NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday came down heavily on China for raising objections to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal
Pradesh.
“Arunachal was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” India said strongly rejecting China’s objection.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Chinese side has been made aware of this ‘consistent position’ on several occasions.
“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 said it lodged a diplomatic protest with India over PM Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week. It reiterated its claim over the region by saying “India’s moves will only complicate the unresolved boundary question”.
Jaiswal said China’s objection to such visits will not change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh “was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable 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,” he added.
“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,” Jaiswal said.
China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as south Tibet, routinely objects to visit of Indian leaders to the state to highlight its claims.