Truth, transparency must determine India-China relations

New Delhi: The whole world in general and the Indian people in particular, will insist that the Indian Government take a clear stand on what, prima facie, really happened in the Wuhan University research laboratory that enabled the unholy birth of a new Dr Frankenstein’s monster called Covid-19 virus, a new and more deadly member of the coronavirus species.

Before I express my view as to what stand India ought to take in light of the evidence available, I must emphasise that any stand India takes will invite criticism from one side or the other, or even both if we equivocate on the matter.

At this tragic juncture, we cannot afford to equivocate on who is complicit in the birth of this deadly virus, or in the cover-up, if any. However, we should take our stand on the basis of the facts made available, without playing to the gallery or submitting to a powerful country’s pressure.

It is clear that on this issue, the United States has emerged as the self-appointed prosecutor; and that it claims that it has suffered enormously from Covid-19 compared to other countries like India. China is the defendant, since the virus first emerged in Wuhan, China.

In this regard, it must first be pointed out that the US Department of Defense also participated in the Wuhan University research project on the bat virus. In Nagaland, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [TIFR] joined these two institutions (incidentally without Government of India’s permission or knowledge), to facilitate the experiment on bats in Nagaland. Although, reportedly after the national daily, the Hindu published the joint tripartite research, the Indian government ordered an inquiry, the issue is whether a fair inquiry will take place or not. I believe that it will depend on whether the nefarious influence of the TIFR Chairman forces the Indian government to wind it up or fudge the result.

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