A week after China renamed a piece of forest clearing north of Kibithoo in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, Home Minister Amit Shah will be launching the “Vibrant Villages Program” at the same Kibithoo town today as part of Modi government’s efforts to link all the border villages in states sharing Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Ladakh to Barahoti Plains in Uttarakhand to NathuLa in Sikkim to Zemithang, the last border village of Arunachal along the LAC.
The emerging big picture of Modi government strengthening border defences with the local support is a sea change from Indian position two decades ago when Indian Army and the Indian diplomatic establishment did not want border roads to be developed lest the PLA made a run towards the Indian hinterland.
While the legacy of 1962 war still haunts the Indian military and diplomatic establishment, the Modi government has decided to counter the challenge posed by China post May 2020 transgressions in East Ladakh. Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the Walong War Memorial today will also send a message to China that new India has not forgotten the 1962 perfidy by Communist China.