To the question on whether the government had taken into consideration the fallout and consequences of flexing muscle with China, the official said that the government believes that if it starts thinking of the consequences, it would not be able to move forward

Having killed 20 of our soldiers, the statements of the Chinese asking India to hold its soldiers accountable and responsible clearly betrays the intention of the Chinese, the official said.

While the Modi government deals with the Chinese diplomatically to control the tense situation on the border, the overall mood among the top leadership and bureaucracy in the country is to prepare for a ‘military pushback’ as well if the need arises, according to an exclusive report by the Indian Express. A top official involved in the discussion at the top told IE that the government is in no mood to escalate the matters but it is also not at all willing to yield to the Chinese on the issue. He added that the onus of stepping back falls on the Chinese and India will rather take the Chinese on instead of stepping back on the matter.

To the question on whether the government had taken into consideration the fallout and consequences of flexing muscle with China, the official said that the government believes that if it starts thinking of the consequences, it would not be able to move forward.

Explaining the rationale behind the thinking of the government the official said that the Chinese response after the violent faceoff in the Galwan valley does not inspire confidence that China wants to lower the tensions at the border. He also said that the rhetoric laced statements issued from Beijing are also not helping the matters.

Having killed 20 of our soldiers, the statements of the Chinese asking India to hold its soldiers accountable and responsible clearly betrays the intention of the Chinese, the official said. Their only response has been to fault India and its soldiers for the situation on the border, he added.

However, asked to comment on the “no invasion” remark made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all party meet, the official refused to answer the question head on and said that the remark made by PM must be read in conjunction with the official statements made before and after by the government on the issue.

Another top official who has been advising the government on the trade front with China told IE that despite China playing a crucial role in the supply chains for our industries and other positives of doing trade with the neighbouring country, India’s development story cannot be solely dependent on China with whom the relations have reached high level of trust deficit. He also said that there is a strong national mood against making a compromise with China on the matter. However, the government is cautious against taking any reflexive move that might hurt India’s economic interests directly.

Summing up the situation at the border, the official said that no country can win a war in the 21st century and India needs to leverage the potential of its international alliances. China wants to create an environment of fear and establish itself as a superpower but there will be a firm pushback against it, he added.