Amidst the bitter standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh, MP Tapir Gao on Monday raised the issue of capturing of land belonging to Arunachal since 1962 by China in the Lok Sabha. Gao sought the formation of a committee headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to look into the issue. This is not the first time that Gao has raised a red flag over Chinese incursion into the state. Earlier also, he had alleged that large parts of land belonging to the state had been gradually captured by China since 1962.
But what is unfortunate is that the government of India is yet to exhibit any seriousness over his claim. He is a senior leader of the ruling BJP and him making such a claim should have awakened the conscience of the people at the helm of affairs in Delhi. Instead, the government of India has turned a blind eye to the claims made by Gao. His demand seeking the constitution of a committee headed by the Lok Sabha speaker to assess how much Indian territory China has seized in Arunachal makes sense. At least a study involving local tribesmen, who have a better idea of the local geography, should be made. It will provide much-needed data to the government of India, which in turn will help it during the talks on border conflict. At present, much of the concentration of the government of India is on Ladakh and Sikkim sectors of the LAC. It is time that the government of India started paying attention to the Arunachal sector. Remember, till today China refuses to recognize Arunachal as part of Indian territory.