‘It will not change the reality…’: India’s response to China’s objection to PM Modi’s Arunachal visit

India, in a response to China’s objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel, said that their protests will not change the reality. The Ministry of External Affairs said that Arunachal is an integral part of India and will always remain so.

Official spokesperson for the MEA, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement: “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 always will be an integral and inalienable part of India. Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions.”

India’s response comes after the Chinese lodged a diplomatic protest over PM Modi’s visit, during which he inaugurated the Rs 825-crore tunnel, situated at an altitude of 13,000 feet.

China calls the area Zangnan, and said that it does not recognise the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India”. It said that the China-India boundary question is yet to be resolved and that India has no right to “arbitrarily develop” the area of Zangnan in China.

China said that it is “strongly dissatisfied” and that it “firmly opposes” PM Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

The newly-built Sela Tunnel will connect Assam’s Tezpur to Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district. Billed as the longest bi-lane road tunnel at such an altitude, Sela Tunnel is expected to provide a better movement of troops and weaponry to various forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.