Arunachal Pradesh an integral part of India: MEA reacts to China's objection over Amit Shah's visit

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday hit back at China's "objection" to Union home minister Amit Shah's visit to a border village in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state "is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India".

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said objecting to such visits "does not stand to reason and will not change 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," said Bagchi.

'No one can take an inch of our land'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".


"The land on which the first ray of the Sun falls in India was named Arunachal Pradesh by Lord Parshuram. Since then this earth is known as the Land of the Rising Sun. It is a resplendent jewel in the crown of Mother India," Shah had said.

In another jab at Beijing, Shah said: "Due to the bravery of our soldiers in the Army and ITBP, no one can cast an evil eye on our border. The times are gone when anyone could encroach on India's land. Today, no one can even occupy land equal to a needle point."

China objects to Shah's visit
Reacting to Shah's visit to Kibithoo, China had on Monday said it violated Beijing's territorial sovereignty.

"The Indian official's visit to Zangnan violates China's territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border situation," a foreign ministry spokesperson had said.
(With inputs from agencies)