Sardar Patel wanted independent Tibet as buffer state between India China

New Delhi – Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat indicated a significant change in India’s stance towards China. He also remembered Sardar Patel, the first Home Minister of Independent India as a visionary leader. He recollected a letter written by Sardar Patel to then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru expressing his expectation of Tibet to remain as an independent- buffer state between India and China. General Bipin Rawat cited the Chinese aggression of 1962 to emphasise that whenever India has neglected its military, foreign powers have taken advantage of the situation.

Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, spoke at a program organised by All India Radio in memory of Sardar Patel. General Rawat said that Sardar Patel’s far-sightedness for India’s security could be comprehended from his letter to Pandit Nehru expressing his expectation of keeping Tibet an independent state as it lay between India and China. The importance of Sardar Patel’s views expressed in the decade of 1950 became clear later date. General Rawat said that whenever the country’s military power was neglected, foreign powers took advantage during the Chinese invasion in 1962. By reminding people of the history, General Rawat also highlighted China’s treacherous and expansionist policies.

After the war of 1962, there have been skirmishes between India and China. Nathula Pass in Sikkim in 1967, Wangdug in Tawang in 1986, India in Doklama in 2017 and most recently in Ladakh. General Rawat pointed out that China tried for such misadventure due to its confidence from the 1962 war when India was caught unaware. General Rawat informed and assured that the Indian Defence Forces are vigilant and cautious to ensure the country’s security.

The Indian Defence Forces are very highly cautious regarding the possible threats from China and Pakistan, he added. ‘China and Pakistan have ambitions to expand their territory and Indian defence forces have to be vigilant against that,’ he said. ‘The forces are vigilant not only on the land but also the maritime sector is on high alert,’ he said.

As General Rawat’s remarks come being published, there are reports that the Indian Army has conducted a special exercise in the eastern Ladakh region. With the winter approaching, while preparing for a longer stay on the LAC, the Indian Army seems to have given another warning to China by conducting this exercise. Earlier, it was revealed that the Indian Army was performing exercises in Ladakh and near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh.