A day after China criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India on Tuesday firmly rejected Beijing’s objection and asserted that the northeastern state “was, is, and will" always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
Responding to media regarding China’s remarks on the recent visit of Shah to Arunachal Pradesh, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi issued a statement on Twitter and said, objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the reality.
“We completely reject the comments made by the Chinese official spokesperson. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India. Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the above reality," Bagchi said.
Our response to media queries regarding Chinese Official Spokesperson’s comments on the recent visit of Home Minister of India to Arunachal Pradesh:https://t.co/9NzmPQBZOD pic.twitter.com/csgI6JuQO3— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 11, 2023
Amit Shah’s Message to China
In a clear message to China from the border village of Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh, Shah on Monday had said no one can dare cast an evil eye on India’s territorial integrity and encroach even an “inch of our land." He said said the era when anyone could encroach the borderlands of India was over.
Shah said the era when anyone could encroach the borderlands of India is over. He also said the Modi government’s policy is to maintain peace with all countries but if anyone tries to occupy even an inch of India’s land the country would not tolerate it.
His statement from this village close to the China border also comes days after Beijing announced Chinese names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as the “southern part of Tibet."
“The era is gone when anyone could encroach on our lands. Now, not even land equal to ‘sui ki noke’ (inch of land) can be encroached…," Shah, who is on his first visit to the northeastern state as home minister, said at a public function after launching the ‘Vibrant Village’ programme in the border village of Kibithoo which is the country’s easternmost point.
“In 1962, whoever came to encroach this land had to return because of the patriotic people living here," Shah said while making a reference to the Chinese aggression in 1962.
‘Today’s India Not of 1962…’
In an obvious message to China, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also said today’s India is not what it was in 1962 but a country that belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“It is not an India of 1962. Today, it is Narendra Modi’s India, it is Amit Shah’s India," Khandu said amid applause from the audience that mostly consisted of those living close to the Sino-Indian border.
India had faced Chinese aggression in 1962 and Kibithoo and neighbouring Walong had witnessed a fierce battle between the Indian Army and the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
(with inputs from PTI)
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