A little toothache can paralyse entire body, Modi tells XI Jinping
NEW DELHI:Prime Minister Narendra Modi bluntly told visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping that Beijing's intransigence on the border might impact bilateral ties.
"Yeh chhoti chhoti ghatnayen bade se bade sambandhon ko prabhavit kar deti hain. Agar daant ka dard ho to saara sharir kaam nahin karta hai. (Even such small incidents can impact the biggest of relationships just as a little toothache can paralyze the entire body)," Modi cautioned the Chinese leader on Thursday. The warning came after the Chinese did not pull back troops in Chumar sector of eastern Ladakh even 24 hours after Xi saying that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been asked to withdraw.
Sources said Xi had told Modi on Wednesday in Ahmedabad that the PLA troops who had advanced in the Chumar sector, triggering the standoff, had been asked to retreat to their original position. Xi made the claim after Modi took up the incursion issue with him.
Other members of the Chinese delegation also told their Indian counterparts on Thursday in New Delhi that the Chinese soldiers had been asked to go back, even as they pleaded ignorance about the provocation.
Of course, the Indian side, knowing that the PLA does not enjoy the autonomy that the Chinese visitors sought to bestow upon it in this instance, treated the alibi as a feint and was not taken in by it.
As the military face-off continued on Friday, it was clear that the visit of the Chinese president, which held the promise of improving ties, may have in fact aggravated the trust deficit because of the Ladakh incursions which, the government here is pretty sure, were timed to coincide with the engagement.
Even as hectic politico-diplomatic interventions are underway to defuse tensions after the Modi-Xi summit, defence sources said there was "no change in the ground situation" till Friday evening at Chumar, where around 1,000 soldiers from each side are holding five to six "tactical positions" spread along a 2.5-km front in sub-zero temperatures at an altitude of around 14,500feet.
"The PLA troops have weaker tactical positions which are difficult to sustain in the sector. They may withdraw after posturing for another day or two to save face. If they do, we will also thin out our troops in the sector to restore status quo ante. Till then, our soldiers will stand firm," said a source.
The stand-off had kicked off on September 10 after Indian soldiers had prevented PLA troops equipped with cranes, bulldozers and other equipment from building a road right up to Chepzi on the LAC in the Chumar sector.
TOI
