Sikkim row: Hindu nationalism made Modi confront China, says Chinese media

India's obsession with its defeat in the 1962 war was also brought up again

Anti-China sentiments are rising in India with an upsurge of nationalism ever since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said China's state-run Global Times in an article.

"Since India's defeat in the Sino-Indian War of 1962, some Indians have been stuck in a zero-sum mentality in dealing with China. The war-inflicted lingering pain on India and it became a hard knot to untie, leading to an ingrained suspicion of the Chinese strategy," said an op-ed, titled 'Hindu nationalism risks pushing India into war with China', published by the Global Times.

"Nationalist fervour that demands revenge against China has taken root in India since the border war. The election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fuelled the country's nationalist sentiments," it added.

In diplomacy, New Delhi is demanded to act tougher in foreign relations, especially toward countries like Pakistan and China, it said.

"The (Doklam) border row this time is an action targetted at China that caters to the demand of India's religious nationalists," it claimed.

"The Modi Government can do nothing if religious nationalism becomes extreme, as shown in its failure to curb violent incidents against Muslims since he came to power in 2014," it said.

The article warned that such a situation will put India's own interests in jeopardy adding, "India should be careful and not let religious nationalism push the two countries into war.