New Delhi: India on Tuesday rejected China for raising objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh last Saturday.
In response to media queries regarding the comments by China MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason. Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions."
India's snub to China came after the Communist country lodged a diplomatic protest with its neighbour over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week. China said India's moves will "only complicate" the unresolved boundary question.
During his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, PM Modi dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in the state for providing all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang.
The Rs 825 crore tunnel, constructed on the road connecting Assam's Tezpur to West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being billed as the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at such an altitude.
The Sela Tunnel will provide for better movement of troops and weaponry to various forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, according to military officials. China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders' visits to the state to highlight its claims.
Beijing has also named the area as Zangnan. India has repeatedly rejected China's territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country. New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing's move to assign "invented" names to the area, saying it did not alter the reality.
