New Delhi has hit back at Beijing over its criticism of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the trip “violates China’s territorial sovereignty and is not conducive to peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
"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,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.
“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,” the Indian official added.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a diplomatic row over the “renaming” of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh by Beijing, which has disputed India’s sovereignty over the border state.
Indian Home Minister’s Two-Day Visit to Arunachal Pradesh
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah concluded his two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, as he vowed to reaffirm New Delhi’s sovereignty over the state.
Addressing a public meeting in a border village on Monday, Shah said that no country could “encroach on our land” or question India’s “territorial integrity.”
The highlight of Shah's visit was the inauguration of the "Vibrant Villages Program" at Kibithoo, India’s easternmost village.
According to a statement from the Home Ministry, close to 3,000 villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Ladakh have been identified for infrastructure development under the new scheme.
All of the villages lie along India's eastern border.
“The program will help in improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages and encourage people to stay in their native locations thereby reversing the migration from these villages and adding to security of the border,” the Home Ministry said.
Shah also interacted with troopers from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a paramilitary agency which, along with the Army, guards the Sino-India border.
Shah also inaugurated nine mini/micro hydel projects in the state to bolster the overall energy infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the projects unveiled by his Cabinet colleague will “improve the quality of life” of people living in these “remote areas.”