Itanagar: Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju has strongly rejected China’s claim of relations with Arunachal Pradesh and said that historically it has no relations with that country and the state is an integral part of India. His statement has come at a time when a few days ago the Chinese Army had claimed that Arunachal Pradesh is “part of Chinese territory”. Beijing had also objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the northeastern state.
Rijiju told PTI in an interview, “Historically, we have no association or relationship with China. Therefore there is no question of Arunachal being a part of China. This is India’s territory, this will not change the situation on the ground. Our position is very clear. Arunachal Pradesh is an Indian region. It is our sovereign right to develop our area and no one can object to us.”
Rijiju, who represents Arunachal West parliamentary seat, also reiterated that Arunachal is an integral part of India, and highlighted the state’s sovereign right to continuously develop its territory. Along with this, the Union Minister also rejected Beijing’s objections on the Prime Minister’s visit to Arunachal.
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Tags: arunachal pradesh, China, Chinese Army, kiren rijiju
FIRST PUBLISHED: March 20, 2024, 15:36 IST