Smriti Kak Ramachandran
India needs a new muscular ‘China Policy,’ covering economic and diplomatic ties, and to amend its existing trade deficit with the neighbour, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) declared at its annual meet in Coimbatore last month, sources said.
BJP’s ideological fount is unhappy with China stalling India’s move to impose a UN ban on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar, blocking New Delhi’s bid to join the Nuclear Supplier’s Group and pursuing business interests in Pakistan- Occupied Kashmir.
According to sources, at the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the RSS brass decided to push the BJP-led NDA government to recalibrate its ties with China, and assume a more aggressive stance.
“China has over the years not reciprocated India’s friendly overtures and continues to dictate terms. A recent example is the warning it gave on the Dalai Lama’s Arunachal Pradesh visit. There is a need to overhaul India’s China policy,” a senior functionary said.
The RSS wants China to be a critical foreign policy priority for the government, especially since Beijing has not changed its stance on Arunachal Pradesh and also because it continues to invest in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) despite New Delhi’s reservations.
During Chinese President Xi Jingping’s 2014 visit to New Delhi, both sides had agreed to collaborate in 12 areas, which envisaged Beijing investing $20 billion in infrastructure over five years.
The RSS , however, is unhappy with the ‘lopsided’ economic ties India shares with China. The Sangh brass has given its economic wing — Swadesh Jagran Manch (SJM)— the mantle to carry out a year-long drive against Chinese goods.
SJM national convener Ashwani Mahajan told HT that the outfit has flagged concerns about India’s growing dependence on manufactured goods from China. “From rail coaches to toys, from electronic goods to raw material for pharmaceutical, India is relying way too much on China. How will this help initiative help Make in India or Skill India?” he said.
