Renaming of Arunachal areas by China senseless, says MEA

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 2

A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slammed China for renaming 30 new locations along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also put on record its objection, saying such moves are “senseless”.

Cong flays govt for ‘weak response’

• The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Centre for its alleged weak and meek response to China renaming 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh
• The Opposition party also condemned the “disinformation” campaign allegedly launched by the government against former PM late Indira Gandhi on the issue of Katchatheevu Island
• Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, party’s national spokesperson Manish Tewari said it was sad and regrettable that those who had been espousing “misplaced muscularity” about Katchatheevu were scared of even uttering the word “China”
• The statement of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar shows the weakness of the govt, he said

The list was broadcast by the state media a couple of days after India lodged a diplomatic protest over Beijing’s opposition to PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurating a tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs last week released the fourth list of 30 new names in Arunachal Pradesh, which, the MEA said, made no material difference as the state “was, is and will always be an integral part of India”.

China had released a list of so-called “standardised” geographical names in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls Zangnan, the state-run Global Times had reported on Sunday.

Jaishankar had said, “If today, I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect.”

“Our Army is deployed at the Line of Actual Control,” he had added.

The 30 places renamed by Bejing include 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, 11 residential areas and a piece of land. Apart from the list of names, the Chinese ministry also shared detailed latitude and longitude and a high-resolution map of the areas.

China started this new plot with respect to Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, when it released the initial list of “standardised” names for six locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Another such exercise followed in 2021 when 15 places were renamed. In 2023, 11 places were renamed.

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