NEW DELHI:
Indian Union minister
Kiren Rijiju on Monday night criticised China for renaming multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh, emphasising that such actions do not alter the ground reality.
Union minister of Earth Sciences Rijiju wrote on X, previously known as Twitter, "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'. Arunachal Pradesh is inalienable part of India, & people of Arunachal Pradesh are supremely patriotic Indians by all standards & definitions."
Rijiju's response came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Centre over a media report detailing China's renaming of locations in Arunachal Pradesh and criticising the Narendra Modi-led government for diverting attention from it by raising the Katchatheevu issue.
Kharge also denounced China's move, labeling Beijing's actions as 'ludicrous,' urging the Indian government to take a stand against China's provocations.
The longstanding territorial and fishing rights dispute concerning Katchatheevu Island gained prominence ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu as PM Modi accused Congress of negligently ceding the island and criticised TN ruling party for failing to protect the state's interests.
English (US) ·