‘Senseless, Gimmick’: MEA, Union Minister Rijiju, CM Khandu Hit Out At China For Renaming Places In Arunachal

The external affairs ministry (MEA), Union minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu rejected attempts by China to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The MEA spokesperson said “invented names” will not alter the reality that the state “is, has been, and will always be” an integral and inalienable part of India.

The MEA made the statement while responding to media queries in the wake of China releasing a fourth list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh.

“China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying in the statement.

“I strongly condemn China’s illegally ‘standardised’ geographical names given to 30 places inside Arunachal Pradesh,” Rijiju said.

According to Firstpost, China has renamed 11 residential areas, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass and one piece of land of Arunachal Pradesh as Beijing steps up assertions in recent weeks to re-emphasise its claim over the northeast Indian state.

India last week said that Beijing may “repeat its baseless claims” as many times as it wants but that is not going to change New Delhi’s position that Arunachal Pradesh “was, is and will always remain” an integral and inalienable part of the country.

India’s response came after Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian kept harping China’s claim during their press briefings.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned Beijing for renaming several areas in Arunachal Pradesh and said that the baseless claims made by China will not change the ground reality.

“I strongly condemn China’s illegally ‘standardised’ geographical names given to 30 places inside Arunachal Pradesh. China has been making all baseless claims but that’s not going to change the ground reality and the ‘historical facts’,” he said.

Rijiju is the member of parliament from the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency and is from the West Kameng district.

Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister Pema Khandu called the Chinese actions a ‘gimmick’. “Another gimmick from China. Being a proud citizen of Bharat and a native of Arunachal Pradesh, I strongly condemn this act of naming places within Arunachal Pradesh which has been an integral part of India. Proud citizens and patriots of Arunachal Pradesh are rejecting such antics,” the chief minister said, re-posting a video by Firstpost on social media X which provided a deeper look into China’s tendency to rename places and stake false claims.