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India and China are locked in a perpetual battle for influence in the region.

 

In early 1971, when political turmoil was intensifying in East Pakistan as the prelude to a liberation struggle, BK Acharya, the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, had suggested Delhi not support the liberation struggle of East Bengal (Bangladesh). Expressing his views, Acharya said independent East Bengal might in future integrate with West Bengal and a unified Bangladesh might pass under the control of pro-Chinese Marxists. Such developments, he cautioned, would further complicate India’s defence and strategic problems.

 

Indian Foreign Secretary T.N. Kaul at that time had agreed with Acharya and the views were widely accepted by the foreign office mandarins, revealed respected Indian daily The Hindu recently. But the Congress government decided to take advantage of the situation in achieving its long-term objective of dismembering and weakening Pakistan The daily also gave details of successes achieved by the secret agency RAW. But that is a different chapter not to be delved into here.

 

Recalling the consensus within the Indian diplomatic bureaucracy at the time, one is reminded of the assertion by a Chinese strategist in 2009 that Bangladesh faces its biggest existential threat from India. The expansionist design of Delhi is aimed at establishing “Akhand Bharat”, which would erase neighbouring countries from the map.

 

To foil the design, the strategist, Zhong Guo Zhan Lue Gang, advocated the break up of India into 20 to 30 independent states on the basis of language and culture, including the merger of West Bengal with Bangladesh into an independent nation state. His article titled “If China takes a little action, the so-called great Indian Federation can be broken up”, was widely circulated on August 9, 2009, and reproduced in several other strategic and military websites of China.

 

Paradoxically, what Zhan Lue espoused had been apprehended by some Indian diplomats four decades ago.

 

Lue wrote that India is based on Hinduism and riddled with caste system. “China in its own interest and the progress of Asia should join forces with different nationalities like the Assamese, Kashmiris and Tamils and support them in establishing independent nation-states of their own out of India …. In particular, the ULFA in Assam, a territory neighbouring China, can be helped by China so that Assam realises its national independence.”

 

“For Bangladesh, the biggest threat is from India, which wants to develop a great Indian Federation extending from Afghanistan to Myanmar,” wrote the Chinese strategist and advocated extending political support to Bangladesh enabling her to encourage ethnic Bengalis in India to get rid of Indian control and unite with Bangladesh as one nation.

 

Indeed, Greater Bengal as a separate state was dreamt and strongly propagated by leaders of undivided Bengal like AK Fazlul Huq and Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy.

 

Lue Gang added, if greater Bengal is not possible, efforts should be made for creation of at least another Bengali nation state (West Bengal) which would be a friendly neighbour of Bangladesh.

 

The punch line of the article is to break up India into 20–30 nation states as in Europe.

 

It is no secret that China had actively supported the independence movement of Nagaland, an Indian state on the far-east bordering Myanmar. The Naga National Council (NNC) had entered into a military pact with China in 1968. Naga leaders claimed that Nagaland was never a part of India and had declared independence on August 14, 1947. Delhi had invited NNC leaders for talks. Protracted talks failed and the NNC took up arms in the 1960s.

 

A batch of 500 Naga rebels trained in Yunnan, China had defeated 1,000 Indian soldiers at Jotsoma in a battle in 1968 that raised hopes. But applying the divide and rule policy, Delhi had planted the Sema tribe of Nagaland in the NNC army, whose betrayal led to the capture of a large number of troopers. Following that, China had withdrawn support but the secessionist movement in Nagaland continues till today.

 

In fact, secessionist movements are also raging in the Indian states of Kashmir, Assam, Manipur and Tripura, with no known support from China. Maoists are also fighting in 18 out of the 28 states of India to establish the rights of millions of deprived tribals, dalits and adivasis with the ultimate objective of capturing the state power through armed struggle.

 

A section of the Indian media however blames China and Myanmar for covert support to the secessionist groups of the northeast and the Maoists – Myanmar by providing sanctuaries and training and China by supply arms and ammunition. Their Chinese friends have allegedly asked for ensuring coordinated movement of all secessionist groups and the Maoists. Of late, Maoists are believed to have secured bases in the forest of Arunachal Pradesh, a disputed state claimed by China. ULFA army chief Paresh Baruah is reported to be frequently visiting China from his base at the Myanmar border.

 

Takam Sanjoy, an Indian MP from Arunachal Pradesh, on Dec 30 claimed China has been funding front organizations of Maoists and ULFA including Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) and All Assam Students Union (AASU) to stir discontent in Assam. They are currently organising anti-dam demonstrations under the influence of the Maoists and ULFA.

 

It is interesting that a number of regional TV channels on December 22 telecast footage of Chinese army intruding into the Tawang sector of Arunachal recently. The Chinese troops were seen in the footage damaging the wall constructed by the Indian army. Lt Gen Shakti Gurung of Eastern Command last week admitted intrusion of the Chinese troops. “It was not a major issue as the area is disputed with regard to Chinese claims over it,” the Assam media quoted General Gurung as saying.

A batch of 500 Naga rebels trained in Yunnan, China had defeated 1,000 Indian soldiers at Jotsoma in a battle in 1968 that raised hopes. But applying the divide and rule policy, Delhi had planted the Sema tribe of Nagaland in the NNC army, whose betrayal led to the capture of a large number of troopers. Following that, China had withdrawn support but the secessionist movement in Nagaland continues till today.

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