angeldemon_007
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SHIMLA: It is not only Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who has time and again being stressing upon the importance of laying down the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line, because of its strategic defence importance, but way back on November 7, 1950, the first home minister of independent India, Sardar Vallabbhai Patel had in a letter to the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru stressed on the need of strengthening the communication network along the borders, shortly after China had taken over Tibet.
Quoting from Patel's correspondence, edited by Durga Das, former state BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapahtia said that the then home minister felt the importance of strengthening the country's defence needs after China had taken over Tibet, with whom India had entered into a convention in 1914. "My own feeling is that, unless we assure our supplies of arms, ammunition and armour, we should be making our defence position perpetually weak and we would not be able to stand up to the double threat of difficulties both from the west and north-west and north and north-east is what Patel had written", he added.
Asserting that this was the crux of the message that Dhumal was trying to convey to the centre in asking for the laying of the line to Leh to be expedited, he said that the words of Patel had come true in what the country had to undergo during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict and again in the Kargil conflict. The Kargil conflict had proved that our present road line to the border was within the fire range of the Pak artillery, making supplies to the borders a problem during times of conflict, he mentioned.
He said that Patel had also mentioned that it was necessary for improvement in the country's communications, road, rail, air and wireless with the posts as .. "In our calculations, we shall now have to reckon with Communist China in the north and north-east; a Communist China which has definite ambitions and aims and which does not, in any way, seem friendly disposed towards us, has been written in the letter", he maintained. Kapahtia said that one was already reading in the papers the manner in which construction of roads, rail network and even airports had been done by China near to the international borders, which only further strengthened Dhumal's demand for laying the railway line in the interest of the country's security network adding that Patel in his letter had also written .. "The Chinese government has tried to delude us by professions of peaceful intentions". He said that mincing no words Patel had written .. "As a result of the disappearance of Tibet, as we knew it, and the expansion of China almost up to our gates we have to consider the new situation. Throughout history, we have seldom been worried about our north-east as the Himalayas have been regarded as an impenetrable barrier against the threat from the north", he pointed out.
The former BJP spokesperson said that it was tragic that even now, despite having been told of the strategic importance time and again, the Centre was putting the proposed railway line on the back burner, year after year, for petty political reasons.
"It is time that the UPA government at the centre got above political considerations and took the security of the country into consideration, which is necessary before it becomes too late", he felt.
?Bhanupalli-Leh line key for nation?s defence? - The Times of India
Quoting from Patel's correspondence, edited by Durga Das, former state BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapahtia said that the then home minister felt the importance of strengthening the country's defence needs after China had taken over Tibet, with whom India had entered into a convention in 1914. "My own feeling is that, unless we assure our supplies of arms, ammunition and armour, we should be making our defence position perpetually weak and we would not be able to stand up to the double threat of difficulties both from the west and north-west and north and north-east is what Patel had written", he added.
Asserting that this was the crux of the message that Dhumal was trying to convey to the centre in asking for the laying of the line to Leh to be expedited, he said that the words of Patel had come true in what the country had to undergo during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict and again in the Kargil conflict. The Kargil conflict had proved that our present road line to the border was within the fire range of the Pak artillery, making supplies to the borders a problem during times of conflict, he mentioned.
He said that Patel had also mentioned that it was necessary for improvement in the country's communications, road, rail, air and wireless with the posts as .. "In our calculations, we shall now have to reckon with Communist China in the north and north-east; a Communist China which has definite ambitions and aims and which does not, in any way, seem friendly disposed towards us, has been written in the letter", he maintained. Kapahtia said that one was already reading in the papers the manner in which construction of roads, rail network and even airports had been done by China near to the international borders, which only further strengthened Dhumal's demand for laying the railway line in the interest of the country's security network adding that Patel in his letter had also written .. "The Chinese government has tried to delude us by professions of peaceful intentions". He said that mincing no words Patel had written .. "As a result of the disappearance of Tibet, as we knew it, and the expansion of China almost up to our gates we have to consider the new situation. Throughout history, we have seldom been worried about our north-east as the Himalayas have been regarded as an impenetrable barrier against the threat from the north", he pointed out.
The former BJP spokesperson said that it was tragic that even now, despite having been told of the strategic importance time and again, the Centre was putting the proposed railway line on the back burner, year after year, for petty political reasons.
"It is time that the UPA government at the centre got above political considerations and took the security of the country into consideration, which is necessary before it becomes too late", he felt.
?Bhanupalli-Leh line key for nation?s defence? - The Times of India
