-172 helicopter service, minus fares collected from passengers.



The ceiling for flying hours is 52 hours per month and the arrangement is for a year, after which it will be reviewed.



The helicopter service is expected to increase tourist traffic to and from Tawang, which has Asia’s second largest Buddhist monastery and is one of the few unspoilt destinations in the eastern Himalayas.



During the visit, the Prime Minister laid the foundation-stones of the 3,000-MW multipurpose Dibang power project, the Pare power project, the Itanagar water supply project and a railway head between Harmutty in Assam’s Lakhimpur district and the state capital.



The next day, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched a road project worth Rs 5,500 crore - the 1,840-km-long Trans Arunachal Pradesh Highway - that will connect every district headquarters and facilitate easy movement of civilians and war machinery till the international border.





Clear message to China



According observers, the Government’s decision to start a daily helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang, the message to Beijing is clear: “India is in control of its territory, never mind China’s claims to some of it.”



Another fact that did not go unnoticed was that the Prime Minister was visiting Arunachal Pradesh just a couple of days after the appointment of the Army’s former Chief of Staff, Gen. J.J. Singh, as Governor.



The Prime Minister, however, gave nothing away in speech. His statements during the public meeting at Indira Gandhi Park were typically bereft of rhetoric and couched in the philosophy of pacifism.



“Our government in Delhi is keen to ensure that the state progresses along with the rest of the country and we will do whatever it takes to put Arunachal Pradesh among the most devel¬oped states,” he said.



The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Prith¬viraj Singh Chauhan, too evaded saying anything on China during the media briefing later.



The two BJP parliamentarians from the state, Khiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao, had written to the PMO about the “hostile inten¬tions” of India’s neighbour and asked for an official condemna¬tion preceding Singh’s visit.



Chauhan said the Prime Minister was visiting the state to announce Delhi’s development plans and nothing else. “Any issue with a neighbouring country will be taken up by the External Affairs Ministry.”



The others who accompanied Singh to Itanagar were Minister of State for Railways Narayanbhai Rathwa, DoNER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwa¬lia.