Chinese influence on SE Asia began with 'boots of soldiers', India's with monks, traders: Ram Madhav

Chinese influence over Southeast Asia first began with "boots of soldiers", while the impact of Indians on the region was due to monks and traders, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a seminar here on 'India and Southeast Asia: The Cultural Connect', Madhav said the major aspect of relationship between India and Southeast Asia has been "cultural and religion" but India earlier suffered from the "problem of secularist agenda" on how to use these tools for diplomacy.

The BJP general secretary said former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao should be credited with formulating the 'Look East Policy' in the early 1990s and engaging with the region.

"A major difference existed between the two efforts (of India's and China's), migrations. In the case of the Chinese, it was the soldiers who travelled to those lands first, followed by the traders. It was the boots of the soldiers on the soil that took the Chinese influence to these lands," he said.

"That was followed by ..