Tough Talk for Peking

As the Himalayan snows melted, fighting started again in India's shadow war with Red China for control of the vast border region (TIME. April 6). Prime Minister Nehru last week accused the Chinese of new incursions across India's mountain frontier--and he was talking tougher to Peking than ever before.

While India would "dislike exceedingly" going to war with China. Nehru said that he was "prepared to meet any step that the Chinese may take." China was taking a new aggressive tone, said Nehru, because "it is clear that the Chinese are rather apprehensive about our growing strength." He rejected the Chinese demand that India withdraw immediately from two new border outposts in the Ladakh area of Kashmir: "W7e propose to remain there; we are not going to move because of any Chinese threats." Nehru even criticized China's internal situation, said that continued poor harvests and a multiplying population were causing an "explosive situation" inside China. Openly critical of China's foreign policy, Nehru bluntly accused Peking of "creating situations and tensions among the nations of Asia." Angrily he refuted China's contention that Tibetans in refugee camps in India were being recruited to trigger a revolt in Tibet. "Whatever might happen to Tibet in the future." he said, "it is obvious who is now riding on the backs of the Tibetan people." The nagging doubt remained that Nehru had often in the past put up a brave front against the Chinese, only to back down again. But for the time being, both Parliament and the Indian press cheered his new hard line.

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