Nehru's Defeat in Tibet

Momentous events took place in China and Mao and his communists seized total power. This was in 1949 and American puppet escaped with his life to Taiwan.In 1947, the British also left India and Nehru became prime minister. This was a catastrophe for India but a boon for Mao and China. In 1950 China attacked Tibet China –Tibet War 1950 Before China struck Tibet, Nehru did something extremely silly. He never realized the potency of military power. China had a free hand and they overran Tibet. When the Chinese army was advancing, the India Home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel wanted an Indian response to help Tibet, but Nehru did not agree as he saw China as a "historical friend".

As the Chinese occupied Lhasa, they assured Nehru that the autonomy of Tibet would be maintained. The Chinese took a firm grip over Tibet and began to make things difficult for the Indian consulate. Nehru was in fix as he had lost all bargaining power.The Chinese now suggested that the Consulate General in Lhasa be downgraded to a mere consulate arguing that the Indian mission in Beijing would have full access to Lhasa. Nehru again in his misplaced zeal that Tibet problem was a creation of British imperialism agreed. This was a most foolish mistake as India reduced its strength in Lhasa. In 1959 the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa with about a 1000 followers to India. After a 2 day trek, the Dalai Lama reached India and asked for political asylum. For once Nehru gathered same courage and granted political asylum to the Dali Lama. This was after he received secret information that the Chinese planned to kidnap him while inviting him to a concert in the military cantonment. In the same t period the local Tibetan people were up in arms against the Chinese in what is known as the Khampa rebellion.But it collapsed against brutality of the Chinese. The Chinese were incensed at the escape of the Dalai Lama and imposed severe restrictions on the Indian consulate. In 1962 the Chinese army attacked India, ostensibly to rectify the historical wrongs of imperialism still followed by India and Nehru. The Indian consulate was closed and sealed and the entire Indian staff sent to India. India thus lost its last foot hold in China. Nehru somehow never reacted to Chinese adventurism. The time to react was in 1950, when the PLA had invaded Tibet, but he was found having a nap. 60 years have elapsed and India is not permitted to have a consulate in Lhasa. In 2014 a request was made to reopen the Indian consulate, but China rejected it. India is thus persona non grata in Tibet and all the gains of the British and Young Husband were frittered away by Nehru. The Chinese still claim large tracts of Indian Territory. Not only this the Chinese have occupied 30000 square miles of Indian land in Aksai Chin.Thus at one stroke Nehru reduced India to a second rate power vis a vis China. I wonder whether history will forgive him.