I remember the hullabaloo created by the opposition in the year 1988, when, during his visit to People's Republic of China, then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, conceded a good areas of India's land to China when he said that the McMohon has been a bit thicker in some areas, so, it could not be determined who was the actual owner of that area. It was no wonder that Rajiv Gandhi felt no attachment with land of his own country just like his grandfather J.L.Nehru, who was in no pain as China forcibly captured some portion of India's territory at then NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) as he said in the Parliament, "what is the use of that land where not even a grass can be grown?". Dr. S.P. Mukhopadhyay, the leader of the opposition, promptly countered him, "even though there is no hair in the head of our Prime Minister, should we consider that as valueless?".
Since then, gallons of water has passed through the river Ganga and Hoang Ho. The party, which was in opposition then and made furor over the Prime Minister, has come to power now. But has there really been any change in the attitude in the last 27 years? People, who objected to the "thick line" comment then, are now of the view that "there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China". After making such comment in the Parliament, can we ever claim forceful possession of India's territory by China in any international forum or during bilateral discussion?
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