- Sunday, April 28, 2024
New Delhi said such objection by Beijing mattered little and the north-eastern border state was, is and will always be an integral part of India.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA on Tuesday (12) strongly rejected the objection put up by China against prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh and said the north-easternmost state “was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India”.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry, said Beijing has been made aware of this “consistent position” several times and that objecting to such visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh or India’s developmental projects in the state does not stand to reason.
“We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.
China on Monday (11) said it lodged a complaint with India over Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week, and reiterated its claim over the region by saying India’s moves will “only complicate” the unresolved boundary question.
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese foreign minister, told the media that Beijing strongly deplores and firmly opposes the Indian PM’s visit to the “East Section of the China-India boundary” and that they made “solemn representations” to New Delhi.
Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday (9) during when he dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel built at a height of 13,000 feet in the state that will not only provide all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang but also facilitate the movement of troops along the frontier region.
Arunachal Pradesh is governed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Returning to Arunachal Pradesh is always special. The breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and warmth of its people never fail to inspire. The welcome in Itanagar was very memorable! pic.twitter.com/WbKSlNexGj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2024
The tunnel worth Rs 825 crore (£78 million), constructed on the road connecting Tezpur in the neighbouring state of Assam to West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being called as the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at such an altitude.
The external affairs ministry official said China’s objection to such visits will matter little for the reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will be an integral part of India.
“Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other states of India. Objecting to such visits or India’s developmental projects does not stand to reason,” Jaiswal said.
“Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” he added.
India has rejected China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh many times in the past and also dismissed Beijing’s move to assign “invented” names to the area, saying it did not make any difference.
