एक ऐरावत, २६ तुतार्‍या (उत्तरार्ध)

 

१९६२च्या भारत-चीन युद्धाच्या वेळी पंडित नेहरू यांनी अमेरिकेचे तत्कालीन राष्ट्राध्यक्ष केनडी यांना एक पत्र लिहिले. मूळ इंग्रजी पत्रावर ‘टॉप सिक्रेट’ असे लिहिलेले आहे. हे पत्र आता सार्वजनिक करण्यात आले आहे. मूळ इंग्रजी पत्र छोटे आहे; पण ते फार महत्त्वाचे असल्याने जसे आहे, तसेच देत आहे.

 

Dear Mr. President,

Within a few hours of dispatching my earlier message of today, the situation in the N.E.F.A. Command has deteriorated still further. Bomdila has fallen and the retreating forces from Sela have been trapped between the Sala Ridge and Bomdila. A serious threat has developed to our Digboi oil fields in Assam. With the advance of the Chinese in massive strength, the entire Brahmaputra Valley is seriously threatened and unless something is done immediately to stem the tide the whole of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland would also pass into Chinese hands.

 

The Chinese have poised massive forces in the Chumbi Valley between Sikkim and Bhutan and another invasion from that direction appears imminent. Our areas further North Wont on the border with Tibet in the States of U.P., Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are also threatened. In Ladakh, as I have said in my earlier communication, Chushul is under heavy attack and shelling of the airfield at Chushul has already commenced. We have also noticed increasing air activity by the Chinese air force in Tibet.

 

 

Hitherto we have restricted our requests for assistance to essential equipment and we are most grateful for the assistance which has been so readily given to us. We did not ask for more comprehensive assistance particularly air assistance because of the wider implications of such assistance in the global context and we did not want to embarrass our friends.

 

The situation that has developed is, however, really desperate. We have to have more comprehensive assistance if the Chinese are to be prevented from taking over the whole of Eastern India. Any delay in this assistance reaching us will result in nothing short of a catastrophe for our country.We have repeatedly felt the need of using air arm in support of our land forces, but have been unable to do as in the present state of our air and radar equipment we have no defence age fret retaliatory action by the Chinese.I, therefore request that immediately support be given to strengthen our air arm sufficiently to stem the tide of Chinese advance.

I am advised that for providing adequate air defence a minimum of १२ squadrons or supersonic all weather fighters are essential. We have no modern radar cover in the country. For this also we seek your assistance. Our needs are most immediate. The United States Air Force personnel will have to man these fighters and radar installations while our personnel are being trained. U.S. fighters and transport planes manned by U.S. personnel will be used for the present to protect our cities and installations from Chinese air attacks and to maintain our communications. We should if this is possible also like U.S. planes manned by U.S. personnel to assist the Indian Air Force in air battles with the Chinese air force over Indian areas where air action by the I.A.F. against Chinese communication lines supplies and troop concentration may lead to counter air action by the Chinese.Any air action to be taken against the Chinese beyond the limits of our country, e.g, Tibet, will be taken by I.A.F. planes manned by Indian personnel.

Determined as we are to liberate all parts of our territory which may pass into the hands of the Chinese aggressors it is clear that sooner or later we would have to neutralise their bases and airfields by striking from the air. For this purpose I request you to consider assisting us with two Squadrons of Bombers of B-४७ type. To man this indispensible arm we would like to send immediately our Pilots and Technicians for training in the United States.

 

 

The Chinese threat as it has developed involves not merely the survival of India, but the survival of free and independent Governments in the whole of this sub-Continent or in Asia. The domestic quarrels regarding small areas or territorial borders between the countries in this sub-Continent or in -sia have no relevance whatever in the context of the developing Chinese invasion. I would emphasize particularly that all the assistance or equipment given to us to meet our dire need will be used entirely for resistance against the Chinese. I have made this clear in a letter I sent to President Ayub Khan of Pakistan. I am asking our Ambassador to give you a copy of this letter.

 

 

We are confident that your great country will in this hour of our trial help us in our fight for survival and for the survival of freedom and independence in this sub-Continent as well as the rest of Asia. We on our part are determined to spare no effort until the threat posed by Chinese expansionist and aggressive militarism to freedom and independence is completely eliminated.

 

 

या पत्राची भाषा स्वतंत्र सार्वभौम देशाच्या पंतप्रधानाला अजिबात न शोभणारी आहे. ‘इस्रो’च्या तंत्रज्ञानाच्या विकासाचा आणि नेहरूंचा काहीही संबंध नाही. पंडित नेहरूंनी केनडींना दिलेले पत्र जसेच्या तसे दिले आहे. त्यात नेहरूच लिहितात की, ‘तंत्रज्ञानाच्या बाबतीत भारत किती मागासलेला आहे.’

 

नेफामधील परिस्थिती किती भीषण झाली आहे, बोमडिला खिंड पडली आहे, दिग्बोई तेलसाठे आणि आसाम हे संकटात सापडले आहे, पूर्ण ब्रह्मपुत्रा खोरे भयानक संकटात आलेले आहे. तत्काळ जर काही केले नाही, तर आसाम, त्रिपुरा, मणिपूर, नागालॅण्ड चीनच्या ताब्यात जाईल. सिक्कीम आणि भूतानच्या सीमेवरदेखील चीनने प्रचंड लष्कर जमविले आहे. त्या बाजूनेदेखील आक्रमण होईल, यात शंका नाही. उत्तर प्रदेश, पंजाब, हिमाचल प्रदेश यांनादेखील धोका निर्माण झालेला आहे. तिबेटमध्ये चीनच्या हवाईदलाच्या फेर्‍या लक्षणीयरित्या वाढलेल्या आहेत. परिस्थिती अत्यंत निराशाजनक आहे. पूर्ण पूर्व भारत चीनने गिळंकृत करण्यास रोखण्यापासून आम्हाला फार मोठ्या मदतीची गरज आहे.

 

 

इंग्रजी पत्राचा हा सारांश रुपाने केलेला भावानुवाद आहे.सध्या ज्या २६ तुतार्‍या वाजत आहेत. त्या तुतार्‍यांचा मूळ स्वर या अपमानकारक पत्रातून व्यक्त झालेला आहे. २०१४ पासून नरेंद्र मोदी यांनी अनेक गर्जना केल्या. सिंहनाद केले. स्वाभिमानाने कसे जगायचे, हे जगून दाखविले. सर्व क्षेत्रात प्रगती, कशी करायची ही करून दाखविली. प्रगतीचा हा ऐरावत चित्कार करीत आपल्या मार्गाने चाललेला आहे. २६ तुतार्‍या स्वतःचेच कान बहिरे करून घेत आहेत, असे म्हणायला पाहिजे.